Kitchen Must Haves: WMF Bistro Ice Cream Spoons (for Sundaes, Iced Tea and More)

When you have a delicious, tall ice cream sundae in front of you, the last thing you want to do is struggle with a stubby spoon to get to all the good stuff at the bottom of the sundae dish! These sublime spoons by WMF are perfect for getting to the gooey goodness of any sundae...plus, they're the perfect length to double as iced tea spoons!

Kitchen Gadgets - Vinturi Wine Aerator Set - deluxe Set

Vinturi wine aerators are amazing gifts, and so perfect for a wine lover. Since introduced, Vinturi wine aerators have been selling out...but, why? Because Vinturi simplifies and beautifies the entire process of aerating your wine and making it perfectly ready to drink and enjoy.




This deluxe set includes the Vinturi tower, sediment filter, no-drip stand and travel pouch. In the time it takes to pour a regular glass of wine, you'll have perfectly aerated wine - delicious. And it does justice to even your finest bottles of vino.

P.S. Click on the above link and read the reviews - Vinturi really is the most popular aerator on the market by far right now!

Kitchen Gadgets - Mortar and Pestle

A mortar and pestle is a useful (and old-fashioned) way to grind up herbs, garlic, chilis or whatever ingredients you like - into a paste like consistency. It's also great for grinding spices. The mortar is the bowl, and the pestle the grinding tool that does all the actual work. For obvious reasons, mortars and pestles are generally made out of very durable materials, such as marble, stone or even cast iron. They need to be durable, because they really take a beating!

Here are a couple of examples of good, heavy-duty mortars and pestles:

Kitchen Gadgets - Cookie Scoops (Stainless Steel)

Perfectly measured cookies or muffins is the goal. A good, sturdy stainless steel cookie scoop will make it easy to create big batches of cookies, muffins or cupcakes. Depended on by professional kitchens, once you use these, you'll come to rely on them too for your home baking.

Kitchen Gadgets - Honing Steels vs. Knife Sharpeners

Ever wonder what the true difference is between a knife sharpener and a honing steels? (Those are the long, metallic devices you see chefs on TV use with wreckless abandon!)

A honing steel doesn't remove any metal from your knives, but hones them by realigning the edge of the blade. It makes your knife more effective at cutting again. Good knives don't need to be sharpened very often - only once or twice a year - as opposed to honing. You should hone your knives every time you use them, and maybe even in between large chopping jobs.

So, quick summary: hone your knives every time you use them, sharpen them (or get them professionally sharpened) only about once or twice a year at the most. Good knives won't need to be sharpened any more often than that.

Herb Snippers - Four Bladed Herb Scissors - Great for Gardeners

Now here's a gadget that really makes sense! Snipping herbs (especially the slender stalks of chives) can take forever, so reach for these herb snippers/cutters/scissors instead, and make the most of the herbal bounty from your garden this summer:

Kitchen Gadgets - Orange Peelers

With all the delicious, fresh and juicy oranges in the markets right now, it's no wonder everyone's getting curious about orange peelers again! I just bought a tiny one that fits easily on your finger, and I'm pretty pleased with how it sections the peel up and then swipes it away. And it cost me around a buck, so I liked the price quite a lot, too.




And this longer handled orange peeler is the very one my Mom had for years! And it's still made by Tupperware, no less. But, I'm pretty sure hers was a bright orange color, while this version is an updated purple.




Ta dah! Delicious segments of juicy orange ready to eat. Go crazy, citrus fiends.

Kitchen Gadgets - Oxo Good Grips Pastry Scraper (doubles as a food scoop)

This Oxo Good Grips pastry scraper is one of those tools in the kitchen that you'll use time and time again. Not only does it work fabulously to scrape up dough after you've made pie or bread, but its sharp edge helps to cut into that dough.








Plus, it also doubles as a handy food scoop - once you've chopped herbs, veggies or meat - you can use it to scrape up the food and get it into the bowl or pot! I've never regretted buying anything from Oxo Good Grips - love that brand.

