Cooking is an integral part of my life. I went from knowing next to nothing about making my meals, to following dozens of websites with thousands of recipes. Nowadays, I have a folder in my kitchen filled with recipes I’ve saved from my Favorite Recipes board on Pinterest. I steadily go through at least two of these a week to try and take a step back from my comfortable classics.
Just like I have some recipes that I know how to make with my eyes closed, I have a special relationship with my kitchen appliances. I know this might sound a bit weird, but there’s a certain sense to it. After a couple of uses, one gets used to the little unique characteristics some of our appliances have as we realize which kitchen necessities we couldn’t live without.
One such example was my old toaster oven. It took me a couple of times of strict supervision to find the perfect temperature for the things I like to cook the most. However, despite how much I trust my old appliances, I’ve realized with time that there’s nothing wrong with innovating.
This has led me on a path of discovery of wonderful kitchen necessities that make my life unexpectedly easier. Here are some of the things I didn’t know I needed, and now, I can’t imagine my life without them.
The always versatile sauté pan
I figured that a regular pan was bound to be as good as a sauté pan. After all, I had been more than able to cook my favorite pad thai recipes for years. However, there’s a before and after in my kitchen after I got a sauté pan.
Simply put, my veggies were not overcrowding as they were in other pans. This helped greatly in their cooking process. Now, I could be certain that there would be a certain uniformity to their texture. Besides, when I want to mix the noodles with the sauce I cooked, I’m not scared of turning the kitchen into a disaster area.
This is because sauté pans have greater depth, which allows me to mix carefully. Furthermore, they don’t take as much space in your cabinets as a wok would. Therefore, they’re kind of the best of both worlds. It’s one of those kitchen necessities you didn’t know you needed.
The air fryer everyone has been talking about
Yes, of course, I ended up buying an air fryer. The option of being able to eat delicious things without feeling any guilt was too tempting. After I first saw it at a friend’s house, I knew I had to have one of these amazing kitchen necessities. The French fries she served were simply amazing!
Therefore, I decided to go for it. However, just like everything these days, air fryers have greatly evolved in a couple of years. This is what led me to go for a more complete option. Instead of getting a regular air fryer I got an air fryer toaster oven.
Just how you read it. You got to love how quickly engineers develop these wonderful things. Depending on the size, these all-in-one air fryers might take a lot of counter space. However, I’ve saved a lot of space by letting go of some of my old appliances. Remember that beloved toaster oven I mentioned at first? Gone.
Making omelets in the fanciest way possible
Frankly, I never thought I would one day get an omelet pan. I always thought getting such a specific item would be a total waste of time and money. However, as the family grew and everyone developed different tastes, I started to see the value in one of these kitchen necessities.
Omelet pans withstand high temperatures very well. Furthermore, they are great conductors, which allows me to switch temperatures quickly. This is especially helpful during busy mornings. Why are these features so important, you might wonder?
Well, my eldest likes to have their omelet finished in the oven. This was a very difficult thing to achieve until I got an omelet pan that could withstand this finishing touch. Furthermore, my youngest likes his omelet a bit runny on the inside, for which I need to make quick temperature changes.
All in all, my omelet pan has become a fixed part of my cooking routine, and it has inspired me to try new and interesting omelet recipes. Here’s a link to some of the different options in the market in case anyone’s interested.
The smoothie blender
This was an astonishing discovery for me. I consider myself a very practical person and financially savvy. Therefore, it never made any sense to me to have two blenders at home, a small one and a big one. However, I spend some days on vacation at a place where they had this smoothie blender.
Mind blown. If I wanted a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, this was small enough that I would get an individual portion, and cleaning it was absurdly easy. Furthermore, making different shakes and smoothies for the kids is a breeze now as well. I hated it when leftovers ended up in the sink just because I didn’t measure things correctly.
Smoothie blenders are by design perfect for making small portions and one of those big kitchen necessities you shouldn’t live without. I couldn’t be more pleased with this purchase. Now that I’ve been thinking of including more exercise into my routine, this will be perfect for when I’m ready to try protein shakes. Life is certainly more exciting with the right appliances at hand!
These are some of the things that I now use almost every day. Years ago, I would’ve considered them frivolities. Today, using them every day has made me realize how truly useful they are.
Do you have any appliances that surprised you with their usefulness? Let me know what your favorite kitchen necessities are in the comments!
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