Guys, here are a few tools will make your weeknights easier in the kitchen with varying price ranges, from $8 to $200. Pick one as a stocking stuffer or go big! Either way, they will help you work fast when you’ve just arrived home with hungry kids, and you still want to execute a delicious meal.
I’ve found myself using the potato masher in ways that have nothing to do with potatoes! On a weeknight, my favorite use is to quickly mash ground meat in the InstantPot to save time. No lumps, no fuss, and the masher is so easy to clean. You can also use it to quickly mash bananas for pancakes or quickbreads, or to mash avocados for guacamole.
2. Instant Pot Egg Mold and Accessories
With this kit, you can stack multiple batches of Starbucks-style sous-vide egg bites or use them for mini custards in the InstantPot. Make your egg cups in advance and freeze for a super quick healthy breakfast on-the-run. You can also use the mold to make large crayons with bits of extra wax.
3. Thermapen Mk4 Digital Thermometer
My husband bought this after reading TIm Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Chef (recommended here) and I have also grown to love it. We can generally cook well, but if you are remotely distracted (ahem, KIDS!), your salmon can go dry in the blink of an eye. I am also bad about timing food in its cooking stages; this pen takes the guesswork out. It’s also great for caramel or other sauces that are temperature-sensitive. My husband has even used it to test the temperature of water for activating yeast for his pizza dough. If you use the thermapen, a $5 cut of meat will turn out like a $40 cut. It’s an investment that you will use for years to come.
4. Cutco Shears
The scissors can cut through ANYthing. A penny. Bones. DIGITS! Be careful. You can use it for anything. It stays sharp for yeeeeeaaaaaars, even after repeated use. Dishwasher friendly.
Another Cutco favorite, this spreader may not seem that useful…but it can be a cake server, condiment spreader for sandwiches, and I’ve even used it as a spatula in a pinch. The serration makes it especially hand for slicing…it can cut the densest fruit tarts with a clean edge and even slice tomatoes without destroying them!
The Life So Valley 