5 Favorite Kitchen Things!

The hubs and I really enjoy cooking (and the occasional baking) together.  It's a chance to bond at the end of a long day and we've discovered a lot of great recipes over the years.  We've also discovered some great gadgets and helpful items around the kitchen that have helped us along the way. 

Pampered Chef

The food chopper is a must-have in the kitchen!  Hubby's parents swear by this tool, and now so do we!  We primarily use the chopper for garlic...it's a huge time saver and since we use garlic in everything most of our meals, this thing comes in handy all the time!  It can also be used for veggies, nuts, chocolate...the list goes on!

 via Macy's

Gone are the days of waiting for that high-pitched whistle to blow, signifying boiling water!  The electric kettle is a dream...boiling water in in just moments!  I use this kettle every morning for my tea...but don't let that limit you.  I also love that this is not hot to the touch on the outside...like the traditional kettle (and stove!) would be.

via Amazon

I could literally write a whole post on wine gadgets (idea!) but this is the best of them all.  The Metrokane "Vertical Rabbit" is the BEST wine opener I know of.  There are no tricks, no batteries needed, or multiple parts...this baby has one lever and it's literally as easy as 1-2-3.  Anyone can use it and it makes opening a bottle of wine a cinch...which could be dangerous after a bottle or two...

via Crate & Barrel

It goes without saying that the KitchenAid Mixer is the creme de la creme of all things kitchen, and I have the Professional 600 Series, pictured above.  However, are you aware of all the glorious colors this now comes in???  There are over 25 colors to choose from...some of my favorites are:

tangerine

yellow pepper

green apple

ice 

boysenberry

To see all the colors, go here.

   via Target

No, this is not a joke!!!  The  'Ove' Glove is amaaaaazing!!!  It is {obviously} great for the oven...heat resistant and you can grip all those tricky pans and trays while they're in the oven.  It is also known to open jars, manhandle the BBQ, change out light bulbs (we haven't actually done this, but we might!)...who knows the possibilities!  And having the fingers actually does make the difference...no more worries about those over-sized mitts falling off.  

There are TONS of other kitchen appliances and tools that we love, but these definitely top our list!  Oh and one last thing I must share with you:

This is my new water bottle--the Natural Glass Water Bottle by Starbucks!  I've been reading more and more about the bad effects of plastic and since I drink water at my desk all day long, I thought it was time for a change.  This bottle is glass, but has a protective silicone sleeve around it, so it won't break.  Also dishwasher safe--love!  I feel like I drink more water all day long now too!  :)

So tell me...do you have any of these kitchen gadgets?  What am I missing that I need to know about now?  Hopefully I've shared some new things for all of you to check out!

xo natasha