Happy Monday, friends, and welcome back to a new week! With both school and work happening at home all week, we have a whole new appreciation for weekends! We headed to the lake and stayed outside as much as possible!
I also did some kitchen organizing recently, and realized the majority of my cooking essentials are Amazon finds! It’s not all that surprising considering most my life runs off Amazon Prime these days! You really can find just about anything on Amazon, but where they really shine is in the kitchen. Here’s a round-up of some of my faves, and all on Prime…
one. Rapid Egg Cooker // Definitely at the top of my favorite kitchen items (and yours, too… see the rest of your Top 10 List HERE), this delivers perfectly boiled eggs in minutes! No more watching the boiling pot, timing ice baths… or worse, rubbery eggs! Select your fave, from soft to hard-boiled, and they’re perfect every time. I love them soft-boiled and sliced on toast, but it also scrambles, poaches, and make omelets! The price also cannot be beat!
two. Kitchen Towels // One of our sustainability goals for the year was to reduce our paper towel usage… we used to go through a roll every other day!! Little did I know that would become a necessity! I switched to natural cotton dish towels for everything from cleaning counters to drying hands and dishes, and it made a huge difference! These are ultra-absorbent, dry quickly, and wash beautifully. And the large pack means I can have fresh, clean towels every day without running the washer.
three. Citrus Squeezer // Our love affair with Hello Fresh is still going strong, and citrus is definitely one of their favorite ingredients! It seems most recipes include the juice of a fresh lemon or lime, and this little gadget squeezes out every drop, without squirting all over or making a mess. It easily rinses clean and comes in handier than you’d believe!
four. Nested Mixing Bowls // I agree with the over 8,000 reviewers… these stainless steel mixing bowls can’t be beat! This set is freezer- and dishwasher-safe, and because they’re nested, they use minimal space. There’s six sizes to cover every cooking task, and they’re lightweight and super-durable.
five. Glass Containers // Another of our goals this year is to dramatically cut back on our use of throw-away plastics, and the easiest first step was switching to reusable bottles and glass containers. These glass containers are dishwasher-, microwave-, oven-, and freezer-safe and each comes with a smart lock lid. They stack neatly in the fridge or cabinet, and the quality is outstanding, as evidenced by the almost 7,000 5-star reviews!
six. Cutting Board Set // This set of BPA and latex free cutting boards stay firmly in place on the counter when cutting, and have juice grooves to catch all the mess. They’re soft on knives and dishwasher safe.
seven. Soap Dispenser Set // Our kitchen sink gets a lot of traffic these days since it’s the first stop for everyone coming in the house. These sturdy soap dispensers are a cute addition!
eight. Silicone Utensil Set // Crafted of the highest quality silicone, this set has lasted me years! It includes every tool I need, with sturdy wood handles for easy use and cleaning.
nine. Keurig Coffee Machine // My number one kitchen item, in fact, it made my Top 10 List HERE! This sleek appliance uses any K-cup pod and makes regular coffee, plus hot and cold lattes and cappucinos! It’s simple to use, and I love the built-in milk frother for hot or cold milk (works with creams, almond milk, etc!). I look forward to this baby every single morning!
ten. Knife Set // These high carbon blades are stainless steel and dishwasher safe! They have every knife I need for cooking and prep, plus steak knives for eating. I’ve had mine for years and they’re still good as new, but they also come with a lifetime warranty!
eleven. Bakeware Set // This high-quality bakeware set includes 2 cake pans, a baking sheet, plus a loaf, roasting and 2 cake pans. They distribute the heat evenly and don’t warp their shape in the oven. Plus, they’re one of the highest-rated on Amazon!
twelve. Rice Cooker // This is our newest kitchen addition, and honestly, not something I thought I’d ever use. But Mr. College insisted we needed it, and I’m shocked to see it’s used several times a week! Simply pour in the rice and water, and perfect sticky rice is ready in minutes! No more sticking to the bottom of a pan, or trying to get the ratios right.
thirteen. Food Clips // Cereal boxes, crackers, bags of chips…rarely are they properly closed in this house. #teens That all changed when I added this set of colorful and sturdy clips to the pantry!
fourteen. Clip-On Pot Strainer // What a genius invention! You can totally forego using a colander to strain pastas and ground meat with this insanely useful little gadget. It’s dishwasher-safe and clips on any regular kitchen pot/pan, cutting down on your clean up. #brilliant
I can’t believe I overlooked this gadget! Not only does it keep avocado from being squished, but it keeps it fresh and green for days after cutting! I’m still debating this air fryer… do you have one? Do I need one??
