There’s nothing that annoys me more than not having the right tools for the task at hand. There are enough stresses and headaches cooking for Passover that I make sure my kitchen is equipped with everything I need. Here is a list of the tools I must have in my kitchen. To some they may be superfluous but for me each item is very important. The one thing I haven’t listed here that is probably the most important thing to have in your kitchen is a good set of knives. Without good, well-sharpened knives it’s hard to do anything.
1. Potato Ricer
If you haven’t used or seen one, a potato ricer is like a giant garlic press – you just place cooked (boiled or baked) potatoes into the ‘bowl’ of the potato ricer and press the handle down, squeezing the potato through the small holes that line the bottom of the press. Out comes smooth, lump-free potato. It’s perfect for mashed potatoes, making filling for potato blintzes or topping Shepherd’s Pie or Chicken Pot Pie – two of my favourite meals for Chol Hamoed.
2. Microplane/Rasp
I love my rasp. Use it for zesting citrus, finely grating ginger and ‘crushing’ garlic.
3. Small (8-inch) Non-Stick Frying Pan
I have one 8-inch non-stick frying pan that I use for blintz wrappers (bletlach) and nothing else. Non-stick is important because it releases the wrappers every time. The size is important because it makes the perfect round for a blintz.
4. 10-12 Quart heavy Dutch Oven/ Pot
Important for braising briskets, cooking meatballs and in a pinch it can be used for chicken (or other) soup.
5. Box-Grater
I know that some people use a food processor for shredding vegetables, but unless I’m making 20 dozen or more latkes at once, I’d rather use a box-grater. For latkes (which I’ll often make for Pesach), kugels, soups and salads, use a box greater for shredding vegetables. If you don’t have my #2 favourite item (microplane), in a pinch you can also use the side with tiny holes for zesting citrus and finely shredding ginger.
6. Food-Processor
A perfect kitchen has sets of bowls and blades for pareve, dairy and meat. Then use the processor for chopped liver, blintz fillings, crusts, chopping nuts, making mayonnaise, grinding fish for gefilte fish and so much more.
7. Ice-Cream Scoops
I have a few ice-cream scoops that I pull out each year. The large scoops get used for portioning blintz filling and dough for Passover rolls. The smaller scoops get used to portion meatballs, macaroons and almond cookies. They’re perfect for ensuring every little meatball is the same size.
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8. Stand Mixer
For me, it’s not Passover unless I’ve made several batches of meringue cookies. For whipping egg whites, making icings and mousse or cake and cookie batters, the stand mixer is a workhorse in my kitchen.
9. Immersion (stick) Blender
This is one of my favourite tools. It’s great for pureeing soup right in the pot it’s been cooked in (quick and easy vegetable soups are great at Pesach) and it can be used for sauces or liquefying fruits for drinks.
10. Digital Scale
I use my scale for everything in my Passover kitchen. For baking, weighing out vegetables or meat — weight measurements are more accurate than volume. It’s also easy and quick to use a scale.
This is a truly difficult question to answer thoughtfully! As it happens at this moment, what we really NEED are some new pots and frying/saute pans AND a new French Press Coffeemaker…
But two of my Kitchen items that I use the most often and truly treasure are my Food Processor and my GARLIC PRESS!!!!!
I like the spatula best; it lets nothing go to waste!
My favorite kitchen gadget is my kitchen aid mixer. I use it for pretty much everything!
My favorite kitchen tool is the food processor! I use it for everything!
nancymeyer1 at gmail dot com
I LOVE THE GARLIC CRUSHER. YOU CANNOT COMPARE THE TASTE OF FRESH GARLIC TO GARLIC POWDER ,OR EVEN FROZEN GARLIC CUBES. THE GARLIC CRUSHER MAKES IT SO EASY FOR ME TO MAXIMIZE THE FLAVOR IN DISH I PREPARE.
Nothing like a good set of knives for me…
I love my mini food processor because it helps me make mock kishka for passover! yumm!
My favorite tool is my garlic press. I just don’t like chopping garlic.
My favorite Passover-only tool is my old-fashioned, hand-cranked apple peeler and corer. When you make charosets for a mob, it’s the best time saver around. It sticks to the counter with suction cups, you put an apple on the spindle, turn the handle and watch the peeling blade strip off the peel in a long, thin spiral. The kids are grown now, but when they were little peeling the apples for charosets was a spectator sport!
My favorite kitchen tool is my mandoline. It’s so easy and fast to use. I slice red onions really thin for my lentil salad, and cucumbers for yogurt raita. I put out thinly sliced apples, carrots and jicama for my son to eat at dinner, he’s not a big fan of fruits and vegetables but something about the thin uniform slices makes it more fun.
Oven mitts :)! Seriously like the oven mitts with rubber for traction; helps me open bottles, jars… I have some really nice Calphalon ones.
Hands down–my immersion blender. I can’t believe I used to purée soup in batches in a food processor!
The one item in my kitchen I could not live without is my slowpot cooker. Next would be my microwave.
I would be nowhere without my knives. If the electricity died, I’d still be able to chop and slice and julienne and mince. My favorite knife (at the moment) is my Jaccard Ceramic 8″ Chef’s knife. It is so incredibly sharp and guaranteed for 10 years to hold it’s edge. The only reason I’m still looking around, is I am much more adept with a 10″ chef’s knife.
