I wish we could all gather around, cook, bake and drink together, but until then, here’s a virtual look at a few of my kitchen essentials! I have come to find that there’s a handful or so of items in particular that have made a huge difference in our kitchen. Also, when you have little mouths to feed, I’m finding it more and more helpful with monthly pantry subscriptions- these are our house favs!
- Hands down favorite all-in-one pan : The Always Pan from Our Place. They’re not kidding when they say you’ll become obsessed with it. You name it, I cook everything with it. Pancakes. Eggs. Stir-frys. Pasta dishes. Sautéed chicken breasts. Sauce reductions. Breakfast potatoes. Caramelized fruit. Okay, I’ll stop…but seriously, best pan ever.
- For anyone who knows me, knows that Sean and I both LOVE coffee and especially almond milk lattes. We decided it was finally time a couple years back to finally bite the bullet and purchase an espresso machine. The Breville Dual Boiler Espresso Machine has worked wonders for us! We were searching for a machine that would allow us to pull shots of espresso at the same time as frothing milk. Also, we opted out of the built in grinder and have a separate one for grinding locally roasted coffee beans. It’s super simple and straight forward, and we use it multiple times a day, or at least I do…
- Why spend hours slow roasting batches or even broiling vegetables when you can do it in a fraction of the time? I have become a HUGE fan of our Gourmia – 6qt Digital Air Fryer! I used to be so skeptical and think they were just another funky kitchen appliance that would take up counter space…well I was wrong. I am almost embarrassed to say that I often use it daily. It is so easy to use, heats up ridiculously fast, quick clean up, non-stick. Need I say more? My favorite thing to make in it is probably Japanese sweet potato fries, extra crispy breakfast potatoes (Sunday brunch!) or veggie burgers! Also, I found it at Costco for like $40, so…better move fast!
- I have always been a big fan of smoothies, but I have come to realize that not all blenders work the same. I can count three different blenders that I have gone through before we started using the Vitamix Explorian Series E310 48oz blender. I can confidently say this blender will not let you down and will most definitely break down all the goods you put in it. I have been feeding Ella smoothies since before she could even hold a cup on her own. I wanted her to be able to consume all the possible nutrients that I was also eating and drinking. We have created handfuls of fun, “rainbow” smoothie combos, and the Vitamix has been great for all. It’s also perfect for pureeing soups, making homemade ice cream, sauces- you name it!
- A pour over is my go-to when I have a super small amount of time and don’t really have the time or patience to make an espresso. This is our second time with a Chemex because the first one I grabbed out of the dishwasher when it was still super hot and dropped it, and well, game over! But, I loved how simple and efficient it is, so we keep going back! My personal favorite rendition of a unique pour over is Leelanau Coffee Roaster Hazelnut whole bean coffee (ground), few shakes of Ceylon cinnamon, two drops of pure vanilla extract and ta-dah! It tastes like a super fancy dark roast, but usually being consumed watching Ella flood the bathroom from one of her “hour-long” baths.
- Ever wonder how to make perfect cold foam to top on iced lattes and matchas? It’s really actually the simplest little gadget and under $14 on Amazon. I love making iced matchas, just more recently actually, but not a huge fan of hot ones, go figure! I add anywhere from 1/2 cup to a full cup of unsweetened almond or cashew milk into a metal milk frothing pitcher (or any little cup of choice), a splash of maple syrup and sometime sprinkle of cinnamon. Just place the titanium hand milk frother in the cup and push the button. You’ll see when the foam peaks, but non-dairy milk tends to take a tiny bit longer than dairy because of the lower fat content. Then just pour it over your drink of choice and there you have it, the most perfect cold-foam topper!
I hope this helps you find some great new appliances, tools and essentials for your kitchen! Also, this is just an idea of all the things that I favor and use the most in our kitchen. There’s many more to come, but this is the gist of it 🙂
