If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know about my obsession with kitchen accoutrements. Well, and, admittedly - my obsessiveness in general, I suppose. Clearly, it seeps through - whether I try to caulk it or not - there IT is. Bah! Who cares, right? I'm here, I'm weird, get used it. Although - speaking of weirdness, I do spend a rather ridiculous amount of time in Sur la Table - so much so - there are times when I almost want to pretend that I'm NOT me - as in "Oh no, I'm Ann's twin's sister! You didn't know she had one? HOW funny! Now, where did you say the cooking tools or whatever they're called were? Over there? Oh, thanks. This is my first time here, so I'll probably be awhile. An espresso? Oh I couldn't, to be sure. Well, if you insist. Yes, I'll give my sister your regards!"
Not to mention the various other cooking stores I must frequent to stock my shelves and stuff my kitchen - I have EYES to feed, don't they understand? At times, I walk in these stores for the gazillionth time, with love in my eyes - the store clerks probably taking bets behind my back over which tartlet pan I'll obsess over today - and I want to proclaim, victoriously, in a stage-whisper - "It's a GIFT". And then nod judgmentally at their prejudgment of me. Spritz myself with some holy-and-some-haughty and proceed. Okay, I don't own that spritz - plus, I'm usually wearing a baseball hat and therefore, could not rock The Haughty and Holy, but it is fun to consider. Carrying on...
Well, this time it was a gift. FOR YOU, dear readers. I was in line, with my GIFTS, having them rung up by the cashier. I'm gazing at the cashier, at those standing in line behind me - and I'm nodding approvingly at myself as I whisper, almost imperceptibly and conspiratorially, to those around me "It's a GIFT!" - and they all look at me like "We don't care anything about it, crazy gift lady! Move along!". Well, they just didn't understand my excitement about these particular accoutrements, now did they? Fork buyers.
You remember the spoons and the mug (celebrities of my accoutrements)? Oh swoon! Well, a few readers have emailed to ask where-oh-where can I obtain those spoons for my very own? Since they are the darlings, the pimpettes of my kitchen, I decided to give them to you. Well, to one of you, that is. I am giving away the measuring cups, the spoons, and the liquid measuring pitcher. [Okay, I confess - when I went to purchase these - there were literally TWO sets of measuring spoons left, PERIOD. Well, damn if I didn't buy that very last set of spoons as a back-up to my set. THAT'S RIGHT. All I need now is a back-up for my back-up and I'm SET.]
How to win these Pimpettes of the kitchen? Just leave a comment -> in the comment, tell me what your favorite kitchen accoutrement is - I would love to hear that I am not alone in my j'adorement of the little things in life. Please enter no later than 5:00 pm MST Saturday, June 7th - I'll announce the winner Saturday evening. I was going to restrict this to U.S. residents only, but because so many of my readers are international - that just didn't sit right with me. SO, if you're an international reader, I'll pay up to $20 in shipping - beyond that - you're on your own, darlin', but we'll figure something out.
One entry per person please.
Ooh. I love a contest and I'm so excited that you're going to pick me because I know you like me best (and I've got this friend Vinnie...)
ReplyDeleteI have a set of bamboo flat spoons and spatulas that my friend picked up for me in a wacky little Japanese shop. For some reason they remain non stick and no amount of abuse leaves a mark.
I love my little bamboo set.
Those look so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, my favorite kitchen tool is a pair of tongs. With tongs in hand, I am totally in control. I can toss, I can flip, I can grab: thus I am invincible!
Thanks so much for offering this wonderful set to a lucky reader :)
Hi Ann
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. I know that whenever I am having a bad day or fantasising about something delicious to eat all I need do is visit Velvet Lava and be cheered up by your scathing witticisms or inspired by your divine photos.
Well - enough sucking up....
My favourite kitchen accoutrement is my azure mini whisk. I adore how it sits snugly in my hand and with but a gentle flick of the wrist creates the smoothest of sauces and the most well blended of eggs. I love my mini whisk so much I sometimes find myself quietly sliding it from the kitchen drawer and gently caressing my cheek with it - while my eyes glance furtively at the door to makes sure no family members witness my crazy attachment!
And if my obvious passion for kitchen paraphernalia is not enough - the american measures on these cups and the jug would be so useful as I always need to rejig the measures in recipes to fit my Australian cups!
I have this crappy set of ugly red spatulas that my husband had when we moved in together. I use them probably more than anything. But my favorite? I would say they're my porcelain serving ladles. Even though they don't see much action.
ReplyDeleteOooooh. Contest! My favorite? The canisters in which I store my sugar, flour, bread flour, brown sugar and powdered sugar. They are purely functional, rubbermaid type, snap on lid. BUT, they are stored on a huge roll out shelf at the height of my knees right below the counter where I do all my baking. Couldn't be more perfectly convenient.
ReplyDeleteFun!
