As a foodie who loves to bake and makes homemade meals most of the time, I have opinions on kitchen gadgets. I’ve been through many over the years. Some have been donated to Goodwill, others I still have and use regularly. The list that follows is the best of the best. Any of these would make a wonderful gift for a fellow foodie, someone who uses their kitchen, or someone just building up their kitchen supplies.
Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
These don’t roll up as you’re putting it on the baking sheet, and they are already cut to the exact right size for a standard home kitchen baking sheet.
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
This is the.best.skillet! It’s called a ‘casserole’ because you can put it in the oven, but I use it as a skillet. If your recipe calls for a 12” skillet, use this! It heats evenly, has a large flat bottom with plenty of room. It browns things nicely, you can safely get it hotter than non-stick, it has two handles – a much better design for a heavy dish, the list goes on. Basically, you need 2 skillets – this one and a small non-stick for eggs. I said what I said.
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
This is just as wonderful as a certain name brand at a fraction of the price. And I love the rounded bottom, which makes it a breeze to clean.
Balci Ice Cream Scoop
The weight and pointy tip make scopping frozen ice cream a breeze. Bonus: It’s stainless steel, which means that dishwasher detergent doesn’t eat away the finish over time like some others I’ve had.
Portion Scoops
I lovingly call these my “Lunch Lady Scoops.” I am a lunch lady, and these have so many purposes. My favorite use is to measure ingredients (peanut butter, yogurt, etc.) for baking or scoop dough onto baking sheets.
Hint: The number on the handle is the number of portions you get out of a quart. A #16 scoop (my most used) is 1/4 cup, and so on.
Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer
Put the lemon in the juicer cut side down, squeeze, and get more juice than you thought possible. It works with limes and small oranges, too.
Peugeot Pepper Mill
This pepper mill grinds smoothly and is sturdy. Other pepper mills I’ve owned have broken with wear and tear.
Flour Duster
Feel like a fairy godmother while dusting your lemon bars with powdered sugar. It works great for cocoa powder and flour, too.
Pro tip: Store it in the powdered sugar container so that it just lives there and is only used for one thing (meaning that you don’t need to wash it every single time).
I hope you found the next great addition to your kitchen. I have lists of favorite cookbooks and recipe categories, too.
Next, be sure to store your kitchen items smartly – where you’ll use them. I have a list of helpful organizing advice and products to help with this.
