Thursday, April 25, 2013

Home Must-Haves: Kitchen

So it's state testing time which means as a school counselor I am at my busiest time of the year.  In my small school I'm the counselor for the whole district and the testing coordinator.  Oh boy.  That means working a lot and not much time for fun house stuff.  Or blogging.  Mostly it's working and then laying face down on my couch when I get home.

But, as you remember, I hosted a wedding shower last weekend.  So that's gotten me thinking about things I registered for when we got married and what was useful and what wasn't.  Today I'm focusing on the kitchen stuff.  Because well, the kitchen stuff is my favorite.  Absolute favorite.  There were some things we registered for/already owned that I'm completely 100% committed to.  Other things however, we've never used.  Of course, this is just my own personal opinion. 

First the kitchen failures.  No pictures, sorry.  Like I said, it's the busy time of year.  I have on tennis shoes and dress pants.  Don't judge me.
1.  A waffle maker.  I love waffles.  This seemed like a great thing to register for.  In two and a half years of marriage, we've never used it.  My husband isn't really a big breakfast fan.  So it just wasn't a practical thing for us.
2.  A pop up toaster.  We got two.  Yes, we registered for this.  We also registered for (and ended up buying ourselves) a toaster oven.  The toaster oven we use all the time.  The pop up toaster, never.  They both stayed in the box.  Maybe it's because I grew up  using a toaster oven, but it's just my preference.  And a toaster oven is so much more versatile.  Go with that.

Of course there are things that are wonderful.  Things I completely love.
1.  KitchenAid Mixer.   When I first got it, I kept it in the laundry room closet with all my other small appliances.  Until my friend mocked me and informed me you kept your Kitchen Aid on the counter.  Now I do and I use it multiple times a week.  It's my absolute favorite appliance.  I love that I can just throw stuff in the mixer and walk away while it does its thing.  Seriously amazing guys.  Yes, it's expensive.  We didn't receive it as a gift.  I hoarded all our Target gift cards and used a Target coupon to buy it.  I only ended up paying about $5 out of pocket.  That's an excellent tip, if there are big things you want but didn't get, save your gift cards for some of those bigger ticket items.
2.  Baking racks.  How had I never had baking racks before?  My best friend bought these for us.  I don't use them super often, but when I do, I'm extremely glad to have them.  And they fold up flat so they don't take up much cabinet space, another perk.
3.  Silicon spatulas.  My grandma Celia bought these for me right after I graduated from college.  So I've had them a good....  7 years.  Sheesh.  They are amazing.  I use them for everything and have at least 5 of them.  Don't waste your money or registry on anything else.  Silicon spatulas for the win.  I actually have these exact spatulas.  I also like the Paula Dean ones with a wooden handle, they don't get hot when you're using them to stir at the stove.
4.  Dishes.  Nice, simple dishes.  You don't need some crazy, trendy pattern.  Chances are your taste will change eventually and you'll end up regretting those rooster plates.  Unless it's Corelle.  Any Corelle is always in style.  My mom had the same set of Corelle for years, they are timeless and indestructible.  But we have a set of white dishes for every day.  And a set of black dishes when we're feeling fancier.  I have china, but I have never used it.  My white dishes I've had since just after college.  They were a giant set from Bed Bath and Beyond for super cheap.  A few pieces have been broken but they're so basic it's not a big deal to pick up a replacement.
5.  Silicon whisk.  This is a new purchase.  I bought mine about a year ago at World Market.  These are amazing, especially if you have non-stick coated pans.  I use mine when I make the filling for chocolate pie.  Also for scrambled eggs and anything I want to mix a lot.  Buy one.  They're less than five bucks and totally worth it.
6.  A platter.  We all have occasions where we need a nice big plate to put something on.  Brownies for work.  A turkey for Thanksgiving.  You know, just stuff.  It doesn't have to be anything fancy.  I had to buy a plate the other day at Target for my pinwheels for my party.  A cute platter that  you can use for everything.  And that people will recognize is yours.  This is especially helpful at family dinners or other functions where lots of people have brought dishes.  That way you can easily retrieve your plate and people will know, oh yeah, I totally know who brought that delicious food.

What are your kitchen must haves?  I'm sure I have more but these are my absolute faves at the moment.  Anybody else wedding gift shopping right now?  And laughing back at some of the things you registered for because you were sure you needed it?

2 comments:

  1. Send me one of your pop-up toasters! LOL Our toaster over is so ready to kick it and I want to replace it with something smaller but want a 4 slicer.

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    1. Man, I totally should've done a give away. LOL. I returned one and gave a friend the other one. I think if you're a pop up toaster girl, a four slice would totally be the way to go. Especially with kiddos.

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