Mom's Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

I'm not exactly a gourmet cook, but I do enjoy cooking. Unfortunately, with two small children, I don't always have as much time to cook as I'd like. But there are a number of wonderful appliances and gadgets in my kitchen that make my culinary exploits a lot more manageable. Here are a few of my favorite kitchen items.

Crock Pot

The most obvious mom timesaver in my kitchen is my pretty red crock pot. It's big enough to make double batches that I can freeze for later, big enough to roast an entire chicken and make stock with the carcass, big enough for those soups and stews that magically come out much more voluminous than I intended. And the best part, of course, is that most recipes consist of dumping everything in around lunch time, then forgetting about it until it's time to eat supper. And did I mention that it's pretty and red, so it makes me happy every time I see it on the counter?

Keurig

Useful for so much more than just coffee or tea, I use my Keurig all the time to grab a quick shot of hot water - for making the kids a cup of cocoa or a bowl of oatmeal, for mixing up a batch of instant mashed potatoes, for melting the petrified remains of a forgotten lollipop in a car seat cup holder. Or even just to fill a mug with hot water to warm my hands.

Pizza Cutter

I know what you're thinking: "A pizza cutter? Seriously?!? How often do you eat pizza that it's that important to you?" Ah, but a pizza cutter works for so much more than just pizza! You can use it to cut up pancakes and waffles, you can use it to cut off sandwich crusts for picky eaters, you can use it to slice that gooey grilled cheese sandwich into "fingers" suitable for dipping into tomato soup. It's also an excellent Play-Doh toy. The uses are endless, really.

Waffle Iron

Although certainly not as varied in uses as a pizza cutter, the waffle iron has a useful function in that it makes things fancy. Do not discount the importance of making things look fancy in the eyes of a small child. Pancakes are nice, but when Mom or Dad makes waffles, the kids feel like they must be pretty special. Add some whipped cream and they're the Kings of the World. If you spend a little time on Pinterest, you can come up with a bunch of varied uses, from brownies to tater tots to cinnamon rolls, but even if you never make anything with your waffle maker except for waffles, it's still worth having.

Big Silicone Measuring Cup

I married into this baby, and now I don't know how I ever lived without it! First of all, it holds a full 4 cups, so I don't have to bother with filling my 2-cup glass measuring cup multiple times. Second, it's lightweight, so even when it's filled with 4 cups of water, it's not too heavy to lift with one hand. Third, it's flexible so you can grab it easily and squeeze the top to make whatever size pouring spout you need (ideal for making pancakes!). But as if that weren't enough, it's also deep enough to double as a mixing bowl that kids can stir in without splashing (also ideal for making pancakes), and it squeezes so little hands can hold it steady. The markings are dark and easy to read and don't come off in the dishwasher. Oh, and speaking of the dishwasher, since it's so flexible, you can wedge it into whatever space is left once you've filled the washer with all your other cooking tools. And, if your cabinets look like mine, you'll also find it handy that you can squash it into whatever space you have in the cabinet for storage.

Pie Slice Lifter

You probably don't think you need this sucker, but if you have EVER made a pie for company and been embarrassed by the disaster of serving that first slice, you need this. Tuck it in the pie plate before you put the crust down, and when you're ready to serve the pie, cut the first slice on either side of the visible edge. Then simply lift out that perfect slice - and it will be perfect! Even a slightly unset lemon meringue or pecan pie will come out neatly and cleanly. It doesn't even take up any room in your cabinets, because you can just leave it tucked inside the pie plate.

Dishwasher

It's not glamorous, but an automatic dishwasher is an even bigger timesaver than a crock pot. My beautiful LG washer barely requires rinsing of dishes, and holds an entire day's worth of dishes and silverware (and with my kids, drink cups alone can fill the top rack in less than a day)! I even put pots and pans, sharp knives, and the occasional wine glass in my washer, and they all come out perfectly. Much like the crock pot, I dump everything in, push a button, and come back hours later to find everything finished and ready to go.

Acrylic Wine Glasses

  

One of these wineglasses is crystal; one is acrylic. Can you tell the difference? I doubt it. But one of them can be dropped on the pool deck without fear of shards of glass meeting up with small feet. One of them can be used without fear to let a small person join a celebration and feel like a grown up. One of them costs 6 bucks a pop at Crate and Barrel (the other is 2 for $55 at Macys). Granted, one of them results in a disappointing "clunk" rather than a satisfying "clink" when toasting, but otherwise, acrylic glasses are convenient, inexpensive, and safe. (And in case you were wondering, the acrylic glass is the one on top.)

A Really Good Sharp Knife

About ten years ago, I hosted a Pampered Chef party, and splurged on a really good kitchen knife. This particular knife is a 10-inch Santoku that I use for EVERYTHING. It has a very keen edge (and is still plenty sharp after ten years of liberal use and many trips through the dishwasher), has just enough weight to it that it's easy to use, and the handle is perfectly balanced. It also came with a heavy plastic sheath so I can safely keep it in a drawer instead of trying to find a knife block with a large enough space for the wide blade. It makes slicing veggies a pleasure instead of a chore. 

So what's in YOUR kitchen that makes your culinary life easier and more fun?!??