However, my new toy, a Vitamix 5200, may soon become my favorite. Still love my knives though!!
My favorite kitchen tool is a very sharp cutting knife.
Celeste Wills
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My KitchenAid mixer with all its attachments – I would be lost without it
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In addition to some of the great tools you mentioned above, I must say that one of my newer tools is my absolute favorite! Before this tool came into my life, Passover was quite a challenge because our custom is not to eat any fruit or vegetable that cannot be peeled. Enter the Zyliss Soft Fruit Peeler and that problem is solved! I can peel tomatoes without blanching them. I can easily peel kiwis or peaches or plums, etc. without bruising them.
My favorite tool is my Kitchenaid stand mixer. I use it constantly and it has been tested on a daily basis for more than 10 years in my kitchen.
I really have two favorite tools – my trusty slow cooker and an ancient spatula that is just the right size for everything.
My favorite kitchen tool is definitely my hand blender! Mixing cookies and cakes by hand was very tiring, but having an electric hand blender makes my life so much easier!
One of the under rated is a hand mixer, some call an egg beater–I found it great for gravies, sauces, creamed like soups when I can’t use my electric appliances or want to send the extra money for a once a year use of a blender, electric mixer, ect.
My avocado slicer and My immersion blender! we use it for soups to smoothies!!
My favorite cooking item is my le cruset dutch oven… cooking a brisket in it right now! I’d love to win this contest and have a great new supply of Passover kitchen tools!
Heh, although it’s a small little tool, my garlic mincer is by far the best thing I use in the kitchen 😀
Please feel free to contact me at:
allrightyes at gmail dot com
My favorite tool would be my set of MAC knifes. They never let me down.
I love my kitchenaid mixer, because it’s so helpful in baking
I’ve been using my micoplane a lot lately. I love adding things like ginger, and different citrus zests to my foods.
my two favorite things are: one my husband who tastes everything and comments, and also wipes the dishes, and
my set of measuring spoons that say a pinch, a dash and a smidgen.
The essential tool for me is that box grater Pam mentioned. It’s so inexpensive that I have one for parve, meat, dairy and ones I use for Pesach only!
I have one that’s over 40 years that my mom gave me as part of my kitchen set-up for a wedding shower present.
My favorite kitchen tool is my blender. I use it daily to make fruit smoothies for breakfast.
smchester at gmail dot com
kitchen shears
once i got one, i could not live without it.
i use it to remove fat from chicken cutlets and to cube or cut into strips
i use it when i clean chickens to cut off excess fat and skin
i use it for onion ends, to dice them
i use it to cut lettuce
i use it to slice hard crusty kugels
plus, plus, the list is endless
try one, you won’t know how to manage without it anymore.
and after all, it’s the cheapest kitchen tool
my favorite kitchen tool is my stand mixer. i especially love the shredder attachment – makes potato latkes so much easier to make!
My favourite “toy” in the kitchen is my food processor. It makes food prep before a chag a breeze….hope to win…
Love my peeler and potato masher, very low teck never breaks and helps make most pessach dishes
One of my favorite kitchen tools for passover is my citrus juicer. I use the fresh juices in sponge cakes, for lemon, lime and orange ices I keep in the freezer for the children as well as various other dishes.
my handheld blender
My favorite kitchen tool is my Cuisinart Food Processor.
It gets used several times a week. Everything from salsa to graham cracker cheesecake crusts!
My favorite kitchen tool is disposable foil casserole & cake pans. I use them for all my yantef cooking!
my mini food processor is my favorite kitchen tool for the holidays because it is easy to clean and change for different foods
My favorite kitchen tool is my tiny grinder. It is great for chopping up fresh spices and little things I want to add to a dish.
Because Pesach cooking is so intense, it is important to me to have good tools so that I can be efficient. It is difficult to name one tool over another. I have a 20 quart soup pot that allows me to make large batches of soup, apple sauce, roasts, stuffed cabbage, etc. But my best is a notebook that tells me what I need to buy, what my menus were, how many of each recipe to make. What time everyone gets home from shul. I fill it out the year before so when I need to shop the next year my list is done.
Definitely a good mixer! It’s essential for batters with egg whites (I’ve tried to do it by hand- it takes forever!) and for really thick batters.
My favorite tool is my melon scoop (which was stolen in my culinary class). It facilitated such beautiful fruit displays. I equally love my kitchen aid mixer. I am now a baking fool!!!
The slicer/shredder attachment for my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I use it several times a week for so much more than I ever dreamed possible.
MY FAVORITE KITCHEN ITEM IS MY MICROWAVE
My sharp Henckel’s knives. They are better than a food processor.
i love your new website im gluten free so i enjoy that section alot!
Assorted wine and cordial glasses to accommodate make-ahead desserts such as chili chocolate mousse,
Passover Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Sauce and Passover Apricot Cake with Mixed Berry Compote Trifles.
Oh, and my Italian ‘volcano’ espresso maker as I drink heaps of coffee while I cook!
my fav kitchen tool…original ginsu knives and their still sharper than my cutco knives