Stumped on what to get someone for the holidays? Heck, just need to get someone a gift period? Get them any one of these kitchen tools anytime and then get prepared to taste the deliciousness they concoct for you, hopefully. I know if you bought me any of these things I would be making you multiple meals and I promise they would taste good. <—–I hope haha. I won’t make this any longer but hope you can find some inspiration or send some hints to people for what you want for Christmas. I personally use each and everyone of these toys in the kitchen and I love them all. Especially those bacon T-Shirts at the end. Oh yeah, and I also realized that probably none of these gifts will fit in your stocking, but the name was still fun.
10. Spiral Slicer – This thing had redefined my view on the pasta I used to miss. You can’t go wrong with this thing when it comes to making tons of different noodles. From cucumbers, to zucchinis and to my favorite, sweet potatoes they are all simple and timely. I have not even gotten into the realm of playing with apples and other fruits but will get there eventually. If you have one, what kind of dishes have you made with it?
9. Crockpot – The single most important kitchen tool you will ever own. From meal prep to simplified cooking, you can never have enough of these. When I say that I mean it since I used to have 7 crock pots. I did some spring cleaning and narrowed it down to my favorite 4 and I use them often. Sometimes there are 3 going at a time and I would not have it any other way. Plus my website and Cookbook are loaded with Crock pot recipes.
8. Chef’s Knife – Your saving grace. Master the use and care of a quality chefs knife and you will have it for life. I used to be that guy that would buy the cheap knives or huge block sets thinking I needed them all and never knew how to take care of them. I never realized how often I was going through knives or how bad mine really were until I actually invested in my Wusthof’s. One day of meal prep with my Chef’s nice and I was hooked for life. I can not emphasize the importance of a quality sharp blade enough, but trust me, you will thank yourself once you invest.
7. Cast Iron Skillet – I have to be honest, I used to be scared of cast iron skillets. Every time I used one all my food would stick and it would take me forever to clean. Well, that’s because I never took the time to educate myself on them. Lucky for me one of my best friends took the liberty of educating all of us and after that I was hooked. You can check out Nom Nom Paleo’s post HERE. Not to mention, I honestly think these are the best deals on Amazon EVER. How can you go wrong with buying a pan that will last you for generations for $19. Exactly, enjoy.
6. Kitchen Aid Mixer – I am going to rant and rave about the Kitchen Aid mixer, because I have the one pictured above. But you can use any stand mixers I am sure and get the same results. Some of the other options are Cuisinart and Breville. Nonetheless, I have used this thing to make my brownies, cookies, soups, mashed everything and even burgers with the meat grinder attachment. So to simplify it, this thing is extremely versatile and from what I hear will last you a lifetime. I have friends that are still using theirs from 20 years ago. Sounds like a great investment to me.
5. Dutch Oven – This is another one of those tools that I thought I could live without. I used to just use pots, pans or skillets and try and make large batches of chili or soups and always ran into problems. After I got my first dutch oven from Le Creuset, I was hooked and I haven’t looked back since. I now have a collection of about 4 of them and I look forward to cooking in them 30 years from now just as I do today.
4. Indoor Grill/George Foreman – This one is a special for all my apartment or condo dwellers that can not have a grill or smoker. I have had one of these from Westbend for about a year now, and it is an awesome tool. Skillet on one side and grill grates on the other with a controllable temperature. Makes grilling easy and mess free. Or even better, keeps you warm when it may be snowing or a frozen tundra in your backyard.
3. Food Processor – Now I have to say, a food processor is not a necessity in the kitchen but it is one of the most welcoming tools you can have. That is unless you like spending hours doing prep work for big family meals or having friends over. As much as I love using my knives and chopping vegetables, if I am making a meal for 4 or more and I have a daunting pile of onions and peppers, I whip out my food processor and let it do all the work for me. Then I have a guest do the dishes, haha. Now I know this one has a hefty price tag, but you get what you pay for and when you are still using it in 5 years you will know why you bought it.
2. Blendtec with Twister Jar – This is a brand specific recommendation because I swear by Blendtec. I have used a vitamix in the past and it has been no where near as amazing as this tool. Plus, once I found out that Vitamix lost a patent infringement suit for stealing Blendtec’s design, I knew who the best was. Too bad it cost them 23 million to figure it out haha. There is just something sexy about making soup in like 7 seconds or nut butters in that twister jar in under 20 seconds. I used to make nut butters and stare at my food processor for 12 minutes before I got nut butter. With that twister jar alone it has probably already saved me hours I can spend eating delicious food instead of making it.
1. Bacon or Bacon TShirts – I will keep this one short since it involves a shameless self plug. First off, my awesome friends at Cook Pigs Ranch will start offering shipping everywhere come January and they by far have the best Pigs I have ever met and eaten. Those pigs get better treatment then I do and that means a lot. I spent a whole day on that farm and will be going back often to work and eat bacon so make sure you check them out. Oh yea, and my SICK new t-shirts and tank tops that are pictured above. Funniest shirt I have ever seen, not really but since I thought of it I love it. Hope you do too.
Perfect Paleo Pancakes
