‘A love letter to…’ is a bi-weekly publication relating to anything and everything kitschy. Today’s newsletter is all about my favorite kitchen gadgets, and the ones I’ve been eyeing. Plus what I’ve been cooking lately, in case you didn’t come to be influenced. Grab an apron (and maybe a pen and paper) and let’s get cooking!
A little pre-requisite to this email; you may have to click ‘read in-app’ in the top right corner if you’re sent this love letter va email; this edition may be truncated in your inbox!
I have never had a kitchen with enough storage. However many frustrations this has caused, it’s taught me to be an avid minimalist in my kitchen (although, not in any other areas of my life). I could totally only have 10 kitchen items, the desert island question isn’t all that difficult for me. With all of this in mind, I will confess: that I have never gotten around to de-cluttering. The broken cookie scoop I bought from the grocery store a couple of years ago is still lurking in a drawer, the gas-burner-damaged stainless steel pans hiding in the back of a cabinet, the many sets of cutlery I have yet to sort through still tip over the harissa tin they reside in, I’m not even going to get into the sheer amount of mugs I have1.
With this context, I’m sure you can appreciate how excited I am to move into a kitchen with more storage; designed with the ideal customer- me!- in mind. I have a couple of ride-or-die gadgets that I plan to take with me, and of course, my tried and true cast iron trio, but I will (begrudgingly) have to purchase some new tools, to make my cooking both streamlined and enjoyable; two words which can finally co-exist! To provide the same service to you, as my new kitchen will to me, I’ll share three of my loves and three links for gadgets I plan to buy.
Note; Since these tools are residing on my wishlist, not in my kitchen, I’ve linked articles that explore multiple options, rather than endorsing a particular brand.
Mandoline2; A mandoline is my favorite tool for winter salads; a salad consisting of at least one shaved vegetable is the only way I will eat something other than soup in January; admittedly, fennel was not a favorite vegetable of mine until I found myself thinly slicing it and tossing it through a salad of citrus, pistachios, avocado, and a lemon vinaigrette. Since it’s finally heating up in the Northern Hemisphere, I should mention that it is also a perfect way to julienne raw vegetables for soba noodle salads, or slaws!
Mini spatula; My forever staple: a silicone spatula. It doesn’t *have* to be mini, but they’re just so cute! If you’re anything like me, you hate when a little bit of something is left in the bowl; be it beaten eggs, brownie batter, or yogurt. This problem is very easily solved with a mini spatula. I find that the smaller they are, the more heft they have, which feels like an oxymoron but I wouldn’t intentionally lead you astray. Silicone is also ideal for scrambling eggs- especially if you’re a fan of non-stick cookware- since you can scramble and scrape at the same time.
Mini food processor; You may be starting to sense a theme, I do, indeed, have a fleet of mini appliances. I’m not quite sure how I lived without this one. Yes, a mini food processor does mean there may be a little rough chopping involved (if we’re talking a fine dice of vegetables,) and may require some attention to scrape down if you’re making a batch of energy bites, BUT, what it makes up for these (very minor) flaws with the time and effort it saves. A mini food processor is perfect for pasta e fagiole, banana bread snack bites, small batch sauces, or when box grating a vegetable sounds unbelievably unappealing.
Spoonula; As previously mentioned, I love and use my spatula daily, BUT! I will admit it lacks in its serving ability; by which I mean trying to scoop up pasta with a spatula is a… humbling experience… to say the least. The answer to this urgent issue? A spoonula! Besides its cute name, what sells me on this product is its versatility, a spoonula can easily transform from a sauteing vehicle to a serving one with no extra work on your part.
Fish spatula; Deb Perelman said this was her essential tool. That was enough for me to add it to my wishlist. If you’re not in the fish spatula-loving corner of the internet; it’s a flatter, longer spatula that easily slides under pancakes, slices through pies, and of course, flips fish. It’s sturdy enough to hold its own against… say… a hefty cut of cauliflower, but delicate enough to be slipped underneath a latke. Are you convinced yet? I am!
Microplane; A tool primarily driven by my citrus love. The brightness lemon zest adds to food isn’t easily replaced, and my current method of zesting citrus3 is less than ideal. Despite citrus being the primary use for my microplane,4 it excels in the versatility department; grating walnuts over salads, those fluffy clouds of parmesan, garlic, ginger- the list goes on.
Now that we’ve covered my ‘loves and links™’, here are some things I’ve been cooking (or have wanted to cook) lately!
I’ve been eating this curried couscous salad + tinned fish for lunch all week, and I’m yet to get bored; I don’t typically love dried fruit5 in savory dishes, but the pops of sweetness make this salad- don’t skip it!
I’m dying to make a bowl of cioppino with garlic bread. It would be a perfect al fresco dinner with a simple salad.
Speaking of salad, I’m on a strawberry salad kick… bonus points if you also make these balsamic grilled chicken sandwiches.
Another strawberry salad because I can’t stop, won’t stop.
After years of adoration, oatmeal is finally starting to become kinda gross, but this looks very tasty and Emma Golden Miller shared it, so it must be good.
That’s a wrap for my favorite kitchen gadgets. Let me know if you have any favorite (or hated) tools… I’d love to hear from you; the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you’re not yet receiving a love letter, subscribe to have them delivered to your inbox on a bi-weekly basis, and, if viewing in the Substack app, click the heart button just below, Until next time, happy cooking!
Yet still, I only use one (?!)
Full disclosure; I have the OXO mandoline; they can take ALL of my money, but I’ve heard great things about the linked one, and it’s much prettier too.
Which involves a very sharp knife and a y-shaped peeler.
A fact that still shakes me to my core: Microplane = the brand, not the tool! The more you know…
I used dried cherries because as I mentioned in the last newsletter, I’m desperately trying to finish the excessively large jar in my pantry.
I agree completely with everything BUT I stan for my kitchen aid mixer! X