Tools of the trade

I spend a lot more time in the kitchen than I used to. A LOT. Most of my family knows this, so it's inevitable that I get kitchen tools and gadgets as gifts all the time. More than a few times, I've unwrapped a gift and given a little eye roll when I'm faced with something that I've seen pitched on TV for "only 9.99 plus shipping!" (buy now and we'll double your order!). But surprisingly, a few of those items made my list of must-have kitchen tools - they save me time, and money when they help me avoid convenience packaging of fresh items.

Here's a little list of my favorite kitchen tools!

Vidalia Chop Wizard
This little tool came my way via my husband's grandmother. I definitely did my best Billy Mays when I unwrapped it, and expected that it would gather dust before eventually making its way to a yard sale. How wrong I was. I use this little gem DAILY. It has two attachments, one for larger cuts and one for small dices, and the food drops into a container that doubles as a measuring cup! It works FAST too, and cleanup is really easy. I haven't manually chopped an onion in forever, let alone peppers, carrots, celery, boiled eggs...

One Touch Can Opener
Ok, maybe this is just a convenience thing, but I LOVE my One Touch. When I'm doing big cooking sessions, it helps keep things moving because I can set it on a can, hit the button, and then do something else while this little guy does his work. Yeah, it's a few seconds here and there - but if you've got a lot of cans to open (especially when doing bulk cooking sessions) those moments add up fast. Plus my toddler is enthralled by it, and a captivated toddler makes for a happy mommy :)

Good Grips Apple Corer and Divider
I like the whole OXO line because of the chunky, padded handles - and my apple corer/slicer gets daily use. Getting snacks to the table is that much faster. But I also use it to make onion wedges for roasting, and potato wedges for homemade fries.

Oxo Good Grips 4-Inch Pizza Wheel
Even if you NEVER make a homemade pizza, a pizza wheel is a must-have tool. Crusts to cut off your bread? No problem. Quesadillas? Perfect triangles in seconds. Need to make bite-sized pieces for your toddler? 1-2-3 done. I use it when baking breadsticks to cut the dough evenly and quickly. And yes, we use it on homemade pizza too :)

What's your most prized kitchen tool?






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