ReplyDeleteOk, I obviously couldn't tell you that I love any of my babies any more than the others; but I will say that my *newest* acquisition is an ice cream scoop that I bought for the sole purpose of measuring cupcake and muffin batter so they'll all be the same size when they come out of the oven. (Yup, my own little brand of OCD rearing it's head that only a mother could love.) ;)
I'll try and write the most lacklustre answer possible so you don't get stuck sending your lovely trinkets to New Zealand...which is the furtherest away place from ANYWHE
ReplyDeleteMy favourite is this round wooden chopping board from my nana,she used it and decorated it herself with pokerwork in the sixties. It always reminds me of her, and *her* various, and not always long-lasting obsessions (pokerwork?!), probably where I get my own obsessive (for want of a better word) nature from. Even though it gets stained with the smell of garlic, and is charred from when someone accidentally sat it on a hot element, and isn't even that big, I always reach for it first and LOVE IT. Along with all my other favourite things in the kitchen :) I am indecisive as well as obsessive...Sorry for writing a bit of a novel!
oops. New Zealand is the furtherest away place from ANYWHERE. I suspect I was thinking faster than I could type... :)
ReplyDeleteOOOOOOOOh, I don't need a prize, cool though the ones up for grabs are. This is awesome as it gives me a chance to prove that my only domestic quality isn't that I live indoors! :-)
ReplyDeleteMy absolute favorite kitchen thing is my Pampered Chef slice 'n serve. I love that thing! I am manic about it. It has its own spot in the tool basket and I am forever asking my mother where it is when she dares to use it. I even get the damn thing out for the LAST piece of pie ...
I love the parmesan cheese grater, with the handle that turns. It's a very satisfying little tool.
ReplyDeleteWhat an great giveaway. You have most excellent taste, my friend.
My ancient stone mortar and pestle - a gift from my grandmother is my favorite.. It has some unique hand carvings!
ReplyDeleteI am a regular lurker at your blog and this giveaway seemed like a good time to de-lurk
It's not a beautiful tool, though I share your adoration of All Tools Beautiful, but for some weird quirky reason I love my microplane. I love to look at it, hold it, and especially to use it. It's a miracle of perfection at what at does, all those luscious tiny bits of zest, held perfectly underneath the microplane.
ReplyDeleteNow I want to go zest something.
I am relatively new to your blog having found it through another blog (sorry I don't remember which one). My favorite kitchen tool for the past several months has been my KA pro mixer. I am working on learning to bake a consistent loaf of bread - preferably the perfect baguette and this mixer is an amazing work horse for all kinds of dough. Love your blog and have several of your recipes marked to save. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeletei'd have to say that my most highly-valued utensil is my pastry cutter--i can't make a pie without it! :)
ReplyDeleteOooo, great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tool is my big spatula. I love my big spatula. My husband is a little tired of hearing about my big spatula. But it's awesome.
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteI think its great that you are having this contenst but no matter if I win or lose I have to comment on this. I too share this same crazy obsession. I spend hours in Williams-Sonoma wandering up and down the aisles lusting after gadgets. We also have a store called Great News in San Diego and I spend an equal amount of time in there. Now, we also have Sur La Table so still more for me to crave. On trips to Paris I go to Dehillirin at least 4 times. It is two floors isn't it? Have to explore it all.
Raymond
Well who wouldn't want that cute set?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite kitchen gadget? I have to say I love my Victorinox paring knife. Being a butcher's daughter I guess I love my knives! I also love my jelly roll pans. What can I say? I'm a simple girl...
i'm a fairly new reader, but love the way you write and your recipes, of course.
ReplyDeleteone of my fav kitchen gadgets/accoutrements is my zester. i use it for ginger, garlic, lemons, limes, oranges, whatever...
Hi Ann - dang you take a nice picture! Filter? fiddling with the color? lighting? Anyway, who wouldn't want those little cuties?? HOWEVER, I admit to having three full sets of stainless steel measuring cups and four, count em, four sets of spoons. So. Someone in the prior 18 posts, or the ones to follow, must be more worthy. My favorite ktichen thingy has got to be my marble rolling pin - gift from my mother-in-law. unbelievably good for pies and tarts and cookies - it's so heavy it does the work for you and it cleans up in 2 seconds, and it's beautiful white marble with grey veining through it. have a great day! L
ReplyDeleteI was going to try not to comment so that when I use the Random Number Generator, I wouldn't have to subtract myself out - but I CAN'T help it!
ReplyDeleteZester lovers? My god, love my zester/microplane. Knives? J'adore my Globals - caress them daily. Spatulas? I've lost count of mine. Pastry cutter? Can't live without. KA mixer? In my dreams. Mortar & Pestle? I counter w/ the Molcajete. Cheese graters/slicers? Who can party without one? Wood boards? I've blogged about stroking mine. Batter scoops? I have 3, going on 4. Canisters? Collectible kind. Whisks? My cheapest is my bestest. Tongs? Of course! Bamboo spoons? I have some ladles.
My Gawd, we need a support group!
As for the photos - no filter, my dear! Just me and my Nikon and minor adjustments via Photoshop. :)
I love your photos of the measuring set, I don't realy have a favorite kitchen gadgit, however I just love my wok.. It is used daily
ReplyDeleteHoney dipper. Need to find a new metal one ---- I need it to make perfect swirls on my cookies. :)
ReplyDeletePS I have too many linens myself.