My Favorite Life Hacks

The expression “life hacks” is one I discovered while browsing the internet. For those unfamiliar with the term, a life hack is some kind of shortcut or technique that simplifies life. There are all kinds of lists all over the internet of good life hacks, but I thought I’d put together a compilation of a few that I find to be the most useful, the most interesting, or the most cool.

Proper use of a bobby pin

Most women who put bobby pins in their hair put them in at the orientation in the photo above: straight side down, wavy side up. WRONG!!! Putting a bobby pin in your hair with the flat side up will not only hold your hair more firmly, but it will be easier to slide into place, it will lie smoothly (and less noticeably) against your head, and that little sticky-uppy part at the end won’t poke out of your ‘do (and since your head is curved, it won't poke YOU either).

Banish static cling from clothes

Got a skirt, dress, or blouse made of a lightweight material that is always full of static cling? Don’t reach for that bottle of Static Guard, reach for a safety pin instead. Pin a small safety pin into the seam allowance and it will disperse that nasty static. You may need one on each side of the garment.

And from hair

Got static in your hair, not your clothes? Smooth it down with a used dryer sheet. Not only will it be less flyaway, it’ll smell fresh and clean!

Know which water glass and bread plate are yours

Don’t you just hate it when you’re at a wedding reception or a large business dinner and the place settings are all mashed together so it’s not clear which water glass and which bread plate are yours? Here’s all you have to do: put your hands in your lap and make the “OK” sign with each of them. Look at your left hand: It’s also in the shape of a lower-case letter “b,” right? That’s because your bread plate is on your left. Now look at your right hand: It’s a lower-case “d,” because your drink is the one on your right. Now you just have to be sure to claim them before the guests on either side of you who don’t know this trick do.

Iced coffee in the Keurig

I love iced coffee, but when you have a Keurig, it just doesn’t make sense to brew a single cup and wait for it to chill. But if you brew it over ice, it gets watered down. Here’s the simple solution: make a cup or two of your favorite blend, pour it into an ice cube tray, and freeze. The next time you want an iced coffee, brew it over the coffee cubes instead of plain ice. Don’t forget to put the sugar in first so it dissolves while the coffee is still hot!

Sugar in your iced coffee

Speaking of dissolving sugar in your coffee, don’t you hate it when you get takeout iced coffee and there’s all that sugary sludge at the bottom that just won’t dissolve no matter how hard you stir? Just ask them to pour a splash of hot coffee in your cup after adding the sugar but before adding the iced coffee. I learned this trick from the scariest-looking, most tattooed and pierced, and absolutely most wonderful Dunkin Donuts employee I ever met. Wherever you are today, my friend, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!

Sneeze manipulation

Got an annoyingly ticklish nose but that sneeze just won’t come? Look at a bright light. It’s called the photic reflex and it’s present in about one-third of us. So it might not work, but it couldn’t hurt.

On the flip side, feel a sneeze coming that you really need to stifle? Press hard on the bridge of your nose with your finger, or push your tongue up against the front part of your hard palate right behind your front teeth. Both techniques seem to calm an impending sneeze.

Clearing your throat without clearing your throat

What if that tickle isn’t in your nose, but in your throat? I had some vocal issues a number of years ago and learned that clearing your throat is TERRIBLE for your vocal cords. So how to get rid of that tickle without an annoying – and unhealthy – “hem hem”? Drop your chin down to your chest, turn your head slightly to the side, and swallow. The motion will soothe the irritated nerves and even help clear that annoying phlegm.

Dry mouth

About to make a speech and suddenly realize your mouth is full of sawdust? Vocal audition and you ran out of water five minutes ago? Ready to play your fancy brass fanfare and you haven’t got enough spit to drown a flea? Bite your tongue! No, really. Bite your tongue gently and it will stimulate the flow of saliva. And keep in mind that if you bite the sides instead of the tip you’re less likely to hurt yourself.

Elegant cocktail garnishes

To make an elegant cocktail garnish of lemon or lime, cut off both ends, slice across the peel from end to end, and carefully cut off the entire peel so you have a roughly rectangular shape. Scrape off as much of the white pith as you can, then re-roll the peel tightly and put a rubber band around it to keep it rolled. Put in a Ziploc baggie and freeze. When thoroughly frozen, remove the rubber band and slice into ¼-inch wide discs, then keep frozen until ready to use. Drop a frozen disc into a drink and it will add flavor, keep the drink cool, and slowly uncoil as it thaws. Plus you still have the rest of the lemon or lime for juice!

Pizza cutters are for more than just pizza

Whenever I go out to breakfast with my kids, by the time I finish cutting up their pancakes or waffles for them, my own breakfast is cold. But that never happens at home, because at home I use a pizza cutter to zip through even a tall stack of pancakes in seconds. A pizza cutter is also handy for trimming crusts off bread or sandwiches, cutting toast into points or fingers, slicing up peppers or mushrooms, and even slicing brownies or bar cookies – just pop the whole thing out of the pan onto a cutting board and slice away!

I hope you find some of these hacks to be useful, interesting, or at least cool. And please share your own favorite life hacks in the comments!