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Every cook has those tools in her kitchen that she just can’t live without. And the fancier the cook, the fancier the tools. I, however, am a very simple cook. Not a lot of frills in the Williby kitchen, I promise you. These items are all dishwasher safe and can be easily found online or in your local stores and they are all under $35! Just please pardon the “worn in” look of my utensils. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, these babies are on their way to turning “real” quite quickly.
So, let’s take a look, shall we?
Item #1 — Flat Whisk
The flat whisk is a must if you make gravies or any homemade roux. Unlike a balloon whisk, the flat whisk can get into the sneaky corners of a deeper pot with ease. It also keeps any liquid a little steadier and you can whisk faster in a more shallow pan without so much fear that you’re going to slosh stuff out onto the hot stove.
The current iteration of this particular flat whisk costs $32.95 at Williams-Sonoma. However, this one by OXO from Amazon is only $7!
Item #2 – Pampered Chef Scoops
You knew this list was going to have some Pampered Chef on it, right? These scoops come in three sizes (L, M, and S). Frankly, I think some more descriptive size names would be fun. Muffin, cookie, and truffle, perhaps? Anyway, if your kids are like mine, they will always try to search out the biggest cookie or muffin from the batch. Pampered Chef has done you a solid and taken away just a bit of arguing in your house. Evenly sized baked goods, for the win!
You can find the scoops through any individual consultant or online here. The large scoop costs $19 and each smaller size decreases in price by a dollar.
Item #3 – Farberware Vegetable Peeler
I learned a lot of my cooking from my mom. There are a couple spots where our methods diverge, though. One of them is the mess we make when cooking (I’m a clean-as-I-go and Mom is…not). The other is our method of peeling potatoes. Mom uses a knife (!!!), but I’m afraid I’d lose a digit if I did that. Enter the Farberware peeler. This beauty can handle everything from a potato to an apple to a carrot and fits nicely in my rather large-sized hand. I’ve used this one long enough for the word Farberware to completely wash/rub off the silver oval on the handle (and it took me practically 10 minutes to Google up the brand name!). No matter, though! It’s as sharp as the day I bought it.
I want to say I bought this at our local Publix a few years ago, but you can find one just like it on Amazon now for $12.19.
Item #4 – Mix ‘n Chop
Alright, one more Pampered Chef tool for you. This one is called the Mix ‘n Chop. Believe it or not, I got this in my stocking one year at Christmas from my in-laws. I remember my mother-in-law laughing because my sister-in-law and I could not figure out what in the world this plastic thing was! Turns out, she had seen one at a party she had gone to, bought one for herself, loved it, and so had gifted Jenny and I each with one. Let me just say, I no longer know how to brown ground meat without it. To use it, you grab it by the handle, hold it perpendicular to the pan and…wait for it…mix and chop the meat as it browns!! So simple! So fabulous!
Best of all, it only costs $12! Grab one here or from your favorite PC consultant.
Now, let me ask you… What are the tools you can’t live without? I’m always looking for a new doodad to enhance my kitchen experience. Leave a comment with your favorites!
Love this! I’m pretty sure my mom has all of these except the peeler. Her old red peeler is older than me, I think! French vegetable peelers are so weird – you have to peel the vegetable towards yourself, and it takes so much effort. Hard to explain. I’ll have to pick a Farberware one up this summer. 😉
I absolutely love my handheld adjustable mandoline (sometimes called a Japanese mandolin.) Unlike a French mandoline which has many different slicing/shredding/julienning blades and costs hundreds of dollars, the handheld is only for slicing thin veggies and fruits (think potatoes for au gratin or cucumbers, Roma tomatoes and onions for a salad). Mine has 4 different settings, from paper thin to ¼ inch, and a ceramic blade that will cut off the tip of your thumb if you don’t use the hand guard. It also has notches cut out of the bottom, so you can place it over a bowl and slice your veggies right into the salad. Mine is made by Kyocera and I bought it for about $20 at a specialty kitchen shop 10 years ago, but you can buy it at Sur La Table or Amazon.
Love it!! I’m always afraid I’ll lose a digit on a mandoline, but you make it sound like maybe I’d be ok.
My husband sold Cutco Cutlery during college, so we always joke that his “dowry” was his big set of quality knives. I don’t know what I’d do without them!
We have one Cutco bread knife and I love that thing! Thanks for stopping by the blog!