I loved this post! I am in Sur la Table and William Sonoma so much that they know me by name. Once they started saying "...Hello Gigi", I began to bring them baked goodies. Oh, I almost forgot. My favorite kitchen gadget is set of 3 heavy ceramic bowls from Sur la Table. They fit inside each other nicely for storing. The best part is that they are beautiful. They are pink and white striped bowls and they possess magical baking powers. (So, I keep telling myself in order to justify their cost.) Anything mixed in them will turn out stunning!
ReplyDeleteI can only pick one?
ReplyDeleteI guess my lime squeezer - nothing is as easy or gets more of the yummy lime juice (or lemon, or orange).
My current want is a really good microplane grater. That would quickly become my new favorite.
My favorite kitchen gadget is the Vidalia Onion chopper- it really works!! Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite was I chopper that is flat with rounded edges to chop inside a bowl.
ReplyDeleteThis was my mothers and I have fond memories of her making corn-beef has with it, chopping in a large wooden bowl...I have since found a plastic one to chop in, but this gadget is great!
ababe28(at)hotmail(dot)com
I can't just pick one!! I love my bamboo cutting board and my furi knife!!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog today, and I am loving it! I had to laugh while reading this - I'm just lucky that the nearest Sur La Table is a good 40 minute drive away! If I had to choose my favorite, I would probably it would have something to do with my assortment of silicone spatulas. All different sizes - I always have fun choosing which one I will use!
ReplyDeleteMy stainless steel heart-shaped measuring spoons with little raised dots on the handles make a lovefest of everyday cooking and baking.
ReplyDeleteEarly this spring I cleaned our kitchen from top to bottom - I'd moved into my husband's house in the fall and I swear he hadn't cleaned it in the 5 years he'd lived there. This resulted in throwing out a lot of things, including a wire whisk that was rusty. Unfortunately, I'd left a bunch of my kitchen utensils with my previous roommates who needed them more than I did.
ReplyDeleteSo this resulted in a kitchen that only contained a horrid plastic whisk that was "appropriate" for the oh-so-delicate pots and pans we own (OK, he owns, and I hate them with a passion because I can't put them in the dishwasher and I think that's the stupidest thing ever).
Finally last weekend while at the grocery store we picked up a new wire whisk (for all of 89-cents, I think). I got to use it this week, all smiles. My husband said, can you give me a list of other $1 gifts I can give you that will make you this happy?
Ah, yes, a happy and well-stocked kitchen (food and utensil-wise) is a good thing.
oh wow. these are pretty!!! I REALLY WANT EM. tough choice though as I love all my kitchen stuff.
ReplyDeletei can choose from the fake chicken thingy in my kitchen, or my baby whisk, or my spatula that i use as a weapon.
but i think i'll settle for the humble cookie tray because it was the first kitchen thing I bought for myself. :) and you can take two cookie trays and bang it together to make music. how awesome is that?
Years ago, I found the flex cutting boards at Ikea. What a godsend product!
ReplyDeleteI visit Ikea only two or three times a year because it is a 35 mile drive each way.
Every time I go there, I pick up a package or two of the boards and upon return home, toss some old battered ones. At less than two bucks per package, they're a bargain.
Of course, on my trip through the "accouterment" section (your word, not mine), I'm sure to find something new to bring home.
BTW, off topic...
If you don't have the Carnival Cruise Line version of the Lava Cake recipe, I can send you a copy. The chef gave it to me on my cruise this past spring.
Very good finished product and a lot less fussy than a lot of recipes.
This is my new "go to" dessert recipe. It replaces Carnival's "Chocolate Decadence" recipe popular 10 years ago.
I have an ancient egg beater with WAY cool little beater thingies. I also have measuring spoons that say "pinch" "dash" and "smidgeon" I love those!
ReplyDeleteI have fingers and toes crossed, girlie.
Oh and I have a lettuce drainer spinner thing. I love that. It's like a theme park ride for my leafy greens.
But which do I like best? I'm going to go with the ancient egg beater. It is just too cool for school. I love, love, love it.
Now if only I had accurate measuring spoons! (hint, hint)
Blessings!
Lacy
My hands! Sorry this is not more creative. God blessed us with the best tools ever! They can even be cleaned and sanitized and work good as new even after several decades. Thanks for the nice looking giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I found you on tastespotting and will be bookmarking you! Now, for a favorite, hmmm, I have 4 drawers dedicated to my kitchen gadgets. I have to say, it would be my Juice-O-Mat. It is a fruit juicer from the 50's that I picked up at a flea market. There is a picture of it on my blog somewhere. Anyway, I use it all the time, especially now that the weather is warmer and I am using more citrus. Even if I don't win (I hope I do!), stop by and check it out!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!
