Favorite Kitchen Tools

"Voile" Pasta Measurer by Alessi

Throughout the years, I have acquired several favorite cooking tools as gifts or through my own discoveries. I am always on the lookout for cool kitchen gadgets. Mom's favorite kitchen tool was the wooden spoon. When we stepped out of line, she would grab it and threaten to paddle us with it. She was kidding/half serious most of the time but I think I remember once or twice when I got the spoon to my butt for being a bad kid. Mom swore by wooden kitchen tools and to this day, I have plenty in my kitchen as well.

The first favorite kitchen tool is the "Voile" Alessi Pasta Measurer. Alessi is an incredible Italian design company. Check out more of their wares at www.alessi.com. It was a gift from my father and stepmom Martha. Each circle in the pasta measurer is for a different amount of pasta. It was truly a perfect gift from the two of them as it encompassed Martha's passion for the kitchen and cooking, and Dad's passion for design and art.

the Fiskie

My next favorite is my silicone fork whisk by Norpro, also known as the Fiskie! I bought this item at a home store on the main drag in Palm Springs about 3 years ago while on vacation with my brother and his family. When I make scrambled eggs on the weekend, I prefer whisking with a fork but always hated and cringed at the sound it would make against a metal mixing bowl. Enter the Fiskie. Now I whisk with this silicone red fork and don't shutter with each screeching pass around the mixing bowl! It can be found on Amazon.com.

Joie Kitchen Scraper

I picked up this Joie Scrape and Clean Kitchen Scraper while away on holiday up at World's End State Park, in Forksville, PA. I always stop at Katie's Country Store in Muncy Valley, PA. You can pick up gourmet foods, candies, Christmas ornaments year round, kitchen wares, and all sorts of other cool household and entertaining items. I  found the scraper on my most recent trip over Thanksgiving. I had been looking for something "solid" to scrape and clean ceramic, glass top and nonstick pans without scratching them. This tool works wonders and you can find it online on Amazon.com. If you are in the Worlds End area, make sure you stop by the store that I got it from as Katie's Country Store is definitely a fun stop . Here is her website: http://katiesstore.com/ .

Pepper Corers

Every holiday season, John and I make a trip down to South Philly and stock up on antipasti, seafood, meats, cheeses, pasta, and spices in the Italian Market. A regular stop is at the famed restaurant store, Fante's Kitchen Shop.  One year, I picked up these great pepper corers by Progressive International. The small one is for jalapeno or habanero peppers and the large one which is used for bell peppers of every color. For storage, the small one fits neatly into the larger one.

Ground Meat Chopper

I found the Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper ground meat chopper at Walmart this past Christmas and just had to have it. I got one for my sister as well. It works great and takes the place of trying to awkwardly chop up the cooking meat with a bending spatula. I would recommend spraying the plastic blades with a nonstick spray before using it to prevent the meat from sticking to the sides while cooking.

Lilypad Pot Lids

These lilypad silicone pot lids were bought one January when I was in Philly  I was staying across the street at the Radisson Blue Warwick Hotel and wandered across the street to the longtime Rittenhouse Square staple, Kitchen Kapers where I found them beckoning for me to buy buy BUY! They are just so cool! They are made by the kitchen wares designer Charles Viancin and form a tight seal on cooking pots. Check out his website at http://www.charlesviancin.com/index.php/us/ .  There is a great selection of these covers in other shapes and size. You can purchase the lids as a sunflower, hibiscus flower, pumpkin, snowflake, cherry blossom, or water droplet. The website also has a selection of other unique kitchen items. You can purchase the lids from Kitchen Kapers online at their website: http://www.kitchenkapers.com/ .

Onion Slicer

This is another great gift from Dad and Martha from Williams-Sonoma. It is a Zwiebelhalter, or an onion slicer, by the German company Kuchenprofi. This spiked kitchen tool has saved my fingers many a time while slicing onions, lemons, limes, and bagels of all types. You can find it here online at kuchenprofiusa.com and of course, Amazon.com. I have seen it many other places online as well.

Garlic Peeler

I also love my silicone garlic peeler. You can find these at Walmart, Target, or any other major retail store. You just pop in the garlic clove and roll it. Out comes a clean garlic clove with the skin removed! It saves so much time and makes peeling a garlic clove SO EASY!

Lastly, my honorable mention goes to my trusty wine glass because you might as well drink and enjoy yourself while cooking. (At least that's me!) Just don't drink too much or the meal won't get done.