5 Essential Kitchen Items that Will Last a Lifetime
My first job out of college was at a kitchen store.
I was there to learn how to run a business, but my coworkers were retirees and high school students who mostly just wanted to earn some extra cash on the weekends.
I decided early on that if I was really going to go all in with the kitchen store, I needed to know what I was selling.
So I went to town on basically every item in the store. I cooked my way through The Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook.
Brian and I ate like royalty that first year.
And little by little, I put together a collection of my most favorite kitchen items that I still use to this day.
They’re all tried and tested by me. And with so many options and gadgets, I was ruthless about what made the cut.
Now, I’m ready to share with you:
My top five essential kitchen items that will last you a lifetime!
Olivewood Spoon
Here’s a little-known cooking tip: if you cook your food with a rubber spatula, it’s gonna taste like rubber! Anything heated needs to be cooked with a wooden spoon. So when I scramble the kids’ eggs, I use a wooden spoon. When I make soup, wooden spoon. When I sauté vegetables, you guessed it! Wooden spoon.
I, at one point, tested every wooden spoon on the market and this was hands down the winner for me. It not only works well and lasts for years, but also looks beautiful in my utensil crock on the counter.
Epicurean Cutting Board
When Brides would come into the kitchen store to register, I’d never allow them to register for anything except the Epicurean cutting board. I’ve been using mine for over 15 years and it’s still going strong. I have the 8x6 and the 14.5 x 11.25, and both are used daily.
The Roast Anything Pan
I’ve decided that I’ll make sure to include the following recipe in my will so I can rest assured that Brian and the kids won’t starve: set the oven at 400 degrees, pick a vegetable (literally any vegetable), chop it up, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast 20-30 minutes. It’s a regular staple in our home.
And this is the pan I use every single time. It’s here for the long haul.
My Perfect Mixing Bowl
When it comes to kitchen gadgets, it’s the little things that make certain products stand out against the rest.
That’s truer than ever when it comes to my favorite mixing bowl, which has a spout for pouring, a sleek, ceramic look, and a rubber ringed bottom to keep it from sliding or slamming on the counter. This gets used on a daily basis!
Everyday Egg Flipper
I may be the veggie roaster and egg scrambler, but Brian is the egg flipper. He’s mastered the over-easy egg, and I place my order with him a few times a week. But an egg is only as good as the spatula used to flip it, and this one is thin, flexible, and fool-proof.
If you’re looking for some tried-and-true kitchen essentials, these are by far my favorites and most used!
While a spatula might not seem important, I believe that the things we use daily should be functional and beautiful.
These are both beautiful and functional for me!
Enjoy.
-Jess
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