I have so many faves but right now I am loving my Silpat. It saves me lots of cleaning
ReplyDeleteI have a great old mug I found at Goodwill - it has a cartoon drawing of a cinder-block bus stop and a goofy bus, and says "Souvenir of Maltese Public Transport" in super-70s swirly letters.
ReplyDeleteIt's so awful but so endearing, because somebody on vacation in Malta actually bought a souvenir of taking the bus! I use it for everything - cereal, pudding, drinks, fruit. It's so strange and adorable, it's impossible not to love.
Wow, those are adorable! My favorite utensil has got to be my micro planer. I'm always coming up with excuses to use it...lemon zest, grated ginger, or chocolate to top a latte. It's like planning an outfit starting with your shoes :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm... aside from all of the indispensable items (knives, cutting boards, pots and pans, etc.) I think my favorite kitchen accoutrement is my microplane. It's so fun to use!
ReplyDeletehello. i love your blog. my favorite kitchen accoutrement is my circulon saucepan with a straining lid. it was given to me as a gift from my grandma and i cannot live without it. we almost never cook a meal without it. i also love my circulon muffin pan. i love baking cupcakes in this heavy nonstick pan.
ReplyDeleteThose are so pretty! I am afraid that all my other kitchen tools would be jealous and there would be a scrap in the utensil drawer. Oh well, they will get over it! I am SO glad that I have to travel to get to any decent kitchen store, or I would be in BIG trouble. My favorite kitchen tool would have to be the small stainless steel scoop that I use to make cookies with. It makes them nice and even, and they bake up almost perfect (unless I burn them, of course)!
ReplyDeleteDefinately my favorite kitchen utensil is my dutch oven. I want to use it to cook anything and everything, and it makes my cooking taste better! I'm in love! A close second is my grill/griddle pan for it's usefulness, and maybe my olive picker for it's complete lack of usefullness.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite are my prep bowls. Granted, I don't think I have ever used them for prepping anything but they're tiny little bowls that fit a half a grapefruit perfectly or a serving of chocolate chips or pizza goldfish so I do not eat the whole bag!
ReplyDeleteThe teaspoon. I love its use in measuring small amounts of things.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my birthday is soon. Presents, yeah?
How adorably cute are those!?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite has to be my Gripper cutting board made by Architec. I have several sizes and use them constantly!
Hm, I'd have to say my favorite are my stacking cooling racks <3 I'm not really sure how we lived without them before, but I don't want to think on those dark times! :)
ReplyDeleteI want. My favorite gadget is my potato ricer
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gadget is actually not mine, but my pastry-chef-to-be daughter's. She has the Pink Ribbon KitchenAid. I miss it so much. And my daughter, of course. Now whenever I want to see the mixer... I mean, my daughter, I have to fly up to San Francisco. Oh Darn. ;)
ReplyDeleteI also love kitchen gadgets etc. I usually spend extra money of things for the kitchen rather than home decor.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing to use in the kitchen are microplaner's. I find myself shaving, grating, zesting just about anything!
Hello!
ReplyDeleteFound your blog through tastespotting, and that picture you put up of your delicious looking white chocolate cheesecake a while back lured me to your site :)
My favorite kitchen item is my spam musubi maker. I was a little depressed when my cousin dropped it and it broke, but I'm happy now that I've found a new one.
Happy baking!
My favorite kitchen gadget is my immersion blender. I use it for everything from sups and sauce to shakes and smoothies.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think I failed to mention that this set would really go well with my pink Hello Kitty Tv in my kitchen, I'm just sayin :)
ReplyDeletemy favorite kitchen tool is a wooden spoon that used to be my mom's
ReplyDeleteThese are so super cute and as I'll be moving out on my own next month these would be PERFECT!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteMy favourite kitchen items are my microplanes. I couldn't live without them. They zest, they grate, they shred, they're lovely!
I decided to enter in this contest because in my country (portugal) I can't find them and I just want to see US recipes and don't always have a exact measurement. I think these are so cute, I love be around amazon.com and watch different and different kitchen gadgets. In "real" stores I always go to the kitchen section, staring at the amazing pans and their forms, or those gorgeous tools, omg =O I just feel weird because I could buy a whole shop with cool kitchen accoutrements xD
ReplyDelete(I live in Portugal but if it's not enough the $20, if I win I'll pay for the shipment)
those are very cute. i wonder if they would loet me use them at the culinary institute of america :)
ReplyDeleteMy Cast Iron Skillet Lid is amazing. I can even wear it under a poncho to protect my vitals in case I ever find myself in an Old West gun duel.
ReplyDeleteOoh fun! My Dad made me a wooden spoon out of cherry wood that I absolutely love, but I couldn't live without my microplane zester or dough scraper either!
ReplyDeletedefinitely my handblender, which is the most amazing thing ever. plus points for it being nice and cheap, which is important since i'm in uni right now! there's just something about wielding that contraption and pulverizing veggies to make soup; it makes a little whirlpool in the pot, and voila! everything goes liquid, no mess, nothing!
ReplyDeleteThis isn't the most exciting of answers, but I love my KA stand mixer. There are so many recipes I would never have even tried making without it. It also gives me a nice arm workout since we don't store it on the countertop. That sucker is one heavy mother!
