People have actually said to me that they envy how organized and clean my kitchen looks. And they figure that I’m naturally neat and proper, always putting everything in its place.
It’s an illusion, people. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a camera trick – my kitchen really does look that way, most of the time – I have decided to come clean. This will make us both feel a whole lot better.
Let’s go back to my first apartment in Far Rockaway. When I would do a lot of Shabbos entertaining and the dishwasher would be packed to the brim, I would shove all my dirty dishes into the oven. Hey, it got them out of sight, and I could still use the countertops and sink. Deep down, I was probably hoping for some kind of miracle: when we would open that oven door after Shabbos, the dishes would be sparkling clean! (It never happened. I learned that an oven will never, ever transform into a dishwasher.) Anyway, as you’ve probably guessed by now, there was many a Sunday when I would turn on the oven to preheat it and – what’s that funny smell? Ah, the aroma of dirty dishes at 375°!
Well, now I’m all grown up and moved into a house with such a fancy shmancy kitchen that I have a nice-sized dishwasher, extra deep sinks and a section of my countertop where I can stack things and still have the workspace I need throughout Shabbos. No need to use the oven for storage. So in the last 4+ years we have lived in this house, I haven’t indulged in the Sunday morning dirty dish cook-off.
Until now.
Last Shabbos I hosted Yaffa, a person I love and to whom I will be forever indebted (‘cuz she introduced me to Hubby). She came to spend the entire Shabbos with us, along with her hubby and five of her (seven) kids. I really wanted to do it up right and make some special things. Maybe I went a bit overboard and maybe I procrastinated a little — okay a lot – so I was working up to the very last minute.
There I was, just minutes before candle-lighting, with a ton of pots and pans and dirty spatulas and mixing spoons. I don’t want to load up my dishwasher, because I’ll need that for all the dirty Shabbos dishes. Panic sets in. I must get those pots out of sight! Then I remember and thank G-d for the OVEN trick. I hurriedly load all the stuff in the oven, close the door, and voila — a clean kitchen! Just how I like it; no mess, no stress.
So went on with my life.
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Two days later I have a house full of people: we are shooting new episodes of my cooking show and I am preheating my oven for the first episode.
I start to look for my spatula for the first dish. I cannot find a single spatula (Hello — I have 3!), and I’m missing other key utensils. Then people start sniffing. Uh, Jamie, what’s that funny smell?
Déjà vu! After 4 years, the meaning of that strange odor comes back to me and I race to the oven. Folks, let me tell you that burning plastic has a tang all its own. I found my spatula — split in half and melting onto the cookie sheet and dripping down my sauté pan and onto my oven grates. I cheerfully announced that ruining a half dozen cooking utensils in one fell swoop is a great reason to stock up on the newest stuff.
And that is how I came to be in the market for new spatulas, and plan to buy myself a whole lot of great new gadgets I may never use. Listen, one cannot question the deep workings of fate. I think I was due for a kitchen upgrade anyway.
Kuhn rikon garlic press. It’s easy to use, easy to clean and has a lifetime warranty.
You should get a ZOKU ice pop maker ~ I just bought one and we are having so much fun freezing pureed fruit
I recommend an immersion blender. It is great for mixing, blending, chopping, whipping. A very versatile item.
A mandaline.
while you are shopping for “heat proof” spatulas, pick up a fish spatula for those delicate filets. . .dale
I consider it a splurge since you can make rice in a regular pot, but a good rice maker is wonderful! You just put in the rice and water and it does the work for you! The rice comes out perfect and fluffy every time!
The Cuisinart Grind ‘N Brew! Plus some Dunkin Donuts coffee. It makes my day, every day!
A Jack LaLanne Juicer!
Oh, Jamie. I laughed at that one! Did I know when we came for Shabbos in FR that you did that??
I couldn’t live without my silicone “spoonulas”. They are spatulas with curved ends – I think David bought them from Williams and Sonoma. LOVE them. And you.
