Can't-Live-Without Kitchen Gadgets

Hi there.  Hope you all had a great weekend!  Since I've been home for a while now, all the days are sort of running together.  Jay and I are still doing P90X3 everyday and cooking lots of fresh meals from our garden.  We also celebrated a lovely third anniversary last week.  And the biggest news of late is that I bought a new car!  I am so excited about my new Hyundai Tucson.  It's a big step up from my little Toyota Yaris, and I can still hardly believe it's my car!

On another note, I wanted to share a few of my all-time favorite kitchen gadgets with you this morning.  As I was rinsing off some blueberries for breakfast, it got me thinking about how often I use our mini-colander and what did I ever do before I had one?!  So many kitchen gadgets do not live up to their hype and end up collecting dust on the back of a shelf or drawer, but there are a handful of inexpensive items that really do make all the difference in my day-to-day life.  

1. Berry Colander

I use this little colander every single day!  It is perfect for rinsing berries, small veggies, herbs, or anything else that you need to quickly wash.  It can be thrown into the dishwasher for easy cleaning, and then it collapses down to less than an inch when you are ready to put it away.  

2. OXO Citrus Squeezer

I don't know how I lived so long without one of these.  I used to always squeeze lemons and limes by hand, and it was so much work to get out just a little bit of juice.  Plus, the seeds would always end up in my food, no matter what I did.  This citrus squeezer makes it easy to get out so much more juice!  It also filters out the seeds and is dishwasher safe.  It is essential if you have to do a lot of squeezing, like for margaritas or sparkling water. 

Tip: To get even more juice out of your lemons, microwave them whole for 15 seconds before you cut and squeeze.  

3. Spaghetti Measurer

I am the worst when it comes to eyeballing pasta measurements.  I usually end up making enough for ten people when I am only intending to cook for two.  Luckily, this $4 pasta measurer has solved all of my spaghetti-making problems.  It helps me create perfect portions so that we don't end up throwing food away or eating a ridiculous amount of noodles. 

4. Swissmar Trio Peeler Set

These are the best peelers ever.  They are SO sharp and can peel any fruit or vegetable effortlessly, even something as thick as a butternut squash.  The trio set comes with three different blades.  The scalper blade is perfect for hard fruits and veggies, like apples and potatoes.  The serrated blade can peel really delicate fruits like peaches and tomatoes.  The julienne blade creates thin julienne sticks from carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, etc.  All three peelers are versatile and work great!

5. Zyliss Can Opener

I have never in my life owned a can opener that opens cans so easily.  Plus, once the can is open, a magnet lifts the lid so you never have to touch a sharp edge.  You can take the lid over to the trash or recycle bin and release it with the touch of a button.  I love it!

6. Zyliss Strong Boy Handheld Jar Opener

Zyliss makes really awesome products, and this jar opener is no exception.  I am a weakling when it comes to opening things and constantly find myself struggling with sealed jars of salsa, pickles, etc.  This jar opener is really easy to use and gets the jar open every time!  The long handle is comfortable and gives added leverage, and the adjustable rubberized band can retract all the way for storage.  It has really made my life a lot easier!

So there you have it!  Sometimes the littlest products can make all the difference!