ReplyDeleteWell hey Ann, my name is Ann too and I obsess over my moxie kitchen accoutrements way too much!
ReplyDeleteWell, let's see ... I love my microplane cuz zesting is so fabu ... and I love my sweet little cruset saucieré.... so those 2 could come with me to a deserted island and I'd be just fine. Oh, and I regularly enjoy your blog, good going.
I'm a newcomer to your blog, but I'm enjoying it so far. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm actually a newcomer to the world of cooking in general. As a college student, I hardly ever did more than put a frozen pizza in the oven or pour milk over a bowl of cereal. My last year of college, I began thinking more and more about the "real world" and realized that I was getting tired of frozen dinners with preservatives and sodium and other nonsense. So I took up cooking! And I loved it. Sometimes it was hard with the somewhat bare kitchen my little apartment had (I didn't really have the money for more than a couple pots and pans, some knives, a cutting board, one mixing bowl, and an old set of plastic measuring spoons and cups that my mom was going to throw out), but I managed to start creating some rather tasty dishes, if I do say so myself.
I finally graduated last month, and the first thing I went and bought with my graduation money was a big food processor that was on sale at Target. I love it! Besides the considerably reduced amount of slicing and grating I have to do now, it means a lot to me because it's the first real kitchen appliance I've ever been able to buy for myself, and it kind of symbolizes a new chapter in my life.
Hopefully, I'll continue to improve my cooking skills over the years, and continue to fill my kitchen with other things just as useful and meaningful.
I love my kitchen scissor. I use it almost every day and am super protective of it (as in, it's not for use by a five year old who has a pile of painty glued paper that needs snipping). I also love wooden spatulas, especially the one made of olive wood. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHmm...that's a tough one. Although I have high hopes for my new negi cutter, I think the simplest thing is my favorite. It's a small coffee spoon. I probably just like it because it means coffee is coming soon, but that seems as good a reason as any!
ReplyDeletei just had to click on that pretty picture at tastespotting, and i'm glad i did, cos now i'm adding yet another blog to my very long list of blogs on bloglines. my fav kitchen tool at the moment is my sillicon cupcake tray :)
ReplyDeletei would love to win but, i live all the way in NZ, so its ok if it cost to much to send stuff here. hehe.
i know it's nothing fancy, but i really love my microplane grater. it makes zesting sooo easy and there's something really satisfying about how it feels when you use it. random, i know!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that my favorite kitchen tool is my pair of kitchen shears/scissors. They make using fresh herbs effortless.
One? Just one? But all of the others will hear me say it. Let me take my computer out of the kitchen so I dont upset anyone.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite little odd tool is my "Pig Tail Food Flipper" Have you see one? It is too cool. YOu can flip anything. If it needs flipped, my trusty little pal will do the trick! Well I take that back, I hink pancakes might be a little messy! :) One other...my disposable latex gloves..you know the kind like at the hospital. I hate hate hate touching raw meat. So the gloves are the best!!! Love the site!
It may not be my most used item but I LOVE my bright pink Typhoon kitchen scale. I went to a lot of work to find it.
ReplyDeleteI've only found this blog recently, but I've enjoyed every moment since! It's so nice of you to give away such deliciousness...LOL
ReplyDeleteMy favorite item(s) in my kitchen are my set of prep bowls. I figured they were foolish and it took me more than a year to open them after I got them as a gift from my sister...now I don't know what I'd do without them...I didn't know how disorganized I was when I was cooking/baking until started using these!
hurrah! food blogs and contests!
ReplyDeletei'm a new reader, a humble college student fighting to escape the anarchy of daily life through the simple pleasures of food. i found your site through tastespotting and foodtv.ca. (i'm canadian, though i'm currently going to school in bluesy baltimore.)
i love all kitchen gadgets: rasps, immersion blenders, silicone ANYTHING ......but my all-time favourite? hands down? a good pair of wooden cooking chopsticks, no shizzle. i use these babies for mixing, flipping, sauteeing, skimming...virtually everything. sure, tongs are awesome and whisks are handy-dandy, but nothing beats the precision tips of a pair of lean-mean stick machines.
My fav would have to be the rolling pin and pastry board which were my Grandmother's. There is something special, almost intimate about rolling out a pie crust or kneading out bread on the board and knowing that my Grandma once did the same. I someday hope my daughters' feel the same.
ReplyDeleteDon't laugh, my favorite tools are my cheap plastic measuring cups that I bought about 30 years ago. They have seen better days and even have some melty spots from being too close to the burners, but it's the first set I grab from the drawer. My old friends.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun idea!!
ReplyDeleteLike a couple other people, I too LOVE my KA mixer, although if I picked something smaller (as I probably should!), I'd have to say my oh-so-old wooden spoons - I've had those babies forEVER, and use them for EVERYTHING! They may not be the latest-and-greatest bamboo, but they've been around since I've been cooking, and I swear, they make everything taste better!
