Bar Necessities: The Best Cocktail Shaker Kit
Cocktail shakers often come as a kit with all the tools you’ll need. Our favorite among the countless cocktail shaker kits is one from Libbey, featuring a 20 ounce glass mixing glass, stainless steel shaker, and stainless steel Hawthorn-style cocktail strainer. It’s dishwasher safe, although hand washing is best.
Bar Necessities: Choosing The Right Measuring Shot Glass
The best cocktails are accurately measured and mixed and that means owning a quality measuring shot glass. Sadly, the numbers wash off many of the glass measures so the tried and true metal two sided jigger from reliable Oxo with measurement etched into the stainless steel and a non-slip grip is the best choice.
There’s Nothing Like a Rice Cooker
A rice cooker cooks, steams and warms more than just rice! Here’s the one that we like best.
A Slow Cooker Has Multiple Uses
A slow cooker has myriad uses including braising when your oven is full or you want to leave the house without leaving the oven on. It’s also perfect for keeping all kinds of foods, including smoked pulled pork, warm for serving.
Fissler CookStar Portable Induction Cooktop Review
Sometimes one burner is all you need. This compact and convenient burner is portable and uses induction technology to avoid heating up your kitchen. And it’s not too expensive.
A Deep Fryer Isn’t Essential But Very Useful On Occasion
You can’t beat a deep fryer for making a large quantity of party food. The one holds 2.2 pounds of food, has a clever oil drainage system, a viewing window in the lid, a non-stick interior, and an air filter that helps prevent oil smells. Plus, it’s relatively inexpensive and compact for easy storage.
Dymo Labeler Review
Keep your stored food items organized and easy to find with an inexpensive labeler.
Vacuum Storage System
A vacuum sealing system can extend the life of foods in the pantry, the fridge and the freezer. Forestalls freezer burn as well.
An Electric Coffee And Spice Grinder Can Improve Your Cooking
Freshly ground coffee beans and freshly ground spices are so much better tasting. Whole beans and seeds keep better longer in the pantry. Just pick up a cheap grinder and it will improve the taste of your coffee and your cooking.
Vitamix 5200 Blender. A Blender That Pulverizes The Competition
If you make a lot of smoothies, sauces, and other blended foods then a high quality blender is in order. While there are several decent economically priced blenders out there, the lifespan of these models tends to be short due to inferior parts and a lack of horsepower, especially compared to a Vitamix or Oster.
A Food Processor Is An Essential Small Appliance
A blender on steroids, this essential tool does a better job on thick purees like pestos. Plus, it comes with attachments that allow you to shred, slice, and grate your way to greatness.
Blend Hot Liquids Like The Pros With A Stick Blender
You may have never used a stick blender like the Cuisinart 2-speed Smart Stick but they are quite popular among chefs for pureeing soups and sauces directly in the pot, a much safer alternative to blending hot liquids in a standard blender where the steam will expand and blow scalding soup all over you and the kitchen.
An Electric Hand Mixer Whips Sauce, Batters, And More In A Jif
An electric hand mixer whips up batters lickety split. Plus, if you don’t make doughs and batters often, it’s much cheaper than a stand mixer.
The Best Stand Mixer For A Kitchen’s Biggest Tasks
A quality stand mixer is definitely an investment but there is very little that a beast like the KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer can’t handle, especially with the countless accessories that are offered. If, however, you only need to whisk and blend, a KitchenAid hand blender does a great job and saves a lot of space.
Selecting The Right Juice Pitcher
f you enjoy fresh juice then a quality pitcher is a must for your kitchen. When selecting a pitcher, we prefer one from Rubbermaid that holds one gallon of liquid, has markings on the side for quart measurements, and has a tight lid so that you can shake the juice without it splattering it all over your kitchen.