Thursday Thirteen #47

Thirteen of My Favorite Kitchen Accessories:



I've made very little secret here that I can't cook very well (unless it's Italian cuisine). That doesn't mean that I don't try. Over the years, I've accumulated a few gadgets that I haven't used twice, but even more that I absolutely love and use constantly. So, here are 13 must-haves for my kitchen:

I bought a small one from the sales bin at Fry's during my first attempt at grad school many years ago. I didn't do so well at getting my Master's in Classical Archeology, but dang did I make some good pasta sauce. And it was much quicker to prepare once I didn't have to chop onions, carrots, and whatever else I felt like throwing in there by hand. I still have my clearance sale treasure many years later-and now I have a Master's too.


I don't mean to make this blog entry one continual ad for Pampered Chef or Tupperware, but they will both have lots of products on display tonight. This one here is my favorite PC purchase ever. It's not one of their pricier products, but I have used the one I have for about 10 years for innumerable snack times without ever needing to replace it. (I do like the fanicier apple peeler/corer as well, and I even have one. But I only use it for pies. I like my kids to eat their apple peels.)



Switching over to Tupperware now-I'm not sure how badly I needed these to organize my pantry, but the larger ones hold the contents of a full foil pouch food storage container which has been very convenient any time I've opened one. My pantry used to be pretty messy before I discovered these. (What? Not everyone stores a year's supply of food in foil pouches and cans? You think I'm weird for doing that? Hey, it's come in handy between paychecks more than a few times, my friends. And I am weird.)



Back to Pampered Chef for a moment. I bought and broke every other brand of wire whisk for several years before I broke down and went for quality over cheap price (not something I do easily). In this case, quality wins. I've had this about four years now and it still looks brand-new.



This doesn't look like Tupperware, but it is! I have no idea what scary price these go for in the catalog, but I earned them back when I sold Tupperware to pay for grad school. They are the nicest pots and pans I have ever owned. The lids do that draining/steaming thing, they are very sturdy, and they aren't kidding when they call them non-stick. (Which is good for the gal who still burns green beans.)


I'll never forget when Chris and I first spotted this on an informercial after watching a week's worth of taped All My Children episodes. I fell in love, and when it hit retail shelves a few years later; Chris bought me one for my birthday. We spent that summer at my apartment in Post Oak melting many an interesting combination with it. The tortillas didn't work so well, but I still use it to make my pancakes with some 15 years later. (It used to be the only way I could make them without burning them-as many of my poor mission companions would discover.) This one has been replaced once because the original was a little too well uh...seasoned after several years use. Still a favorite, and still something that I use often-even though I can make pancakes without burning them no matter how I cook them now.


But if I DO burn something, I sure love these Pampered Chef scrapers for clean-up. I order a set at any party I attend. They are inexpensive, the only thing to use on Pampered Chef stoneware, and the also are invaluable cleaning tools. I use them more for cleaning my floor and flat-range stove-top than I do for their actual purpose and I love them.


And I don't think it's possible to burn these. Did you know that you can use the rubber spatulas on the stove-top. I use them to scramble eggs and not once have they even looked like they broke a sweat. This is yet another example of paying for quality, and of course, they are made by Tupperware. (And yes, I earned them rather than paying for them.)



I got a set of these as a wedding gift and have used them pretty much every day since then.


Rarely do I fix Sunday dinner anywhere, but in one of these. I've had to buy a bigger one in the last few years, but it was worth the money.

And if you cook in a Crock-pot regularly, you've just gotta have these too!

My grandmother bought me a baking dish similar to this back when the Frankoma pottery company was still up and running. Sadly, it wound up being my only piece of Frankoma before they closed up shop. I use it about once a week.

And finally, if I'm going to cook and make a mess; I need something good to clean with-this is my favorite!

Thanks for reading. For more Thursday Thirteens, click here!