Monday, March 8, 2010

"Best Of/Tip/We Recommend" Week



What are blogs for if not to swap tips and share wisdom? We're devoting this week to tip sharing - trying to help each other discover the perfect brand of deodorant, the best song to clean to, and when it's okay to sub a generic for the pricier name brand.

Is there something you're dying to ask this little community? Jot down your questions/suggestions and save them for Friday when the Bloom comment thread will turn into a "Best Of" free-for-all where you can ask each other for tips on everything under the sun!

To start things off, we ask you:

What are some of the best tools/gadgets in your kitchen? Which ones would you hate to cook/clean-up without?

25 comments:

Abbie said...

What a great idea!

I love my giant skillet. I use it all the time. And the crockpot, of course! How doesn't love the crockpot?

Abbie said...

PS who not how:)

Astyn said...

My Bosch mixer. I don't think I could ever go back to the pre-Bosch days.

Rachael said...

My KitchenAid stand mixer is a given, but a tricky little tool that I've really grown to love is my immersion blender (I'd also recommend KitchenAid there, since it is so heavy-duty). I use it for blending up everything from soups to hummus to pesto. And smoothies, since my blender died on me a couple of weeks ago.

The Oxford Family said...

My crock pot and my apple slicer/corer thingy. I always thought they were so silly but I swear my daughter is so much better at eating fruit now!

jeanine said...

I love my Kitchen Aid mixer... and my cutco knives.

For cleaning... I love spraying everything down with pink grapefruit Method spray. It makes my kitchen smell so fresh!

kjramstack said...

I love my OXO garlic peeler. It's a rubber tube that you put cloves of garlic in. Then you use the palm of your hand to roll the tube back and forth. The papery peeling comes right off!

Unknown said...

The Magic Bullet. My husband loves to make himself smoothies, and I tell you what, that thing does a bang up job of it. We also use it for salsa, pesto, milkshakes...the list goes on. It's perfect for the small amounts of blended things that our family of two needs.

Anonymous said...

I love my apple corer that slices the apples into wedges, but I was floored last summer when I used one of those apple/corer/slicer/peeler things that cuts the apples into slinky rings. It is truly my favorite. Sped up slicing apples for canning but also so fun for my boys to eat them that way too. I also LOVE my electric pancake griddle that allows me to make six french toasts at once or two quesadillas. I also love my tupperware brand cheese slicer because it has a place to catch the cheese while you shred (with measurements on the side, so you know how much you've shredded). Then you open it up and dump out the cheese. I also think everyone should have one of those measuring cups that allows you to see how much liquid is in it from the side or the top.

Bianchi said...

my electric tea kettle...it is a Godsend! also, my All-Clad pots & pans...can't imagine having anything else.

Katie Richins said...

My immersion blender, my super sharp knife, and my little Pampered Chef plastic scraper (the one that comes with their stoneware). That little scraper is the BEST for cleaning around the kitchen!!

Natalie said...

We love our KitchenAid Blender. It has made many many smoothies. Also our skillet, we use that all the time.

Charlene said...

Oh, I have a few loves - some that have already been mentioned.

1. Pampered Chef brown scraper for stoneware, and so much more!

2. Krups mini food chopper, used for shredding beef for bbq beef sandwiches, to making salad dressings - it emulsifies beautifully!

3. Crockpot - I own two!

4. Cutco knives - oh, so sharp!

5. Stainless steel double walled reusable water bottles. Those babies keep my water and ice cold for hours, helping me drink more water during the day.

Unknown said...

I love my Furi chef knife, my dutch oven, the maple wooden spoon I've head for a decade and my immersion blender.

Valerie said...

apple slicer, crock pot, and George foreman grill

Jesslyn said...

1. My Zojirushi rice cooker, because it also does perfect Irish Oats & cracked wheat. Hot breakfast ready and waiting when we wake up.
2. My Kitchen Aid.
3. My knife sharpener.

The Alexanders said...

my kitchen is almost all Pampered Chef and I don't know how I could cook anything without it all!!

Vicky said...

I can't live without my KitchenAid mixer, and I love my NutriMill. These are pretty basic, but I simply can't have enough rubber spatulas (scrapers?), and I love my new KitchenAid wisk.

Steph said...

My cuisinart food processor-- we use it to make the best pizza dough, pie crust, and all the other things you'd expect to use a food processor.

My cuisinart standing mixer-- I'm in serious love with it.

and amen to the Kitchenaid immersion blender!

Trina said...

My kitchenaid mixer, my electric griddle, and (of course) the dishwasher!

Tracey said...

My cast iron skillet's. I have been cooking in them for almost thirty years now and would be lost without them.

Stephanie said...

I absolutely love the Calphalon nonstick square griddle my mom bought me (the flat one without the ridges). It fits 4 grilled cheese sandwiches, pieces of french toast or pancakes perfectly! I love that I don't have to haul out my electric griddle anymore!

Lindy Johnson said...

I'm very fond of my baking stone from King Arthur. Since reading the book "Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day," I've become kind of a zealot! My stone gives me fabulous crusts every time I bake (and also makes for a divine pizza crust, too).

Kate said...

My super sharp Wusthof knife

My giant non-stick skillet I bought from Costco (how did I live with out you?)

A hand me down cheese slicer from my grandma (The handle is broken, but no other slicer has ever sliced like this baby)

Crock pot is a given

Spatulas are also a given, but they have to be from Williams Sonoma

Ziploc bags of all sizes

My pampered chef whisk. Wedding present and the best whisk I've ever used!

Several sets of measuring spoons (because I hate washing those little things in between jobs) Same goes for measuring cups

I think that's it for now!

Rasmussen Family said...

a good Amish-made vegetable peeler and paring knife.
My panini maker
Pampered Chef mini chopper:)
My super powered handmixer
The big glass pampered chef mixing bowl with a spout and lid