Chef'n Citrus Zester - Clever Design

Another clever Chef'n product, this time a handy little zester that fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. The little container catches all the bits of zest as you go, making it so easy to use. And there's no clean up.

Such a smart design on this one. Comes in cute citrus inspired colors: lime green, orange, and lemon yellow.

Kitchen Gadgets - A Great Knife Sharpener for under $10 (Accusharp)

Those beautiful kitchen knives you have don't seem quite so lovely when they get dull. Once in a while, you need to pull out this handy knife sharpener from Accusharp, which gets rave reviews from users! For under $10, you can get all of your knives nice and sharp again, good as new. Just sharpen your knives once or twice a year, and you should be good to go...to chop, slice, dice, and julienne your way to culinary creativeness.





(Don't forget that every time you use your knife you should use a honing steel. Honing doesn't sharpen the knives or remove any metal from the edges, but it works to sort of realign the edge of the knife, giving you a more precise cut again. Hone every time you use the knife, and sharpen your knives only up to a few times a year.)

Kitchen Gadgets - Highly Rated Vacuvin Pineapple Slicer

No more messy situations when you're trying to get into that spiny, spiky pineapple! Vacuvin's pineapple slicer makes it a breeze. Just slice off the top of the pineapple, then place the pineapple slicer at the top and screw it down into the pineapple.







The results? Beautiful, sliced pineapple - minus the hard inner core, and all the tough outer stuff. Delicious pineapple in just moments! This gadget is very highly rated. Read all the rave reviews by clicking on the link above.

Le Creuset Cool Tool Handle Sleeve - Keeps Pots and Pans' Handles Cool

Ahhhh, Le Creuset. You'll never catch me saying anything bad about this beautiful cookware. It cooks beautifully, is a perfect partner in slow cooked favorites like soups, stews and chilis. But, beyond that it looks exquisite - pretty enough to keep out on the stove anytime!






Le Creuset has a nifty tool to keep the long handles on any of your cookware cool enough to handle - the Cool Tool Handle sleeve, made of durable silicone. Comes in a variety of colors, and will work on Le Creuset skillets and grill pans. Easily slips over the long handle, to allow you to grab even a hot pan handle with ease. A top notch gadget for any kitchen. Would we expect any less from Le Creuset?

Kitchen Gadgets -What is a Mezzaluna?

Want an easy way to chop, chop, chop those herbs? What you need is a mezzaluna! Basically a dual bladed rounded knife with handles on either end, a mezzaluna makes chopping even piles of herbs a breeze. You might've seen Nigella Lawson (or other famous Food Network chefts) chop herbs this way.

Need a fun and unique gift for your favorite foodie? (Yes, that can include yourself! We all need to treat ourselves once in a while, right?) A mezzaluna might very nicely fit the bill...Check out this classic version I found for under $10:






A rounded-middle chopping board that is especially designed for use with a mezzaluna makes chopping herbs and garlic all the easier! This one is by Nigella Lawson, who (like I mentioned before) I've often seen on Food Network using a mezzaluna.







And, pizza lovers - here's an oversized mezzaluna just for slicing your favorite cheesey food! Just roll the mezzaluna a few times over the pizza, and voila! Perfect slices, all ready to pick up and chomp down on.

Kitchen Gadgets - Trudeau Pot Clip Spoon Holder

Sometimes the greatest gadgets are the simplest ones, the ones you wonder: "Why on earth didn't I ever think of that?"







This handy gizmo by Trudeau is one of those gadgets. This handy little pot clip attaches easily to the side of any pot or pan, and securely holds your wooden spoon (or other utensil) in place over the pot, allowing any drips to drop right back inside the cooking pot. A fantastic gadget that really works! And prevents a lot of stovetop clean-up later on...

