My first is this silicon spatula. It’s construction isnt just a silicon tip with wooden handle. Its the red silicon for much more of the handle, which I’ve felt makes it easier to clean and last longer, since gunk isnt getting wedged between the handle and tip. I like it so much I have two.

The second is probably just a spray bottle with water and dish soap. I clean up messes and the stove and countertops with it, and it’s incredibly convenient.

  • i_dont_want_to@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    0·
    6 months ago

    My toaster oven. It’s got an air fryer function on it as well. I use mine several times a day for snacks, sides, and sometimes my main entree.

    The runners up…

    My silicone kitchen utensils are pretty high up there, though. Spoonula, spoon, straight spatula, and fish spatula all work hard in my kitchen. So easy to clean. New silicone tools keep coming out and improving too. Rated for higher temps. I don’t like it when I need to replace something, but at least when I do, it’s a welcome upgrade.

    My enameled dutch oven does a lot for me. I have made so many soups and entrees. I deglaze it pretty much every meal so cleaning it isn’t too much of a pain. I don’t like taking care of raw cast iron, but something about the enamel doesn’t register as much of a pain to me.

    I like my measuring tools with no seams. I got the Sur La Table ones.

    My silicone mats for my oven are great. Since getting them, my biscuits don’t stick. They’re perfect every time.

    My Vitamix is another small appliance I use often. It’s really good for when I am having texture issues and I need some fruits and veggies. (I love green smoothies!)

    Ok I gotta stop, I just want to write about everything in my kitchen… Except for my knives. I need to get better ones but I keep getting decision fatigue so I keep using the ones I have. I want to learn how to sharpen them better too before I ruin a good one.

  • Lenny@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    I have this silicone lid I got from Aldi. It’s just a giant flat circle of silicone with an indented lid in the middle. I bought it for my giant soup pot as I didn’t have a lid for it, but it’s so much more than a lid. It’s amazing as a splash guard, it seals via vacuum to pots so you can lift from two points instead of just the handle, it’s good for covering food and keeping it warm… I love it more than I ever thought I would. And it’s super easy to clean!

  • Dizzy Devil Ducky@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    An old wooden spoon of my moms. It has a circular handle, which makes it infinitely better than the other wooden spoons for just about everything.

  • Okokimup@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    If you make bread, a Danish whisk. Is so much easier to stir a dough together.

    If you make anything that requires pitted cherries, get a cherry pitter. It’s a single use tool, but it makes a terrible task much faster and easier than any stupid youtube hack

  • Canopyflyer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    I have several silicon spatulas and absolutely love them. Still have some wooden spoons around though, to help break up things that the silicone is too soft for. An example is heating frozen chili on the stove top, using a wooden spoon to break up the frozen bits as they thaw. However, the silicone spatulas are far more versatile. Plus you can scrap every last drop of sauce out of a pan with them.

    Longer tongs. I have a gas top stove and using shorter handled tongs can get uncomfortable if I’m cooking something for a long period of time.

    Flat strainer. Essentially a spider, except the mesh is the same as a fine mesh strainer. This was a purchase that my wife made that I thought was totally useless and indeed, it sat in the drawer for months. Until I needed just one more strainer, as all the others were used already. Turned out that it is very useful and easier to use than a full strainer in a lot of circumstances. It also doubles as a spider and it is really great at cleaning up hot oil in between batches.

    Spray bottle with 50/50 white vinegar and water. Great for cleaning and disinfecting the counter top, also spray it on my cutting boards after washing them to keep them from smelling like what I last cut on them.

    Lastly, a really good set of thermometers. I love the Thermoworks thermometers and have the Dot, Thermopen IR, and the 4 probe Smoke for BBQ. Along with multiple types of probes for various applications. They were expensive, but have proven themselves time and time again.

    Lastly my absolute favorite kitchen item and by far the most expensive is my Wolf DF304 stove. I found one on Craigslist several years ago that was being sold by a couple who were retiring and did not want to move it to their new condo. It’s a heavy SOB. So I bought it for a song and it really is a serious cooking tool. It is by far the most even cooking oven and the stove top is extremely flexible. It also is standing up to me cooking on it every single day. A lot of people buy Wolf/Sub Zero products as a status item, which is a crying shame. They are well built, they are designed to be used in a commercial kitchen, and they cook spectacularly well.

  • Python@programming.dev
    0·
    6 months ago

    Definitely stainless steel pans! They take a bit to get used to, but they’re so much more convenient because you don’t have to baby them like teflon pans. Cleaning is also much easier, I just scrape them down with a metal spatula and throw them in the dishwasher.

  • Araithya@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    My le creusets! I have a braising pan and a Dutch oven and honestly they’re just perfect. Use them for nearly every meal, have had them for about 7 years now and got the Dutch oven as a gift. Not sure what I’ll do when we someday upgrade to an induction stove top… cry, I guess.

    Equally loved is my Zojirushi rice cooker. I make rice daily and literally nothing else I’ve ever had can compete with it.

      • Araithya@lemmy.world
        0·
        6 months ago

        Induction cooktops conduct heat via magnets, so they require metal on the pans. The le creusets are enameled cast iron so I don’t think they’ll work on an induction top. I believe they technically can, but I can’t imagine the conduction would be as strong through the enamel coating.

        • Kbobabob@lemmy.world
          0·
          6 months ago

          It works great with enamel. Your phone probably has wireless charging which is basically the same and think about all the stuff between. Some pans have a layer on the bottom between the bottom and top layers to allow for induction.

  • SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    Use all the time:

    silicon spatula

    strainer spoon

    ss measuring cups with little pour spouts - The things are so solid they could probably stop a bullet. lol

    ss rectangular measuring spoons - Don’t get round ones, get rectangular ones, that way they actually fit into the mouths of spice bottles.

    Less used but glad I have them:

    thermopen - It greatly improved my meat cooking. no more guesswork

    zester - I have a zester that goes on a finger and you palm it. works great and holds the shavings in a plastic cup until you pop it off and empty it. I’ve never found one that works as nicely as this.

    box grater - I’ve ignored this for too long and I’m realizing it is better than 99% of the gizmos out there for cheese and such.

  • taiyang@lemmy.world
    0·
    6 months ago

    A set of wooden spoons and cooking chopsticks. I guess I’m old fashion, but they get the job done and aren’t hard to clean. With proper acids or alcohols, my cooking rarely sticks unless I want it to stick.