Christmas is drawing near, and with it many of us are writing our wish and gift lists. To aid you in your list writing endeavors, I thought I would share some of the items in my own kitchen that I recommend and use. (And also what’s on my own wish list!)
There are so many wonderful, time saving kitchen tools and I am excited to share some of my favorite ones with you. (I may add to this list as time goes on).
But before I get to the real kitchen tools, I have to make one favorite Christmas music recommendation.
When I was growing up, I had a very well listened to cassette tape of Bing Crosby’s, White Christmas
So when I got married my husband, knowing my great love for Bing Crosby’s Christmas music, bought me all the Bing Crosby Christmas CD’s that he could find. These CD’s are now getting very well used! As I write this my two year old is singing “Silver Bells”, which tickles me since that was one of my childhood favorites.
And if you were to ask me, there is nothing as perfect as listening to him croon out Christmas carols, White Christmas and other Christmas classics while making Christmas treats in the kitchen. But I’m a little biased…
On to the real kitchen tools!
The first kitchen tool I recommend is a salad spinner. I unfortunately broke my old one a few months ago (I should say Elena did, because she pushed it off the table). I found that our salad consumption went way down when I didn’t have a salad spinner! This little tool really helps me get a salad on the table in no time. When we bought a new one, we got the above salad spinner and it’s our favorite, for sure. It takes very little effort to spin, and is an effective dryer. This spinner doesn’t contain drainers in the bottom, so it does sometimes need to be emptied, but I find it an advantage because I fill the bowl up to soak especially dirty leaves. Definitely one of those tools I don’t like living without!
Bosch mixers are not cheap, but they last forever. These hefty mixers can handle dough for six loaves of bread at at time, making homemade bread an easy project! There’s nothing wrong with hand kneading your dough, but bosch mixers will save you time and energy (both of which are worth much to most of us!). Besides which, if this saves you from having to buy bread, it could pay for itself with time. The above is the version I own, but there is also a compact version(400W Compact Kitchen Machine
Owning an ice cream maker allows you to quickly make nourishing, scrumptious desserts fit for a king! My in-laws gave us ours a few years ago for Christmas and we have enjoyed it ever since. (And yes, we even make ice cream during the winter!). We own the Cuisinart ice cream maker and love it. This type of ice cream maker doesn’t need rock salt and ice, so it’s a cinch to make. (And just think of how much money you will save making your own ice cream!).
Our favorite homemade ice cream? Chocolate, Coconut Milk Ice Cream
I wrote a review about the Kitchen Aid immersion blender, which I adore! Because I make so many blended soups, this has been such a time saver! It’s also great for making hot chocolate, protein drinks, and baby food. There really are a lot of uses for it in the kitchen. It’s easy to store, and not too expensive either.
I have been borrowing an American Harvest dehydrator from my mother. It was bought a long time ago and has lasted wonderfully. I find it easy to use, with the added bonus of it drying evenly. I use it for drying soaked nuts, fruits, and sprouted grains. My only problem with it, is that it is made with plastic. I would much prefer not to have the plastic, so on my wish list is this stainless steel dehydrator. (Maybe after Joel gets out of school, I can get one. š )
So there are a few favorite kitchen tool ideas for wish lists and gift ideas. I would love to hear your suggestions as well. What kitchen tools do you have on your wish list this year? (And your Christmas music recommendations are welcome as well!).
Latest posts by KimiHarris (see all)
- 2 Ingredient Peppermint Bark - December 21, 2022
- Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade (Keto, THM) - March 16, 2022
- Creamy Curry Red Lentil Soup - December 8, 2021
For anyone who has a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, the ice cream attachment is really nice. I debated between it and the Cuisinart ice cream maker and eventually chose the attachment because it saves me some storage space. I keep the bowl in the freezer at all times and only have to keep the paddle in my drawers instead of another whole stand/machine. Works for me!
One more thing: the Vitamix is everything people claim. I got one a few months ago, and I can’t imagine living without it now. It’s pricy but wonderful.
For myself, I’m hoping to get a Le Creuset large Dutch oven for Christmas. š
I just got a Nutrimill grain mill so I’m not really in the market for any other kitchen gadgets this year.:-) I’m looking forward to learning to use it.
I agree with your Bosch mixer recommendation. My parents gave me one for a wedding gift. I LOVE it! Mine is the same model as yours.
I highly recommend a good food processor. Mine is Cuisinart and I really like it; I think some other less expensive brands are good too. I use it all the time for chopping salad veggies, shredding cheese, etc. especially when I’m doing freezer cooking. Such a time saver!
For smaller kitchen items, I’m working on slowly replacing the plastic leftover containers with glass. I’ve found the smaller (3 cup)rectangular Pyrex dishes to be the perfect size for my husband ‘s lunch. I’m hoping for a few more of those!
Okay…This is a nifty idea Kimi! I think tomorrow I will post my wish and gift list on my blog. It may give some family members some ideas, if you know what I mean. š
Ahh, kitchen wish list this one really resonates with me as I’ve been wishing for some things very hard!
My first wish would be for a Greenstar juicer, you can use it to make nut/seed butters, fruit puree and of course delicious juices. I find it hard to eat enough green leafy veggies, but I have been discovering these to be one of the best sources of calcium and other alkalizing minerals. And a Gorilla could probably tell you that while it bench presses 4,000 pounds!
Second on the list would be a vitamix for sure, my blender is ready to retire and collect social security. It is a grizzled veteran, but has made many a tasty concoction and deserves a warriors funeral. It was purchased for $30 and is 3 years old!
Well those are my top two but a food dehydrator sounds good too, I’ll have to check your recommendation. I could go on but above all else I hope to be surrounded by love and family for the holidays, which is never too much to ask for or to give! Thanks for the the fun posting:-)
I am with you…the bosch is great….we use ours all the time….we have got our money worth out of it…we kneed your sprouted noodles in there too..saves so much time…
I had on my wish list another salad spinner…so I will look into the ones you have listed….and I now have on my list the hand blender…that would be great and save so much time…Thanks for the ideas…
Jessica O.
My Bosch is over 29 years old!!
Iām looking for a Zojirushi thermal cooking pot under my pretend tree. This is a “slow cooker” with a difference. You bring the food up to heat on the stove in the inner pot, then put that pot into the cooker and close the lid, creating a vacuum.
No electricity. You can leave it overnight, or all day…and, voila, breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Whoa that thermal cooker from gilda sounds awesome! One kitchen tool I can recommend is (this is going to sound silly, but…) the Magic Bullet blender set. It is so easy to use and to clean. I love it for making salad dressings, grinding spices, making smoothies, etc!
I LOVE my hand blender. It truly is the most useful kitchen gadget I own. I live in Manhattan so I have no space. The hand blender works for almost anything I would use a blender or food processor for, and mine has a mixer attachment.