Ok – so someone else identified my favorite utensil however I will add more to it. My favorite would be different sized ice cream scoops. Not only is it great for ice cream and cookies, but it’s wonderful to make meat balls (you can make them appetizer sized or main course sized depending on which scoop you use). You can also use the mini one for cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon or anything else that you need a specific round size for. You can get them through Pampered Chef, Bed Bath and Beyond, William Sonoma or any place that sells alot of gadgets! PS — I also love my egg slicer/dicer for making egg salad, and guacamole. I also slice firm tomatoes through it. I got this one at Bed Bath and Beyond. Happy Gadgeting!
http://www.amazon.com/Master-Chef-Spatule-Pelton-Spatula/dp/B00004SZ6Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1312406130&sr=1-2
its the master chef spatula. its great multiuse. I use mine every day. please enter me for the frozen treat thanks!
First off, you should get the spatulas on the ring….Here is the link:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/search/results.html?activeTab=products&words=spatulas&cm_sp=OnsiteSearch-_-GlobalNav-_-Button&type-ahead-viewset=ecom
For a splurge, there is much you can buy, but my favorite is (though I don’t actually have one)
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cuisinart-supreme-electric-ice-cream-maker/?cm_src=rel
I would definitely say a BATTER DISPENSER. It makes a world of a difference when making muffins, especially mini muffins. You just fill it with your batter and squeeze out a little bit at a time over the muffin tin. It saves you all the work of spooning out a million times and without the mess!
i love my oxo salad spinner!
A mini ice cream scooper. It is amazing to use when baking cookies. Instead of having to use to spoons or your fingers you use the scooper and tra la you have perfectly shaped balls which turn into beautiful cookies!
One of my little life-saver in the kitchen is a sturdy, well made, hand held, garlic press! I love it. Make tiny little slivers of garlic that are so much nicer than clumpy cut ones. I even think that they taste better and give out more flavor and it is certainly easier than all that slicing. I also love my old fashioned had held metal lemon juicer seeder! It is shaped kinda like a small bowl with holes in it and a handle and you pot half a lemon or lime in there, press the top over it and no more seeds plus lots of juice. These two items are pretty simple yet I use them on almost a daily basis and they are great to have around.
Norpro Nonstick Mini Tortilla Bowl Makers, Set of 2
Makes very fun salad bowls or dip bowls from store bought tacos. Whenever I serve it I look super fancy!
I think everyone should have an immersion blender. I use it for veggie soup all the time
This is something no one mentioned-an apple peeler/corer/slicer the best invention ever! Suctions onto your counter and makes baking well a slice of pie!!http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=229&categoryCode=CE
Brita has a new sleek water pitcher, I think you should splurge on that and get some spatulas from the dollar store! Visit us at http://www.cuzinlogic.com
I had such an awful time finding a pepper grinder I liked. Most I had broke or were really hard to turn and/or load. I finally found one that works great. It is easy to load, turns easily and has not broken.
Jamie Oliver pop-up pepper mill
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F50TBE
I am entering the fruit freezee giveway.
I think while shopping for a spatula you should splurge and get a new vegetable peeler. I use mine daily and have a back up one just in case something would happen. I love my peeler!!!
A plane is great for grating fresh ginger and citrus zest and saves your fingers.
and oxo mango cutter, and i have “cooked” dirty dishes from shabbos on a sunday more than once too.
Le Creuset used to make silicone spatulas that were dishwasher safe. I checked on the web site, and the spatulas are now designed to come apart. I’m not sure this is good (hello! who wants to dig through cookie batter for a spatula?) so I don’t have a spatula to recommend. However, I’m a big fan of a rice cooker. You can steam all kinds of veggies in it (and yes, rice), and it’s pre-programmed, so once you have it going, you don’t have to worry about it until it beeps (great for shabbos) 🙂
A waffle maker!
I love anything that Pampered Chef puts out. They have a new catalog and I could just go through and buy 2 all those nifty little gadgets. Maybe even 3 of some so I have parve gadgets as well.
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=481494&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results
is also amazing to have 3 different sizes of measuring cups which you can stack and store!
Right now, the kitchen gadget I’d most like to have is the Berkey Water Filtration System…so I think you should get one for yourself! 🙂
If you can’t decide what you want or need you can get teh 15 piece set of tools that will for sure come in handy. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Product.asp?SKU=13876150
I would love to have it!
