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My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Published on December 9, 2009 By Emily. Updated on December 9, 2009

My Christmas shopping was done almost a month ago (!), but in the event that you haven’t finished yours yet, I’ve put together a list of the 10 gadgets and tools in my kitchen that I love the most.  If none of my favs strike your fancy, check out the links to gift guides at the bottom of the post!

IMG_2088[1]1.  Bottle Stoppers

There are a lot of types of bottle stoppers out there and, for what they are, a lot of them seem pretty expensive.  Brian and I are huge fans of these cheap lever bottle stoppers from Zyliss ($9.99 for 6, Amazon.com)…they don’t look like much, but unlike a lot of bottle stoppers, they actually create a airtight seal.

Gift Guide 0042.  Oil Bottles

Similar to bottle stoppers, oil bottles ($4.99, Bed Bath and Beyond) are a dime a dozen in stores lately.  I never knew how much I’d use one until I had one though (actually, we have 2–one for olive oil and one for vegetable).   One of the best perks: it’s easier to buy big, cheaper bottles of oil when you have a smaller container to dispense it from.

Gift Guide 0063.  Flexible Cutting Boards

At my bridal showers last spring, I received not one, but two packages of flexible, plastic cutting boards.  Frankly, I was not impressed.  I didn’t even want one package.  I wanted “high quality” cutting boards.  That said, Brian and I almost always use them.  They’re a great size for cutting a lot of things (big pieces of meat, a soup’s worth of veggies) and the flexibility really comes in handy.  I can’t find the exact set we have, but these cutting boards from Norpro ($5.99, Amazon.com) look pretty good.

Gift Guide 0054.  Dry Erase Board

No list is complete without one item that seems a little random.  This is that item.  A couple months after moving into our new place, Brian had the idea to add a small dry erase board to the door of one of our cabinets.  It’s super helpful for writing to do or shopping lists, but mostly it’s used for hanging up recipes so they stay clean while I use them to cook. ($9.98, Amazon.com)

Gift Guide 0075.  Garlic Press

My knife skills are pretty bad and we go through an awful lot of garlic.  I’m sure there are folks out there who disagree with the notion of the garlic press, but our Oxo Good Grips Garlic Press has definitely saved me a lot of time. ($13.00, Amazon.com)

Gift Guide 0096.  Pyrex Bowls with Lids

Another wedding gift we got but didn’t ask for was a  Pyrex 8-Piece Mixing Bowl Set.  In addition to being 4 different sized mixing bowls (who doesn’t need mixing bowls?!), they’re Pyrex so I can use them in the oven, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher (in my fantasy life where I have a dishwasher).  Best part: each bowl has a lid, perfect for storage and travel.  ($19.88, Amazon.com)

Gift Guide 0087.  Zyliss Cheese Grater

For those times when you just need a little cheese…or just don’t feel like getting out and then cleaning the food processor, this (as Brian would say, manly) Zyliss Cheese Grater is awesome.  It comes with 2 drums for fine or coarse grating.  Perfect for adding cheddar to the top of a bowl of chili. ($19.99, Amazon)

Gift Guide 0028.  How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

It’s no secret that How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food is the most important book in my kitchen.  Anytime I have a question about how to make something, or how to use an ingredient, I consult this book.  If you know somehow who cooks, or has a kitchen, they could definitely use this book (or the original version).  ($20.47, Amazon)

Gift Guide 001

9.  Slow Cooker

As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t grow up with a slow cooker.  In the (almost) six months we’ve been married, I’ve only used my Rival 5 qt. Crock-Pot a few times,  but I know I’m going to love it this winter.  What’s better than throwing ingredients in a pot and having dinner ready to eat when you get home from work? ($24.99, Target)

Gift Guide 00310.  Food Processor

Of the few things I had to have for my kitchen, a Cuisinart Food Processor was at the top of the list.  Pricey, yes, but such a time saver.  ($177.45, Amazon).

Still need gift ideas?  Check out these gift guides:

From Serious Eats, a collection of gift guides, including gifts for the gluten free, the coffee lover, the chocolate lover, stocking stuffers and more.

Slashfood has a list of The Best Cheese Books of 2009.  (♥ Cheese)

The Atlantic has posted their Holiday Gift Guide: Kitchen Edition.

If you need something unique, check out A Food Coma’s collection of Gifts We Want.

Change.org has a Sustainable Food Holiday Gift Guide.

A Year of Slow Cooking has a list of Holiday Gifts to Help Bloggers–why not buy a book written by a blogger for someone on your list?

Merry Christmas!

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Where I Come From
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Filed Under: products Tagged With: cooking, lists, shopping

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  1. Relishments » Highlights: Gift Guides says:
    November 28, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    […] you’re still stuck, check out last year’s list of my favorite kitchen tools.  I might create an updated list soon, but I still love all those […]

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Emily
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

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#igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PublicEatAndDrink
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #MassMoCA #MusicFestival
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