Love your blog!
its very upsetting, bc i dont really have anything exciting in my kitchen gear... for shame!! but i just got a super pretty cake stand from a friend's mom. i am very excited to bake something to put on top of it.
ReplyDeleteThis set is adorable! My favourite kitchen tool is hardly a looker, but I love using it. It's my clunky garlic crusher. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite accoutrement would have to be the love of my life, Pookie. I chop while he stirs, I drink wine while he flips the steaks and then we dance. Is there anything like dancing in the kitchen? Now give me those spoons!!
ReplyDeleteJill
Hi! I'm a newcomer to your blog via tastespotting (my daily bible). I was quite intrigued by the photo and had to look. Glad I did =)
ReplyDeleteHard to decide... but I think that my favorite kitchen accoutrement is my silicone spatula. I use it every time I to scrape the bowls and pans clean. I can't stand wasting even a little bit of deliciousness. And in the instances when my spatula can't get into the little corners, my fingers take care of it!
Mine's pretty sad.. it's an old plastic blue spoon from China.. it's got to be at least 15 years old, but man, it's indestructible.
ReplyDeleteAdorable set! Definitely a show piece ;) My favorite accoutrement is in my goodies drawer, though it should be on display! It's a lemon juicer (or, according to Amazon, a lemon SQUEEZER"). It's uber cute and in my favorite color, too! Though it is more tedious to use, I make fresh lemonade with it instead of my machine juicer. I use it more for one or two lemons in recipes, though. And, no, please don't laugh, but I even brought it into my interior decorating class as my favorite practical tool! The teacher loved it, too, but I just smiled and said, "hands off, lady, it's mine!"
ReplyDeletehello my favorite kitchen tool is my cuisinart hand mixer. i love baking and it cuts my baking time.
ReplyDeleteI love my stainless steel muddler. I drink so much more because of it.
ReplyDeletei am just a lowly college student, so i can't afford too much. but there is this one set of chopsticks that my host family gave to me when i was staying with them in japan. not only are they beautiful, but they help me flip the best gyozas (japanese fried dumplings) of all time.
ReplyDeletei found your blog through tastespotting, my new best friend! i cant wait to read about your other kitchen accoutrements.
i would love this!
ReplyDeletemy favorite kitchen tool is my oskar food processor -- it was a hand me down from my boyfriend, handed down from his parents. it looks like it was from the 70s! still running!
A fellow nutritionist who adores lava cake? Amen!
ReplyDeleteMy parents have the best salt keeper, but (no surprise) would not let me have it when I moved into my first apartment. I had been searching for years for the perfect "non-generic, everyone has one of these" salt keeper. One day after troving around a small town near home, I came upon a shoebox-sized pottery shop. Inside I found a rough and ragged clay bowl with little hunks of clear amethyst on the outside. Yep - they look like sea salt shards!! Needless to say, I bought it and adore it... as does my flake salt.
Cheers,
*Heather*
how adorable!
ReplyDeletemy favorite kitchen accessory is the set of nigella lawson measuring cups that i bought a few weeks ago. they are lavender-colored and look like tea cups. they are also microwave and heat safe, so you can drink tea out of the big one (1 cup) if you'd like, or even the teeny-tiny 1/8 cup one. they nest into each other when stacked up and are totally darling.
OXO Good Grips Mango Splitter
ReplyDeleteBEST. GADGET. EVER!!!
That splitter makes getting at the flesh of the mango SO easy, and you don't get the luscious juice all over the place. It glides down that mango pit like a tushy gliding down a freshly waxed bannister!
LOVE. IT.
I am soooooo in need of new measuring cups and spoons! Mine are stained from KookAid, have melted handles from being placed on a hot burner and 'chewed' up from being dropped doe the Garbage Disposal a few too many times, only to be dug out by my handy kitchen tongs! ha ha.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gadget has to be my Pampered Chef Medium sized Scooper. I use it daily for portioning cookie dough, filling muffin cups, balling mellons and scooping mini balls of icecream to eat on brownies or sandwiched between two cookies! LOVE it and could NOT live without it!! Well, maybe I could live without it but I would never want to! ha ha.
LOVE your blog and visit daily!
Measuring spoons~~~ and a mixing bowl that belonged to my grandma..
ReplyDeletewooden spoons - I just love them - so simple, but useful.
ReplyDeleteThat's a tall order. Let's see...marble rolling pin, nested Pyrex bowls,oh,oh! cherry/olive pitter, tortilla press. I cherish everyone of them.
ReplyDeleteJust one?
ReplyDeleteWell, this may not count, but I can't live without my aprons! Besides that I'd probably say my trusty 14" Chefs knife or my garlic press. :D
Thanks for hosting this amazing giveaway!
Ahhh such a tough one! I would have to say my set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls because they just don't make them like that anymore.
ReplyDeleteAnd because they are turquoise!
I'd have to say my favorite is definitely my ball whisk. Its whimsical and funny to use
ReplyDeleteHands down...My wife! If I have to pick something that doesn't wander out of the kitchen - I would have to say it is this really cool set of measuring cups and spoons. I'm told these spoons actually "whisper sweet recipes in your ear while you caress them". I'd also add that I'm jeaolous of a certain cutting board...
