As a dietitian and a mom and cook, there are practical kitchen items that are simply my right-hand aides. Actually they are my pride and joy for my dinner preparation at home. I want to share these with you. Put any of these on your holiday wish list. The reason is simple. When you love your kitchen tools, it makes cooking more of a pleasure. Look for the holiday sales. Perhaps someone in your life may get the hint and you will find one of your wish list items under the tree!
1. Great Knives
A sharp knife is a cook’s best friend. I am very fortunate to own a set of German-made Wusthof and Henckels knives. J. A. Henckels makes two lines of cutlery. The Zwilling J. A. Henckels premium line has the twin stick figures logo and is usually made in Germany. The more affordable line is the J. A. Henckels brand with one stick figure and is usually made in Spain or China. The premium line retails for $300 for a 7-piece set (It is OK to ask for knives as wedding anniversary gift!). I can’t lie: I love my Germany-made knives because the blades hold their sharp edge and they feel substantial in my hand as I cut, slice, and dice. Try to consider a few aspects before you splurge:
- Consider “forged” over “stamped” steel. Forged knives are made and pounded from one single bar of steel, whereas stamped knives are cut from one large sheet of steel like cookie-cutting. Forged knives tend to last longer and cost more. Look for the tell-tale feature of the bolster in a forged knife, which is the thickened part as the blade meets the handle.
- At a minimum, look for knives where the blade of the steel, aka the tang, runs through the entire handle. Look for the 3 rivets on the handles.
- It is very practical to have an 8″ chef knife, a hollow edge Santoku knife (where there are concave pockets along the edge of the blade), a serrated-edge bread knife and a 4″ paring knife. Adding an 8″ hollow edge carving knife is a dream to slice pot roast (raw or cooked), pork tenderloin roast or turkey.
2. Instant Pot
I love and use my Instant Pot quite a lot. When I received the Instant Pot as a gift, the buttons seemed intimidating to me at first. You will find you will use the saute and manual cook features most of the time. That is OK, you can venture into the other cool features as you gain confidence. My most beloved feature of the Instant Pot, besides the time saving, is the saute feature. You can brown a pot roast or chicken right in the pot. Not only does the browning step develop the caramelized rich savory taste of meat as it cooks, the browned bits, or fond, stay in the pot and make the soup or sauce unbelievably delicious.
3. Glass Containers with Lids
Glass containers with lids make healthy meal planning go easier, and are essential to the “cook once eat many” prepping method. Roast a piece of chicken breast for dinner but refrigerate a portion for a chicken avocado sandwich in a glass container for the next day. Read more about meal prepping in my blog. As Chef dietitian Julie Harrington RD suggests, Glass containers are preferred to plastic – they are easier to clean, do not absorb food odors, and can be used to reheat leftovers. Look for a set of Pyrex of various shapes and sizes from warehouse stores such as Costco or BJs. The advantage of Pyrex is that replacement lids can be easily found. I love my Pyrex. Leftovers look so enticing in a clear, crisp glass container.
4. A Digital Thermometer
A remote digital meat thermometer is such a time-saver. Insert the probe in the roast, set the target temperature and you are off to reading a book or doing something else in the house. The alarm will alert you when the roast is done. They come in cordless or with a cord. For my melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork, the roast is placed in the oven with the thermometer set to 200 degrees, right before I go to bed. I wake up the next morning to the aroma of a perfectly juicy pork roast! I love that things get done while I sleep!
5. A Beautiful Set of Plates and Forks
This is not a frivolous ask at all. Quite essential to self-care I would say. Start your morning with oatmeal and tea served in a beautiful rimmed soup bowl and a teacup. I teach Mindful Eating for corporate wellness. It is much easier to engage our senses when our foods are served on beautiful plates. One rule in my house is even take-out pizza is enjoyed in our Mikasa bone china plates with stainless steel forks. Rarely do we use paper plates and disposable utensils. We eat with our eyes first. Our home dinners look so much more enticing when served on pretty dinnerware. Buy a set containing at least a 10″ dinner plate, 8″ salad plate, soup bowl and either a cup with saucer or a mug. I prefer the 9″ rimmed soup bowl because it is versatile as a serving plate too. Buy a larger set than your current household. If you are a 4-person household, buy a set of 8. Same goes for flatware. That way, you have a handy replacement if one is broken. Today bone china plates are dishwater and microwave safe, and even oven-safe at warming temperature. It is a good investment in eating healthfully. Nothing speaks “you deserve it” more than unwinding in the evening over family dinner served on beautiful plates with shiny forks.
Do you have a favorite kitchen tool you can’t live without? Do you like any of the ideas in this blog? Drop me a note below. Love to hear from you! Good luck; I hope you get your dream gifts this year! Happy Holidays!
