Weekend Cooking...These Are a Few of My Favorite Things..

I am sure all of us that enjoy cooking, like spending time in the kitchen, have our favorite tools, that favorite knife we good to, a spoon we just love.
Well do you?
What if someone gave you a box, just a medium sized box, and said you could fill it up with the thinks you want to keep and the rest would disappear.
What would you take?
I just though I would share a few things, a couple that I feel very strongly about.

OK, these are not tools, per se, just mugs for my tea and coffee that I love. I love the shape, they are so nice to hold and I love the colors.

 

OK, this little orange number is something I acquired recently, a citrus squeezer. They come in different sizes, often with matching colors. Green for limes, yellow for lemons and orange for..Yes! Oranges. But just buy the biggest and trust me it works great for them all. It does an outstanding job!

 

I will be honest. As much as I like this ProAccurate Quick Read thermometer by CDN, the second best rated one by America's Test Kitchen, I have a secret craving for the top rated one, the Thermapen. But it cost $93, as opposed to about $17, and that is just silly.
This one is swell, fast and accurate.
And $17.

 

Awwww...my little silicone bowls.
This set of Le Creuset prep bowls are multipurpose and so cute.
They are measuring cups..1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4...you can bake in them, freeze them, microwave in them, you can prep your ingredients and have them waiting in these cups. Since you can squeeze them, it make pouring into another container neat and they are dishwasher safe.
and so cute! And about $15.

 

My favorite wooden spoon. I have a pile of them I never use but this stubby little fellow is my go to spoon. Very strong feeling, great for a thick batter, stirring those chips into the cookies.

I have a big metal colander and a smaller fine strainer. But when I want to strain something, most time, this is my choice. It was a flat bottom to sit is a bowl or in the sink and best of all, I think it was $2 at Ikea. and it is red!
Or maybe orange. It looks more red in my kitchen...

 

OK, I just like this fellow and wanted to put him in the lineup. He is actually a timer...you twist his little bottom...but mostly he just looks cute.

 

Now we are at my favorites! 

Above, we have my Oxo Good Grips Locking Tongs with Nylon Heads. I love these, so many uses. Yes, you can flip a steak or turn that chicken. But, you can also grab a hot pan, use it when you stir fry, get those ears of corn out of the boiling water...it is just an extension of your hand.

Then below, we have perhaps my very, very favorite, the Rubbermaid Commercial Products 9 1/2-Inch High Heat Spoon Scraper. It is great to stir with, great to scrape a bowl or pot. The handle does not get hot, but whatever it is made of is very heat resistant and goes in the dishwasher like a charm. It does not stain..at least not for a long, long time...and lasts forever, despite countless rides in the dishwasher. OK, mine that are several years old have a few nicks on the edges. So I bought a couple of new ones. But I kept the older one too. Because the little nicks are not a big deals. So I have about 4 now, all in rotation. The center is thick and firm yet about 1/2-3/4 inches along the edges is soft and bendable. Perfect!

 

Do you have some favorites, something you just could not cook without?
Or one tool that is just a pleasure to use?

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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