Kitchen Gadgets - Easy Jar Openers

Let's face it - there are a lot of people out there who have a very difficult time opening jars. Maybe (like me!) you just don't have big, strong hands. Or, maybe arthritis has set into your hands, and makes it very difficult to ease open jars anymore.

Jar openers are a very popular and helpful kitchen gadget - and they make a very thoughtful gift for a friend with arthritis. Jar openers come in a variety of styles, but I've chosen two of my favorites...

1. The JarKey or JarPop jar opener -

I've seen both of these brands and the concept is pretty much exactly the same. The Jar Key or Jar Pop basically pops open the seal of the jar, making it a breeze to open! These are bestsellers in kitchen shops everywhere, because these work so well! (We had one customer in one day and he bought up the rest of our stock - about six of them, I believe...because he wanted to give them as gifts to all of his friends.) And the current price of $3.49 is unbeatable.

2. Easi Twist Jar Opener


This style basically allows you to get a good grip on the jar lid, thus allowing you to remove the lid without such a struggle. Also popular are little grippy pads that you can find at hardware stores, that basically do the same thing - give you a real grip on the lid, which is often the reason why we can't remove the jar lid in the first place.

Mario Batali Utensils - Especially the Spoon Spatula

I love my new spoon/spatula by Mario Batali. It nestles into my hand just perfectly, is heavy duty enough for whipping up doughs, and is stain resistant (and heat resistant to 500 degrees!) And the neat edges scrape a bowl out perfectly, getting all the batter into the baking dish. Except for those bits you leave there - by mistake of course, and then just HAVE to lick off so you don't waste any.






I find I grab this lovely spoon/spatula all the time now...and yes, the lovely orange color doesn't hurt one bit. Having nice LOOKING utensils seems to make cooking that much more enjoyable. And this one cleans up beautifully in the dishwasher. Hurray!

Must Haves for Grocery Shopping - Reisenthel Bags

A well stocked kitchen these days has a good assortment of durable, re-usable grocery bags or sacks to haul with you on your supermarket shopping adventures. I've discovered a new favorite - Reisenthel bags!

Reisenthel has an extensive line of bags that are easy to roll up and carry in a color coordinated little pouch. Perfect for popping in your purse and keeping on hand whenever you go out shopping...

Or -- how about one of these adorable shopping baskets? Very well designed, sturdy and ready to grab and go on your way to the local farmer's market, these gorgeous baskets will become a mainstay in your home. (Or, just keep one or two in the back of the car. You're ready for shopping any time!)

Just look at some of the fun designs...

The Garlic Chop - Garlic Mincing and Chopping Made Easy - Kitchen Gadgets

Oh, I love a good chunk of garlic. Really - I'm one of those people who seriously doesn't mind when people around me smell like garlic, in fact - it's one of those utopia smells for me! If you're a garlic fiend too, then easing garlic preparation is a must. One of my coworkers insists upon an new garlic chopping gadget called, appropriately, the Garlic Chop:






Pop in peeled cloves of garlic, twist the gadget a few times (more if you want finely minced garlic) and voila - gorgeously chopped garlic, ready to use in all of your favorite, garlic-filled recipes. Hurray! Fresh garlic made simple at last.

A Pepper Mill with Serious Attitude

You think YOU have a big pepper mill? Does YOUR pepper grinder fill you with pride? Well, check this out...I couldn't resist this one - a pepper mill a full 3 FEET TALL!

Kitchen Gadgets - Butter Warmers for Dipping Lobster and Crab

Oh, seafood lovers - I'm beckoning you with a beguiling odor: melted butter. If you love nothing more than fresh lobster or crab, you have no choice but to stock up on some seafood essentials - butter warmers!

Butter warmers can be exquisite and refined, like these stainless steel numbers:







Or, a good butter warmer can be as simple as these little ramekin-type devices (by Progressive International) with tealights underneath to keep the melted butter smooth and silken.





No matter what your style, a great butter warmer takes the delights of eating seafood and turns it into an epic event!