Oh So Useful and Common Kitchen Tools That Make My Life Easier!

First we took a look at our Favorite Pantry Picks and then at our Frozen Food Favorites and our Longer Lasting Perishables. Having all of these items on hand make things easier for you to create a good, quick, flavorful and healthy meal for your family. This week I’m focusing on a few tools that you should not be living without. I’m not talking about fancy bread and pasta making machines, choppers and dicers or Veg-O-Matics. I’m focusing on simple tools that I use almost every time I cook that makes the process just a little easier.

• The instant read thermometer. These are very inexpensive devices and yet they can save you money in the long run. There is no need for the electronic digital food thermometer that integrates with your cell phone. A simple instant read thermometer reads internal temperatures of meats in seconds.
• The restaurant sheet pan. These are really just large cookie pans. I buy the largest I can that will still fit in my oven. I use these to organize ingredients in preparation for cooking, to place meats on when they are resting between getting browned and going back into a pot for continued cooking, and for roasting large batches of vegetables.
• The heat resistant spoon spatulas are great for everything. Buy the heavy ones that will not cave in when mixing up heavy batches of food.
• Non-stick silicone baking pads are placed down onto your cookie sheets or roasting sheets and completely prevent any sticking. Baked items come off easily, and items that usually would create a mess (like roasted items) slide right off.
• The chef knife is the number one most essential tool for any chef. If you have a sharp chef knife you can easily and quickly cut anything. Do not buy an expensive set of knives. At the most you need an 8-10 inch chef knife, a seated knife and a small paring knife.

And here is a hint for buying the above items – find a restaurant supply place near you. You can get quality items at lower prices, and they are usually open to the public.

What is your favorite tool? Let me know or you can always talk food to me at bobbie@goodlifefamilymag.com