One of the greatest things about getting married is.....all the awesome kitchen stuff you can register for!! Oh and I guess that whole soulmate, love, partnership thing is cool too....but cooking is far more fun to talk about. When registering for gifts for my bridal shower and our wedding, I was like a kid in a candy store....only the candy store was Williams Sonoma....and I was a 26 year old cooking lunatic. Now that I have all of these great kitchen supplies, I shall share with you my very favorite ones, and ones that I think every cook should invest in at some point.
One of the first things I would suggest getting is a large Le Creuset Dutch Oven (insert potty humor dutch oven joke here). This is a great implement that can act as a few different kitchen supplies. First, this is great to make huge quantities of soup, chili, etc. It can also be doubled as a slow cooker to cook such things as Brisket, ribs, Osso Buco, etc. In addition, the size is great for searing large pieces of meats before you cook them. It is the first item on my list for people who aren't even majorly into cooking....believe me, you'll find many a use for this if you cook at all!
Next up, is an item not necessarily for cooking, but for pure enjoyment. The rabbit corkscrew and accessories. I do cook frequently with wine, but more often I like to enjoy some wine WHILE cooking. I used to have the same lame corkscrew that I am sure everyone in this world owns....and I always felt like opening a bottle of wine was a battle of strength and determination. Well no longer! This corkscrew is incredibly easy to use, and opens a bottle of wine with no force exerted.
One of my favorite things that I have is this set of 10 multi-sized glass bowls. These are awesome for prepping your food, creating food in, storing food, etc. The different sizes are great for various things - for example, the smallest size, which is smaller than my palm, is awesome for prepping herbs (like thyme, tarragon, etc.) - by laying out ingredients for a meal you're creating, you make it so much easier for yourself during the actual cooking time. The largest bowl is great for mixing cookie batter, letting dough rise in it, mixing ingredients together for meatballs ...you name it.
Next up is this awesome set of Le Creuset bakeware. You will not imagine how many things you can use these various dishes for. I use them to roast veggies, cook fish, make baked mac n' cheese, cook Shepherd's or Chicken Pot Pie, make meatloaf, etc. The little mini dutch ovens are great to create individual sized portions - great for mac n' cheese! We also use the little guys to melt butter for when we cook lobsters and want to dip the meat in butter!
The most prized possession in my kitchen is my awesome chef's knife. This is such an important tool when cooking - a sharp, good knife. A knife is something to invest in, because you will use it for absolutely everything....from chopping up veggies to butchering meats.
A few years back for Christmas, my mom got me the 12-cup Cuisinart Food Processor. I use this baby for SO many things that there's no way I could live without it in my kitchen. Mainly I use it to make homemade dough for my sausage breads , pierogis , pizza , etc. (using the dough blade). You can also use the sharp blade to puree things such as homemade hummus, dips - like my onion dip, or making chunky soups into smooth soups . The other attachments are very useful as well....the shredding blade is great for making latkes , the slicing blade is awesome to cut up carrots or cucumbers for a salad....trust me, this is something you want to invest in!
The next few items on my list are more for your own fun and enjoyment as opposed to kitchen necessity. First up is a slow cooker. The great thing about these is, you can put it on in the morning, loaded up with whatever you're going to cook, go to work, and come home, and you're dinner is ready. We use it to make pulled pork, slow cooked chicken , ribs, brisket, chili, pork belly, you name it. You can also use it to make soups, veggies....even mac n' cheese!
A really cool implement I received for my bridal shower was an immersion blender. This is awesome for making chunky soups smooth , or if you're into molecular gastronomy like my husband, for making foams ! They're also fairly cheap, so if you're not looking to invest in something larger, this is a fun thing to start out with.
Next up is a device that brings out the inner Paula Dean in me.....my deep fryer!!! SO AWESOME, I cannot even count the ways. Recently I've used this to deep fry Sfinge (Italian Zeppole), Corn Fritters for Thanksgiving, Angel Wings (cookies), and french fries. Obviously the possibilities for deep frying are endless, and I intend to fry anything and everything!
And now my most recent acquisition: Barry, my Pressure Cooker. A Pressure Cooker is basically the polar opposite of a Slow Cooker....in this device you can cook things in about a quarter of the time it would take to cook normally. I have cooked a 3 pound pot roast in less than an hour, cooked 2 pounds of ribs in 24 minutes, you get the idea. This is an awesome thing to have if you've worked all day and want to eat something awesome, but want it done fast!
These are just some of my favorite kitchen appliances/supplies that I think every cook should own! When you have great items such as these, your ability to get creative and try new things increases! For other really cool devices/supplies I would recommend walking into a Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table and check things out!
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