A Well-Stocked Kitchen: Drawer Edition
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Welcome to this week’s edition of A Well-Stocked Kitchen, the series in which I’m sharing the tools that have helped me produce lots of deliciousness in the kitchen. This week, I’ll share with you the contents of my “stuff” drawer. This is my go-to small-tool stashing spot. It’s not very well organized, but it’s one of the highest traffic areas of my kitchen.
Anything I missed? What’s your favorite little kitchen tool?
Measuring cups x2. My biggest piece of kitchen-gadget-related advice is to keep 2 sets of measuring cups and 2 sets of measuring spoons on hand if you cook a lot. It makes cooking and baking a whole lot easier (and fun!), since you won’t be constantly rinsing and looking around for the measure you need.
Offset spatula: for frosting cakes, this tool is a dream come true.
Candy thermometer To be honest, I’m not sure if this is any different than the meat thermometer. But I like to keep my meat and candy very, very separate, don’t you?
Pastry bag , tips, & couplers: I keep my ever-growing collection of pastry decorating stuff in a ziplock bag to make sure I don’t lose any of the small pieces.
And now, for the “unitasker” section. These are tools that serve only one purpose, are moderately gimmicky, and can easily be done without, but are still fun to have around.
Egg separator: Not truly necessary (you can separate eggs using just the shell), but makes life a bit easier. This one hooks on to a bowl for easy maneuvering, plus it’s undeniably adorable.
Avocado slicer: This one’s kind of embarrassing, that’s how unnecessary it is. Wish I had know that when I bought it!
I buy extra 1 cup measuring cups and leave them in my bags of flour. I usually need a cup or two. Then I’m not hunting for them.
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The ONLY thing off that list I own is the corkscrew. In lieu of a pastry blender, I cut butter into flour with two knives… I frost cakes with a regular spatula, and I decorate with the corner snipped off of a ziploc bag. I love living in the city, but sometimes it is depressing when I realize that my parents’ bathroom is larger than my kitchen.
One thing I do love for saving space is the adjust-a-cup. (http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=744&f=2444)
Yes, it means I have to wash it out far more frequently, but I find that it takes up way less space than a full set of measuring cups (let along two… sigh) because it can stand vertically in that back corner of a cabinet that somehow never get used, whereas I have no actual drawer space for miscellaneous gadgety things . I have the 2-cup version, the tablespoon version, and the teaspoon version, thus eliminating the need for the nesting measuring cups or spoons… anything which saves space in my shoebox kitchen is well worth the potential extra money in my book!
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Spatulas! The rubber kind that are heat and stain resistant! Though you might keep them in your utensil crock now that I think about it. I also have a compact grater which I find myself pulling out nearly daily! An apple corer/slicer also sees daily use for lunches and while not a necessity, it makes cutting up apples sooooo much easier. Kitchen shears would be another thing in my “drawer”, I always keep a special pair of scissors on hand which are not allowed to be used for anything other than kitchen work and are not allowed to leave my kitchen, I have to be strict otherwise they are never there when I need them!
I agree with Jen, kitchen shears and spatulas are a must. My mom gifted me a set of Le Creuset spatulas for my birthday this year and I feel so fancy every time I use them.
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I agree with spatulas and kitchen shears! I keep my spatulas in my utensil crock for easy access, and my knife block has a slot for the shears that came with it. I’d totally poke or cut my klutzy self if I kept them in a drawer :)
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The pizza slicer is a must with two small children! I use it for many dinnertime play dates. I do have two sets of measuring cups, but keep them in two separate drawers, one I open often and one only when I’m cooking a few different items at once. I work with ReadyMade and have found some great home organization
ideas on their website. Maybe one of your readers would be interested.
