I love to be in the kitchen, and I love using gadgets in the kitchen to make my life easier. Shockingly, with each new child I find myself with less and less time to cook and bake. About a year ago, I realized that I was starting to hate cooking for my family because it took SO LONG to make exciting foods that I wanted. When I would start in on a cooking/baking project, I would either get interrupted multiple times or would totally screw it up because of my three super cute distractions.
I mean, I loved my Crockpot. I still do. But, after awhile I was wanting to make something besides soups, roast, and very mushy mac'n'cheese. It also takes some fore-thought, and my focus in the morning usually isn't what I'll be eating for dinner that night. (Ironically, I do often think about breakfast as I am going to bed).
Here are my top 5 life-changing kitchen gadgets. (Maybe not life-changing, but my chaos would be so much worse without them!)
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer - Ok, my sister will argue with me that HER mixer is better, but I love my Kitchenaid mixer. I have had it since before I got married (that is, it was my mom's. She gave it to me when she got remarried, but accidentally threw away the bowl and attachments and bought me new ones. It was a pretty sweet deal). I use it for my sourdough, to mix any and all batters, and to even make homemade whipped cream. I'm not sure where I would be without it. My bonus mom has a beast of one that she uses to feed armies of hungry Hawaiians, but my 5-quart is more than enough for my family.
Ninja Blender - I was gifted the Ninja Kitchen System by my freaking amazing in-laws a few years ago, and I use it at least a few times per week. My two favorite party tricks are mashed potatoes and cookie dough. Nothing beats perfectly creamy mashed potatoes in seconds, or 30-second cookie dough. We also really like the individual nutri-cups. They make a quick grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings.
Enameled Cast-Iron Pot - This was purchased solely for the purpose of making my artisan sourdough loaves, but it turned out to be pretty handy! We have done "indoor" Dutch oven recipes in this pot, since I don't like bringing our ashy camping Dutch ovens inside the house. Sometimes you just NEED dump peach cobbler in the middle of January. It also looks very, very pretty when taken to parties and BBQs.
Air Fryer - Ok, so I saw this as a fad gadget (kind of like my Instant Pot, see below), except that people were still talking about them 6 months after I first heard of them. I messaged Brad while at Walmart asking if we could get one, since I decided to throw away our totally disgusting, greasy, stinky deep fryer when we moved. He (grudgingly) said sure, and we have loved it ever since! It uses no oil to cook things like french fries, fish sticks, chicken tenders (super healthy, I know), but also takes less time than the oven (and believe me, my convection oven kicks butt). I have heard/read that you can use silicone cups to make things like cupcakes and other goodies, but I have yet to try it out.
Instant Pot - Where do I even start? I was hesitant to even try one because I was so afraid of being disappointed. Rumors of perfect hard-boiled eggs, tender roasts in an hour, and a 20-minute from-frozen chicken breast had me seriously checking it out, though. Brad bought me one for my birthday last summer, and rarely a day goes by that I don't use it. Rice pilaf, chicken wings (from frozen, people!), amazing soups, homemade tamales steamed to perfection in less than an hour (with a steamer basket, I strongly encourage the steamer basket), and absolutely amazing hard-boiled eggs. I legitimately cried the first time I made eggs, and sent out about 10 different texts to various friends and family showing a video of me peeling them. So little work, and great food. I want to get a small second one (a 3-quart) so that I can make sides and main dishes together and save even more time. I have the DUO60, 6-quart 7-in-one. I plan to make yogurt in the next month-ish, so watch for that. YOU NEED AN INSTANT POT!!!
What are your favorite time-saving gadgets? What do I need? Let me know below!
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