My absolutely favorite utensil is the small spatula from Pampered Chef: http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=16763&words=2622%20Mini-Serving%20Spatula
I have several of them for Fleishigs and for Pesach, and I’m going to need to order some for Milchigs as well! They are so versatile and useful for cutting and serving everything from kugels to pastries to gefilte fish, and they look pretty on the table as well.
The onion chopper…Progressive. Great for onions as well as Israeli salad. And they have great customer service. Just replaced a broken part, no charge.
A mini-chopper that I purchased 23 years ago to grind my own fleishig baby food. Now I use it to chop onions, garlic and my own matza meal by grinding matzas.
This is a good one, splurge on a keurig coffee maker, then you can make everyonem their own individual cup, so fun!!!
No kitchen should be lacking a citrus press! I received one as a present last Chanukah because I was always complaining about how hard it was to squeeze lemons with my trusty reamer, and didn’t have room for another appliance. Mine looks just like the one below, painted yellow metal, and works like a wonder, whether it’s for 10 lemons (lemon chicken) or 1 lemon (guacamole). Love love love! Don’t know how I got along this far without it!
http://dailyjuicer.com/two-types-of-lemon-juicer-which-one-should-i-buy/
Oooh splurge on a keurig coffee maker, then you can make everyonem their own individual cup, so fun!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Vidalia-Chop-Wizard-VOWR-2/dp/B000I6JZWA
Do you have to ask really? The Hindy Chopper – aka The Vidalia Onion Chopper…super speedy, easy to clean, a must when making large quantities of anything. Get the name brand, and by an extra one for Pesach. Love ya! (P.S. I have a desk with pocket doors that close on Shabbat – hmmm…where did all my messy papers go??)
I know I want one of these Curly Fry Cutters that can be used on a variety of veggies and fruits: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17498495&RN=1150&
I am looking for a bench scraper myself like Rachel Ray always uses http://www.rachaelraystore.com/Product/detail/Rachael-Ray-Nylon-Tools-6-5-in-Bench-Scrape-Blue/133278
a pineapple corer – slicer. It’s fun to create rings that look like they’re from the can in one fell swoop!
On the theme of spatulas: The BeaterBlade is a super cool Kitchen Aid attachment that scrapes the sides while mixing so you don’t have to dirty your spatula unless you’re scraping in to get those last drops of batter!
Or y’know, you can get a pasta machine…mmm.
I think you should get a Zoku Pops maker !! Perfect for these hot summer days. (:
http://www.zokuhome.com/
Good luck gadget splurging!
Cuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker
The ULTIMATE Splurge – It’s a Fully automatic 1-1/2-quart frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream maker. It has a commercial-style compressor freezer – so prefreezing is not required! Ahhh, my dream machine!
http://www.cuisinartwebstore.com/detail/CUI+ICE-50BC
I adore my measuring cups! http://www.oxo.com/p-507-3-piece-angled-measuring-cup-set.aspx if you don’t already have them give these a try. you can see measurements from the side or top and they are easy clean, comfortable to hold and microwave and dishwasher safe. I also adore http://www.oxo.com/p-649-11-whisk.aspx
a very versatile saucemaker – Roma Sauce Maker
http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=203470955&pnr=W22&siteID=pRPFz5BR_ws-1Z.riU7shyWFS5jhO39gHA&cm_mmc=ls-_-SkyMall-_-pRPFz5BR/ws-_-banner
and a very cool timer – Orka Electronic Sand Timer
http://www.amazon.com/Orka-Electronic-Sand-Timer-Orange/dp/B000RYPKW2/ref=sr_1_47?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1291048780&sr=1-47
Chef’n Sleekstor Scoop Colander – especially since it is heat resistant to 650 so it will be safe in the oven in case you forget it in there.
http://store.kitchenclique.com/col-542.html
The nu-wave cooker. It cooks frozen meat. Its an as seen on tv product that really works!
I love spiders – those wiry, bamboo handled, scoopers. I have an extra large one and a medium one. I love them. I also have a really cool zester that I love because it gives me large, fragrant strips of zest instead of little bits.
I recommend http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=10164214, a french fry cutter. I use it for potatoes on occasion but also for dicing cucumber for Israeli salad or zucchini sticks for stir-fry.
It is a small price to pay for a convenience in the kitchen.