A Few of My Favorite Kitchen Things - Part 2

Here are some more of my favorite kitchen things.

1. Cuisinart Hand Blender and Mini Food Processor - LOVE THIS! A friend of mine introduced me to the hand blender years ago and when I moved out of my parents' house it was one of the first things I purchased. It's easier to use, clean and store than regular hand blenders, and the extra food processor is so helpful for those times you don't need to chop 10 tomatoes.

2. Rice Cooker - My mom taught me how to make rice on the stove a long time ago. I had it down to an art, where it would turn out perfectly moist/dry every time. My husband who is of Asian persuasion got this little number from his mom, when he moved away from home, and it is by far the best method of cooking rice I've ever used. Regular stove top rice is a thing of the past.


3. Large Measuring Cups...and multiple measuring cups of all sizes - With the exception of utensil, plates and glasses my measuring tools probably outnumber everything else in my kitchen. I'm too lazy to rinse/clean out a tool to use it again, and I like to leave some measuring cups in the containers of food i use most often, like my rice. My pyrex 4 cup measurer is my most favorite because I can mix things in it with my handy dandy hand blender.

4. Little Pot - I've got a great collection of pots, and while I don't use this particular one very often, it is a favorite for gravies and sauces, and one person dishes. It's also just plain cute.

5. Counter Top Cooking Utensil Storage - Easy access is a must in my kitchen, and always having my most used (and most pretty) cooking utensils right next to the stove is one the ways to ensure easy access. My plastic utensils which are not terribly aesthetically pleasing, like spatulas, are in a drawer close by. All my wooden/bamboo and metal utensils are in this handy dandy bamboo utensil holder from Wal Mart.

6. Sea Salt and Having it Close By - I use sea salt all the time, and like to have it close by as well. Instead of an ugly bod of salt on my counter, or a cumbersome salt grinder I've made use of a metal jam/jelly container with matching spoon that my mom gave me. It looks pretty on my counter and I can use my fingers or the spoon to add salt to my dishes.

7. Coconut Oil - I order coconut oil in bulk from www.bulkapothecary.com. This particular bucket is 40 lbs and is half the price/lb of the next cheapest option, an organic coconut oil at Costco. The Costco option is also wonderful for those recipes you really want to have a coconut taste in, even as a replacement for dairy in your morning coffee.

8. Oil & Vinegar Bottles - The four favorites contain soy sauce, sesame seed oil, olive oil and white vinegar. Like my sea salt I like them close by. I have yet to clean off the store labels and put my own on, but I'm the only who needs to know what they are and I can tell them apart I'm in no rush.

Original "Favorite Kitchen Things" - http://www.motleyhomemaker.com/2013/04/a-few-of-my-favorite-kitchen-things.html