Note: This is not my kitchen, but how amazing would it be if it WAS my kitchen?!?!

Kitchen Gadgets

Kelly Songy Nelson
Aug 8, 2017 · 5 min read

— 20 Essential Favorites for Everyday Use —

I’m picky.

I like nice things that will make my life easier and won’t break on the first use.

But here’s the thing

With two little ones underfoot, a home business where I work alongside my husband and a household to manage, time is of the essence. Gone are the days of traveling down rabbit holes of research, comparing the best non-chemical dish soaps!

Now, I do some research here and there, but I also rely on good ol’ word of mouth from trusted friends!

So in order to save YOU a little time, I’ve compiled a list of things that we use in our kitchen!

Vitamix Blender — we make shakes and smoothies daily, so a good blender is a MUST in our house! I love the Vitamix because I can make ice cream to boiling hot soup and everything in between! It’s great for pureeing baby food or sneaking meat into spaghetti sauces for added protein! This is probably the most used appliance in our house next to the stove!

Travel Blender — Yes, we have the fancy Vitamix that’s in use daily, but sometimes we just need to mix up some pre-workout drink or an electrolyte drink. This little travel size blender is perfect! A couple of quick pulses and we’re off and running! Plus, it’s compact so we usually throw it in the suitcase when we travel!

Veggie Chopper — I love cooking and using fresh ingredients. I don’t have hours to slave over a chopping board dicing food into teeny bits so my kids won’t notice them in the food!!! This handy veggie chopper not only chops up food into teeny bits, it gives you a great upper body workout at the same time! Simply put your food in, secure the lid and pull the lawnmower-like string. The more you pull, the finer the food is chopped! Cleanup is so fast and easy!

Cutting Boards — We use cutting boards all. the. time. We love these flexible style boards because they take up next to no room and you can bend them to dump your chopped up food into a bowl or right into the pot! And if you’re a germaphobe and need to have a little organization in your chopping world, these have little pictures for what each one should be used for!

Ceramic Knives — Have you ever tried to meal prep with dull knives? It’s the worst! Not only does it take you twice as long, it may also require you to pop open a bottle of wine to deal with the mounting frustration! We recently bought a set of ceramic knives and love them! They’re SUPER sharp (Definitely NOT knives to let the kids use even with supervision!!! SUPER sharp!!!! Pretty sure I should be supervised while using them!)

Garlic Press — I love garlic…like a lot! So not a day goes by without me using this gadget! It’s SO durable (pretty sure I got it as a wedding gift almost 14 years ago!!!) Saves me so much time…mincing garlic isn’t as easy as they make it look on TV!

Avocado Slicer — OK, I’m NOT a millennial gobbling up avocado toast, but we do eat our fair share of avocados each week! This little guy slices the avocado open, takes out the pit and slices it into Pinterest worthy slices!

Vegetti — I admit it, sometimes I’m an As Sold On TV junkie! I picked this up at Target one day and it’s so fun! My kids are healthy eaters, but let’s face it, there’s not very many ways to make zucchini fun…until now! I just twist up a zucchini and saute in a little avocado oil and they gobble it up!!!!

Glass Straws — Yes, I’m a bit of a crunchy granola type! We skip disposable plastic straws and use glass straws. They’re gorgeous and super durable! The Smoothie Straws from Glass Dharma are our favorite. They make them in a long length that’s perfect for our shaker cups and also in a Shorty length that‘s perfect for the kids’ cups!

Cold Brew Coffee Maker — I’m sure there’s a fancier technical term for this, but I’m not that fancy! This is so easy and makes enough coffee to last us probably a week and a half to two weeks!

French Press — Most days, we drink cold brew concentrate coffee. When I forget to make it, I have this amazing French Press that makes a delicious cup of coffee!

Coffee Grinder — There’s nothing better than fresh ground coffee grounds! This grinder is super quick & easy to use. Lots of setting options for you fancy coffee types!

Tea Kettle — The tea kettle we use was a souvenir I purchased for myself on a trip to Disneyworld! It’s one of my favorite things in our kitchen and it’s a great way to start each day! It’s not available anymore (sorry), but any tea kettle will do!

Portion Control Measuring Containers — Are your eyes bigger than your stomach? Do you find yourself under eating or overeating or just confused about how much to eat? These little containers have been LIFE SAVERS for us! I didn’t realize that I was unintentionally under eating for the longest time! These got me back on track super quick with no guess work! (and it comes with a handy dandy guide book that explains exactly how much YOU need to eat for YOUR specific goals!)

Glass Mixing Bowls — I love to cook and using these mixing bowls makes me feel like (INSERT FAVORITE CELEBRITY CHEF)! They nest together so storage is compact! (I also have the silicone lids for them so I use them as storage containers if I make large amounts of food!)

1 cup, 2 cup and 3 cup Glass Storage Bowls — We used to have a cabinet full of plastic containers — all with missing tops or bottoms. Can you relate? So as we began to transition to “grown up” pots and pans, I decided to upgrade our storage containers. These are perfect!!!! They’re perfect for small leftovers or little snacks for my littles and they come with lids for fridge storage!

Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons — I’m a little bit of a measuring spoon snob. We have several different kinds — both plastic and stainless — and all different shapes and I will say that the stainless steel ROUND BOTTOM measuring spoons are my favorite. We use a lot of coconut oil and nut butter and the rounded bottoms help get all the goodness out of the spoon & into your belly!

Stainless Steel Pots and Pans — I recently made a big girl decision and bought my first set of pots and pans (the others were all hand-me-downs or ones that my parents bought for us many years ago!). I know how harmful the non-stick coatings are and I was tired of looking at them every day. So I donated them and bought these bad boys! I went big and got the 6 piece AND 8 piece sets! No buyer’s remorse whatsoever!!!

Hopefully this helps make your quest for nice kitchen gadgets a little easier! I’d love to know some of your favorites!

(Note: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links)

Kelly Songy Nelson
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