ReplyDeleteHusband
P.S. I know... - I'm "disqualified" and you need chat with me right away about "spouse blog rules" :)
By all means my Mr. Potato Brush
ReplyDeletescrubs all my veggies!
Bowls. I love all kinds of bowls. Little mini bowls, extra large mixing bowls, and everything in between. Can I have too many? Nope.
ReplyDeleteI love my whisks. My flat one, the fold-up one, the huge one, the little one, and all of the others. They're all just wonderful. I love that with them you have to work hard and then you get such lusciously and delicately whipped delights. Hand-whipped cream is the best! And then cleaning them is a blast as you get to poke through all the little slats with your dishcloth and you can blow bubbles through them! Just simply wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI love my cast iron skillet (10-in) and lid. You can make just about anything with it. Plus, they can be used to make the BEST reheated pizza in all the world! Just put a slice in your skillet, pop on the iron lid and put it on a low burner for 10 to 15 minutes. It tastes just like it came from a old world pizzaria.
ReplyDeleteYou are a girl after my mother's own heart. I inherited all her kitchen stuff and I'd have to say my favorite thing was the creme brulee torch--that's something not everybody has!
ReplyDeleteI am obsessed with finding adorable and different looking cake plates! I could buy one everyday of the week!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite are fun chopsticks and a set of Chinese bowls that were passed down from my father's mother. They're gorgeous and so delicate. I love them!
ReplyDeleteI do have these beautiful wooden chopsticks that I like to use for just about everything. It's a nice dark red wood and I use it in place of spatulas, forks, whisks...Love it!
ReplyDeleteHow adorable! Mine is our faithful balloon whisk that has a base that you can stand it upright on. We received it as an engagement present & it was wrapped amazingly in bright yellow cellophane. Anyway, just last night a chunk broke off it- I was so sad & I’ve kept thinking about it all day.
ReplyDeleteas weird as this sounds my favorite kitchen accessory is my steamer. I love to steam up veggies for a quick(ish) snack or steam an artichoke before throwing it on the bbq. :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my Cutco kitchen shears! They can cut anything - meat, fresh herbs, plastic wrap, etc.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough it's my Salter electronic kitchen scale. I couldn't live without it!
ReplyDeletei love love love my black kitchen aid spatula! i got it at Ross and it's the best tool i've ever purchased! it bends however way to scoop out everything in my mixing bowl that i try to get out! =P
ReplyDeleteI was deciding between my hand held sieve or my piping nozzles. I absolutely love both of them and can't live without them in my kitchen. Even though I don't use the nozzles as much as i do the sieve, i'd now have to say the piping nozzles. I'm slowly getting there to having my first box full of different nozzles. I always seem to buy one or two when I find them.
ReplyDeleteMy Le Creuset Silicone Spatulas. So pretty in their bright colors, so helpful in their scraping and not melting, I am in love.
ReplyDeleteMy Le Creuset Silicone Spatulas. So pretty in their bright colors, so helpful in their scraping and not melting, I am in love.
ReplyDeleteHi - new to your blog - but it looks like my timing is good. I've been reading through all the comments and with just about all of them I'm "yep, I love mine (whatever it is), too!" - so hard to pick one favorite!! But I'll go with my Foley food mill - I use it especially when I'm making my oven roasted tomato sauce - it's so satisfying to press every drop of pulp and juice out of those tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteI'm torn between two really... I have this little tiny flipper, It's about three inches long and one inch wide and it fits everywhere. Great for tight brownie corners and then just perfect to lift a single cookie. I suppose if I have to pick just one it would be that one.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite? My koziol dog shaped cake slicer.
ReplyDeleteI can understand your obsession
ReplyDeleteMy obsession are little glasses.
I have run out of space, but I still buy them.
They are great to serve little appetizer portions...
I like my casserole dishes. They were my moms from the seventies and they have little brown flowers on them. They make me feel like I'm seven again and making dinner with her.
ReplyDeleteOne? I can only choose ONE? But I love all my little kitchen sweeties....just don't tell my hubby about the ones I have stashed in my sewing room until I can find just the right time to bring them out, proudly claimingm "But honey, I've had these for AGES, haven't you seen them before?"
ReplyDeleteLOL but I suppose my NEW favorite, if I had to choose is my beautiful olive wood salt cellar. It has such a lovely patina and make a wonderful resting place for my kosher salt. Or my stainless gelato spooins...or my porcelain pinch bowls...or...or...or...
Oh, geez...every other day, every time I cook, I'll end up commenting "That was the best X amount of dollars I've spent!" concerning a certain kitchen gadget or pan.
ReplyDeleteMy current favorites would have to be my Lodge cast iron pans and my 1/2 teaspoon. The Lodge pan was bought at Marshall's on sale after seeing an episode of "Good Eats" featuring it; I figured I would find a couple uses for it but never that I could use it for EVERYTHING.
