I would like to share with you some of the tools that I have in my kitchen that might make your life a little easier. These products are all available at Amazon, and should be available at any kitchen equipment store. You are welcome to follow the link to Amazon, and I hope you find a good bargain where ever you may choose to shop.
Mini Food Processor
One of the best little tools I have in my kitchen is a mini food processor. It’s just like the Daddy, but I use mine when I want to make garlic butter, blue cheese dressing, or green sauce for fish.
You can use this little processor when you do not want to use the big daddy one, for smaller jobs. Process nuts, grate Parmesan cheese, chop small things like olives.
One of the best things to do is to chop jalapeños. If you do this by hand, you have to wear gloves to keep the oils from getting on your hands. I always thought this was a wives tale, until I chopped 2 jalapeños , two pasilla chilies, and one harbenero chile. My hands were on fire, and they stayed that way for a couple of days, even after washing several times with soap and water! Trust me, kids, don’t try this at home without a good small processor.
A Little Chopper
About ten years ago, I was a my friend’s house when she was chopping onions. It was the most interesting sound, and I had to ask her what she was using to chop the onions. It was a glass jar with a chopping blades in it, and you pushed down on it to make it go. She had purchased it ten years before that at a five and dime store.
Update – five years ago, I was watching late night television and saw something similar to what my friend had. It was being halked by one of the late night sales people, so I wasn’t paying that much attention. Nothing that’s on TV is any good, right? Wrong – I went to the Glendale farmer’s market one Thursday, and here was the very same thing I had seen on television, but this time, I could see it for myself, touch it, chop something – I bought it – and now it’s one of my best tools.
Of course, since the one of television did so well, all the big manufacturers started making them. The one here is from Oxo, and they make very good tools. I highly recommend this for chopping garlic, onions, nuts, apples, and other semi hard food that you do not want to put in the processor, and you do not need to have a fine as the mini above.
Big Daddy Nesco Roaster – My Second Oven
I use my Nesco for the Thanksgiving turkey, for making Big Five Pepper Chili, and anything else I want to roast, bake, warm – heck anything that I can put in an oven, I can put in the Nesco and not heat up my kitchen. This is an indispensable appliance. I have the eighteen quart, and am getting ready to get a little six quart brother, for making smaller meals – this thing makes a mean meatloaf!
Pastel Baking Cups from Wilton
These little cupcake holders are great for other things as well. I used them for my Seder plate. Since they are pastel, they looked great and were the right color for the coming Easter season.
I have used other silicon baking cups, and they just did not do as well. They were too thin, and could tear too easily. They also did not have the little line so you can see how far to fill up your cupcakes. I love ’em
You cannot go wrong with Wilton baking products. They are professional grade, last forever, and although they are professional grade, there is plenty of help available on their web site to help you use the products.