Essential Kitchen Tools

My mother did not enjoy cooking. She let me cook my own meals starting when I was eight. Fortunately, her mother, my grandmother was living with us and she showed me what to do.

Over the years, I have developed and am still developing a cooking style that matches our (my wife and I) food choices.

For day to day meals, I prefer to keep things simple with salads, soups, stir fires and stews being our usual fare.

There are a few kitchen tools that I would not do without and tools that can make great gifts, although men, do not buy your wife a kitchen appliance for your anniversary, Christmas or her birthday. These, kitchen tools, you buy because they make cooking so much easier.

I had a bread maker for a few years but it got dropped in one of our moves and has not yet been replaced. It is near the top of the list of the items that I will purchase after I have finished redesigning the garden. I think that day will come.

I have recently discovered but not yet tried a way to make bread in a slow cooker something that I will soon attempt, if it works, you will hear about it.

My favourite use of the bread maker besides making organic whole wheat bread was making organic whole wheat pizza crust.

At the top of the list is the slow cooker. The one we have is getting old and I do want a bigger one. This machine ahs served us well for the past seven years. As my knowledge of what meals can be prepared in the slow cooker grows so does my appreciation for this wonder tool.

Yesterday, I made a stew with water chestnuts, broccoli, carrots and diced beef. I marinated the beef and water chestnuts in soy sauce for three hours before adding them to the slow cooker and then cooked the whole meal in the soy sauce. It was delicious.

Speaking of cookbooks, they are a must, well the information they contain is. I can get recipes from many sources but a good cookbook gives me more than a recipe. I like to read about past and present cultural traditions that surround the food I am considering.

I find cooking rice to be fairly simple but my rice cooker has made it even easier. Put the water, rice a dash of sea salt into the cooker, press the button and go about your business until it is ready. Light and fluffy rice for stir fries or other uses is all set to be scooped unto the plate. Make a little extra for the nights when you have little time to prepare a meal from scratch, which brings us to another vital kitchen tool the storage container.

Containers come in a huge variety of sizes and shapes, many can be placed into a microwave and kept in a freezer.

The local Dollarama sells a good selection of quality containers and just for a buck. What a great way to prepare ahead, make lunches and save some money.

The blender is great for making blender soup and smoothies and many other items. We have had ours for about six years and just recently lost the lid. The lid is vital, otherwise things can get very messy. I am making do with a plastic bowl but am looking for a new blender lid.

Great breakfast smoothies can be made in minutes and provide all the zip you need to get your day started.

Speaking of zip, there is one item that I use every day and that is my French press for making coffee. It may be more work than other makers but it makes a superior cup of coffee and that is what matter. This is the third one that we have had over 25 years and is the first task each morning. If I could only keep one kitchen tool, this one would be a contender.