Our NutriBullet Blender just bit the dust, which was really disappointing…clearly it wasn’t powerful enough for the smoothie demand in our house. Do you have one you’d recommend? What other kitchen gadgets are making your life easier?
[More Amazon Prime Faves]
Bonus Room Update
Best of Monday Mail Day
Best of Organizing
Dorm Room Essentials
Outdoor Entertaining
Backyard Staycation Fun Finds
Patio Refresh (All on Prime!)
Best of Amazon Finds (So Far in 2020!)
PS – Find my Sugarplum Amazon Shop HERE, with my top picks in a range of categories, and all my Amazon Fashion Hauls HERE.
Vitamix. Completely worth the money. I have the short pitcher so it can fit under my upper cabinets if it’s on the counter.
Air Fryer: Yes, you need one! There are two types- the single purpose air fryer, the kind with the drawer in the front, or the breville Smart Oven Air which is a small “toaster oven” with an air fryer function. We have the latter- which I love so my family can quickly cook frozen snakcs and not use the big oven, but the air fryer function works great- but you cant do bacon or other drippy/battery foods in it without a second layer to catch drips…Go with the one that works for you…but for sure you need one!
We upgraded to a vitamix blender specifically for smoothies (from Costco!) and I’ve had it for 10+ years and never a single problem, or thing that this beast can’t blend.
We cook a lot in our house, and these are for sure 2 tools we wouldn’t be without!!!
Okay, I’m sold!!
This thing has changed my life when it comes to cooking ground meat! It seperates it for an even cook so easily, and then you can use it to mix it with seasoning, etc. Try it! Serious game changer in the kitchen for me:
https://amzn.to/2QnZqww
That’s awesome…I love random tools like that!
I love kitchen gadgets! Can you please recommend a knife sharpener on Amazon? I used to take my knives to be sharpened by a professional, but “thank you COVID” his shop is closed and/or out of business. Would love your input!
Oh no, I hate hearing about those small shops! I’ve never actually sharpened my knives…they still are super sharp! But I’ll be on the look out! xo. C
we have this one and it works great! friends even come over to use it! https://amzn.to/3jpXJv4
Thanks for sharing, Shelly! Looks like it’s on sale today, too!
This sharpener is nothing fancy, but that is part of what I love about it! It sharpens my knives so well, I have to be extra careful after sharpening them!
https://amzn.to/2QmY0Gd
Although pricey, the Vitamix simply can’t be beat for making smoothies (and so many other things!!) I went through several less expensive options and always wound up with broken/insufficient blenders… Finally went for it in March and my only regret is that I didn’t just buy one sooner!
That’s totally me…I keep putting off the ‘big dog’ blender, but now we just tossed our 3rd one!! Vitamix it is!
I actually prefer our Blendtec to the Vitamix for our “big dog” blender. It has a sleeker appearance and fits on my cabinet underneath the upper cabinet better. I’ve also had smoothies that were actually warm from the heat of the Vitamix motor but never with the Blendtec. Costco sells both!
Definitely agree that a Vitamix is an essential! It’s a hefty price tag but totally worth it. Ours is the most used appliance in our kitchen, more than the oven/stove (and we cook a lot), microwave, toaster, or Keurig. It handles raw carrots, celery, spinach, and frozen fruit with no problems. I’ve also made peanut butter and homemade nut milks in it. I don’t think you’d regret the purchase. It used to be that Williams-Sonoma and Crate and Barrel would run sales on them sometimes but I don’t know about that since COVID.