In the Kitchen - Gadgets Wishlist

Do you read Centsational Girl?  It is one of my favorite, daily reads, chockfull of home decor inspiration and DIY projects.  Kate is hosting a “Fair Weather” theme party for the summer, with different “out of the box” blog post ideas for every third Tuesday starting today and I thought it would be fun to participate! 

This week’s theme is In The Kitchen: Gadgets: Good & Bad.  I’m pretty sure I had a million ideas of my favorite and least favorite gadgets to share when I first saw the theme, but then I realized that since I’ve only recently started spending more time cooking in the kitchen than eating, my tool set is still pretty basic (a chopping knife, a cutting board and a skillet basic).  In fact, I often joke to Esposito that one of the primary reasons I’d like to have our wedding already is so that I can register for new gadgets!  So instead of going through my list of “must have” kitchen tools, I figured I’d compile a list of kitchen tools I don’t have but desperately need want.

1. BrevilleIkon Juice Fountain – Juicing is all the rage these days, and it seems like such a healthy, quick and easy menu option that I’d love to try juicing myself.  Mayra over at Life is Bananas makes juicing look amazing, and has shared some of her favorite recipes that look very enticing.
2. StainlessSteel Mixing Bowls – A staple of any working kitchen.  Mixing bowls seem so utilitarian to add to a wishlist, but if I told you that I only have a set of Pyrex dishes that I use for serving, mixing, and storing I think you would be more likely to understand their making it on this list!
3. StainlessSteel Salad Spinner – Whenever Esposito and I are close to a vacation, we go on a crash diet of salad and grilled chicken.  The diet works wonders, but my salads would taste so much better if I had a handy dandy spinner to keep my lettuce clean and crisp.  Or so I tell myself.
4. GarlicPress – Have you ever tried to mince or chop garlic with a chopping knife?  I think my fingers will thank me for this.
5. EmulstirSalad Dressing Mixer – It makes no sense to juice and spin salads if you’re going to use store bought dressing that’s been loaded up with preservatives and who knows what else.  A dressing mixer takes the guesswork out of creating your own dressings.
6. SlowCooker – It seems like every other recipe I pin calls for a slow cooker.  Can you imagine the gourmet meals I will be able to make with a slow cooker slaving away all day when I’m at work?
7. FoodProcessor – Last week I tried to make my own Tahini (because my local supermarket didn’t carry any) and had a GRAND time trying to puree toasted sesame seeds in a blender.  And by GRAND I mean once there were sesame seeds all over the kitchen, I traveled to three additional supermarkets in order to find a pre-made bottle of Tahini.  Just one example of where a food processor comes in handy!
8. FoodScale – I’ve come to the realization that eating healthier foods is pointless if you are still eating a lot of them.  And since the concept of protein being the size of a deck of cards means nothing to me, one quick and easy way to assure portion control is to weigh the food directly.

Head on over to Kate’s blog to see the other Kitchen Gadget posts!  Are there any kitchen gadgets you can’t live without?