Kitchen Faves

Now that the busy holiday season is over, I’m trying to get excited about cooking again. I’ve finally figured out over the years that it’s not the actual cooking that I dislike. It’s the clean up after. And I’m not too fond of the grocery shopping either. 🙂

To kick off the new year, I treated myself to a new stainless steel pan at Williams Sonoma. Please don’t judge! I got it on sale and even then, it is by far the most expensive pan I have ever bought.

The great thing about this pan is that it’s dishwasher safe and seems to cook stuff without the “stuck-on” problem I have had with other stainless pans. I know you are probably thinking, “Just get non-stick!”. But the truth is that I have non-stick and it has to be hand washed. I’m not going to say too much about this, since I feel like I’ve been a bit of a Debbie Downer lately: If you have non-stick cookware and the coating is flaking off, it’s time to throw it away. Heat + broken down chemicals = bad for you. I’ll leave the Googling to you!

After my Wooden Spoon freak out last Friday, I went through and evaluated all of mine and threw away 3. I replaced them with a bamboo 3-pack from Target that was $2.99. I think the brand was Chefmate, but I couldn’t find them online to link to. Beware of the Giada 2-pack that is more expensive and is getting awful reviews online. Apparently, they splinter immediately. Woops! The bamboo ones I got seem really sturdy and I always put them in the dishwasher. I am not hand washing wooden spoons!

Something else I use in the kitchen, and certain people have made fun of me for (you know who you are) is:

Plink!

These are used to clean your garbage disposal. I know you can use citrus peel. But if you don’t eat oranges every week, these are nice to have around. I usually buy mine at Bed Bath And Beyond, but Amazon has it as well.

Dishes! I love these bowls:

Latte Bowls from Anthropologie

They come in tons of different colors and even a smaller mini size. Mine are a kelly green color that they appear not to have anymore. You can shop for them here.

I recently bought:

Winter Calligraphy Plates from West Elm

I’m really digging all of West Elm’s new stuff. I haven’t gotten to use my plates yet, but they are on sale now.

Something else I’ve had in my kitchen forever are these:

Thanks, guys!

My Aunt Chris and Uncle Dan gave these to us along with some stainless utensils for a shower gift. We’ll be married 15 years in a couple months and they all look practically brand new. (A note to all smart asses: Yes, I have used them!) You can buy them here.

Last but not least, is my red Mario Batalli dutch oven from Crate and Barrel.

Mine is a slightly different shape, but they don't carry it anymore.

Even though I have to hand wash it, it’s red and I love it! It is a measure of my devotion and what a good job it does, that I use it all the time even with the extra clean up needed.

What are your favorite kitchen tools? Any new recipes you want to recommend? There’s a bean stew that I saw over at Smitten Kitchen that I want to try for tonight. We’ll see… Have a great weekend!

PS Check back on Sunday. I think I’m doing a giveaway, and I’ll be linking to a cool site run by a friend I’ve made through blogging.