The 1/2 teaspoon was not a purchase; it somehow found its way with me when I moved out of my mom's house. It is the only single measuring spoon I have but I find I use it more often than my two click-and-measure adjustable measuring spoons. Outside of measurements smaller than a half-teaspoon, you can use it for measuring pretty much everything.
And I'm still on a quest for individual measuring spoons worthy of my kitchen, what can I say?
Silverware. The heavier, the better.
ReplyDeleteI"d have to say a rubber spatula, because I love how it transfers every last drop of cake batter like a tongue licking the inside of a bowl. :)
ReplyDeleteOooh! These are beautiful! I just moved and realized that I have somehow lost or misplaced my measuring cups and spoons - these would make me very happy indeed. :)
ReplyDeleteThat said, my favorite cooking acoutrements are my Cutco knives. They make chopping and slicing fun - so much so that my brother, whose idea of "cooking" involves defrosting Hamburger Helper, actually asked me *what else* he could dice in preparation for our last Thanksgiving meal.
I especially love my spatula spreader, as it scoops, spreads, and slices without the need for various different tools. (I'm always on the lookout for multi-purpose tools.)
(And no, I don't work for Cutco.) :)
I would have to say my microplane and my mini food processesor. I bought it for like 7 bucks and I it's the best money I've spent!
ReplyDeleteI love Sur La Table too! Very funny post, made me laugh :) I think my favorite kitchen tool would be my good ol' wooden spoon. There's something about cooking with a wooden spoon that turns the process into something very homey and comforting, an just beautiful, as opposed a harsh metal spoon that makes me feel like i'm rushing to get a meal on the table.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say my Mortis and Pestle. It's marble. A friend gave it to me a few years ago. I use it every few days to grind the flavours out of my home grown herbs and more often than not my dried chillis.
ReplyDeleteI love these - too cute! I think my favorite kitchen item would be my creme brulee ramekins and creme brulee torch.
ReplyDeleteMy salt & pepper shakers! They are very large, beautiful, vintage pewter pheasants that accent my kitchen so nicely. I especially like them because of their large size (the tails, specifically) - it makes it comical to watch people season their food with these large silver birds! :)
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ReplyDeleteMine would be my blender, could not live without it!
ReplyDeleteI just got a brand new KA so of course thats my favorite. But I couldn't line without my rubber spatula(scraper)
ReplyDeleteFAVORITE: Tongs! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say my favorite kitchen tool is my mortar and pestle. There's nothing quite so lovely as hand grinding spices. The aroma of freshly ground cumin and cardamom reminds me just how lively such ingredients can be.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite kitchen tool has to be my pink Kitchen Aid peeler. It's such a humble little thing, but anybody who has ever tried to function with a dull peeler knows they are worth their weight in gold!
ReplyDeleteA brand new ridiculously pink kitchen scale. Old fashion looking but a lovely shade of hot pink!! It makes me smile very time I see it. And a rainbow of different colored spatulas!
ReplyDeleteCan I predict what my future favorite kitchen accoutrement will be? The digital scale I am getting for my BF's b-day so he can dabble in molecular gastronomy and spherify some fruit juices!
ReplyDeleteI've been staring intently at my kitchen for 4 days thinking about this and it finally hit me this morning as I was taking a drink out of my Rosie the Riveter (the original Normal Rockwell painting from 1943) coffee mug, that I drink out of this mug at least 8 times a day. This mug is the tool that gets the caffeine into my system each and every morning without fail, all while reminding me of strong women.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a better tool than this. Plus, it keeps me conscious :)
ohhh cute, i have a pink kitchen aid mixer and a pink salt pig, i love my salt pig soooo much, holy moly, except when people come over they mistake it for a sugar bowl and almost put salt in their tea. blehh.
ReplyDeleteYay, a contest! I have to say my favorite kitchen tool is my chef's knife. I love my knives.
ReplyDeleteHello! I am new here, I've found this blog thanks to a link from tastespotting.com =3
ReplyDeleteI don't have many kitchen tools, as I don't have my own kitchen yet. But I love to cook. My probably favorite tools will be my knives - I have one big and one small. We live with my boyfriend's mother and she is using everything like 30 years old and her knives are completely blunt. I had to buy new ones, because I was unable to cut anything with hers. And I love them =3 Then I love my pots and pan, but I am not sure if they would qualify as tools =X
My favorite accoutrement is my beautiful yet functional robin's egg blue ceramic citrus juicer.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite has to be a spatula, it's so satisfying the way it cleanly scrapes bowls and pans, etc. Awesome contest, thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy set of wooden spoons and spatulas. I have 24 in all. This is the one item I could not live without in the kitchen. They are light-weight, yet durable and they don't scratch your pots and pans. Plus they develop a lovely rustic, burnt patina over time. A wooden spoon is all I need.
ReplyDeleteRight then... who's it gonna be? I'm dying to get this cute little set into my new little condo! All of my pre-divorce stuff has to go...
ReplyDeleteIncredible points. Solid arguments. Keep up the amazing work.
ReplyDelete