As you can probably tell from the types of items on my wish list, I’m fortunate to have a well-stocked kitchen. Cooking has always been something I’ve truly loved, so I’ve collected a fair amount of kitchen gadgets over the years! I thought it would be fun to share the things I love that have withstood the test of time. When you’ve used as many brands and kitchen gadgets as I have, you definitely develop favorites that you consistently return to. This list has all of my favorites, broken down by category!
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Small Gadgets
I posted all about my most loved small kitchen gadgets here.
Cookbooks
There are three cookbooks always on display in my house. They are beautiful and have earned a place of prominence due to the amount I use them! The fourth spiral bound book you see here is my family recipes book, which is something my Mom made for all of us and is one of my favorite things ever.
The Food Lab is one of my all time favorite cookbooks. I’ve owned it for four years now and I still consistently refer to it. This cookbook does an amazing job of teaching you the very best methods to cook anything and everything. My boys are absolutely spoiled because of the Buttermilk Pancake recipe in this book!
Magnolia Table is a beautiful book first off. Second, if for no other reason, you need this book for the biscuit recipe. You’re welcome. (P.S. I can’t wait for the second one to come out!)
No Crumbs Left is another beautiful cookbook with delicious recipes that my family will actually eat. Some of them are even Whole 30 compliant! Bonus!
Pots and Pans
Outside of using cheap pots and pans through my earlier years, I’ve mostly used four “nice” brands for the last ten years. They are Kitchen Aid, All-Clad, Le Creuset, and Calphalon. I like them all for different reasons. I would say Kitchen Aid and Calphalon are pretty comparable. These are my “every day” pans. I use certain All-Clad pots and pans more than others, partly because I find them harder to work with (read: food sticks and if I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong within a few seconds, I won’t mess with it any further. Sorry.). My most beloved pots and pans are my Le Creuset. They heat so well and clean up so easily, plus they are just beautiful! Here I’ve linked the specific pans I have and love from each brand and how I use them.
Le Creuset 3.5 Qt Braiser I use this pan for anything that requires browning and then moving to the oven. I also use it for anything that I plan to serve straight out of the pan because it’s so pretty.
Le Creuset 5 Qt Dutch Oven This is my favorite pot for making soups and chili. It’s small enough for every day use, but just the right size for all of the soup recipes that I make.
Le Creuset 9 Qt Dutch Oven I use this one for braising meat, like large pork shoulders or beef roasts.
Calphalon 10 Piece Pots and Pans Set This is the set that I currently have as my every day set. For the most part, I am really happy with them. The only thing I don’t love is the one saucepan that has a lid with a built in strainer. I originally though I would really love this feature, but I don’t use it much because this pot isn’t big enough for cooking pasta really. And with the holes, it means it doesn’t seal tight enough to cook rice, which this pot is the perfect size for. Other than that, I love this set and it’s held up really well in the dishwasher.
Kitchen Aid 10 Piece Pots and Pans Set This set is really quite comparable to the Calphalon set, except they don’t stack as nicely. I still use the saucepans from this set because I like them slightly better.
All Clad Stock Pot I use this pot for the occasions when I need a giant pot. Mostly for brining a chicken or making stock/broth.
All Clad 3 Qt Sauce Pan I use this saucepan a lot for things like lentils, quinoa, coconut rice, etc. It’s a really good size and a great, basic sauce pan.
Small Appliances
I tend to get very excited about small appliances and then rarely use them once I buy them. What can I say, I’m a creature of habit. When the Instant Pot came out, I was super excited. But, I find myself going back to my trusty slow cooker more often than not. Maybe it’s because of the learning curve, I don’t know. Here are the small appliances that I consistently use!
Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer This thing has been WELL LOVED and is still running perfectly! I’ve had mine for probably close to 10 years now.
Kitchen Aid Immersion Blender While I don’t use this all the time, it is nice to have for pureeing soups right in the pot or making homemade mayo, dressings, and marinades. Those are the primary things I use it for. I would say for the price, I’ve gotten a good amount of use out of it and it’s lasted several years now.
Kitchen Aid Food Processor I’ve had more food processors than I care to admit, from super tiny to the big guy with multiple bowls. This one is the one I’ve always gone back to. It’s the perfect size, not too heavy to get out, not too many pieces, and all dishwasher safe. Can’t beat that!
Kitchen Aid Slow Cooker Like I said before, my slow cooker is one of my old trusted friends. I just like it and I know how to use it.
Breville Smart Oven I originally got this to put in our basement bar area because we spend most of our time entertaining there in the summer. I found myself running up and down the stairs to use it so much that it now has a permanent place upstairs in my kitchen.
Breville Barista Express I’ll admit, when I first got this machine, I was coming from using a Nespresso, which is beyond easy. I was intimidated and found myself going back to the Nespresso until my brother showed me how to use this one. This is now all I’ve used, every single day (too many times a day than I care to admit) for making fancy lattes at home for the last 2 years and I’ve grown to absolutely love it! I’ve found the secret is buying freshly roasted beans. Makes perfect espresso every time!
Breville Juicer This is one that when I bought it, I found it on a great sale and wasn’t entirely sure I’d use it. But the price was so good, I figured I’d give it a shot. Now, a year later, I still use my juicer regularly. My only complaint is cleaning it. Outside of that, I love it – and my kids do too! They get a kick out of putting the fruits and veggies in. They’ve really surprised me with the combinations they are willing to try! Their favorite is actually Green Gorilla Juice! They get quite adventurous with what they will put into their juice. Yet somehow, they still love to drink it. That’s a win in my book!
Check out my current wish list (you know, in case you need a last minute gift idea for me, I mean for the cook in your life…..).