Are you looking for a gift idea for the cooking enthusiast or new householder in your life? Do you want to make some healthy changes to your eating habits by preparing more foods at home with fewer packaged ingredients? Read on to discover my favorite small kitchen gadgets.
- Garlic Press. Lots and lots of recipes from all different kinds of cuisine call for minced garlic. Save yourself a lot of knife work (and time!) with this handy tool for smashing garlic. Insert a few cloves of garlic into the chamber, squeeze the handles together, and presto! Fresh minced garlic is sure to give your dish an extra pop of authentic flavor.
- Immersion Blender. Do you want to make delicious yet healthy smooth veggie soups or hummus at home? With a minimum of fuss, and easy clean up? Simply put your (softened) ingredients together, connect the blender attachment to the base, insert the blender head into the bowl of ingredients to be pureed, and press the button to start the motor going. Compared to a food processor, I find this to be more intuitive to use and easier to clean, while it fits easily into a drawer rather than taking up valuable counter space. Also great for new parents planning to make baby food! (Disclaimer: I actually own the Cuisinart version of this from several years ago. Per multiple reviewers, the newer version of this has suffered as the result of a flawed design change.)
- Pineapple Corer. Do you love pineapple, but find getting it ready to eat tedious? No longer, with this handy corer. Simply slice off the crown of the pineapple, center the teeth of the corer over the core of the pineapple, and then create beautiful, even slices with a few turns of the wrist. (Disclaimer: I actually have the Oxo version of this, but this one is equally well reviewed and a few dollars cheaper to boot.)
- Citrus Squeezer. Are you a kitchen snob who refuses to use bottled lemon juice from the grocery store? Do you love guacamole, with that extra zing that can only come from fresh squeezed limes? If so, you’ll love having a convenient, easy-to-use citrus squeezer. Cut the fruit in half, center it in the lower bowl, and squeeze the handles together while the juice flows out the bottom. Warning: you might start drinking copious amounts of homemade lemonade!
- Potato Ricer. Are you on a low carb kick, with cauliflower rice everything?
Do you want to squeeze the water out of spinach, without using a whole roll of paper towels? Are you cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd? Time to get a potato ricer! Place the desired food in the basket, and squeeze the handles together. Also great for new parents planning to make baby food!