*Image via James May.
A couple of sleek and functional finds for the new year — many of which we own or have researched enough to want (desperately).
01. BLACK COLANDER
02. OXO FOOD SCALE — WE USE THIS ALL.THE.TIME — THE PULL-OUT DISPLAY IS BRILLIANT AND COMES IN HANDY WHEN YOU’RE WEIGHING SOMETHING BIGGER THAN THE DIMENSION OF THE SCALE SURFACE
03. LAGUIOLE STEAK KNIVES — TRUST ME, YOU NEED STEAK KNIVES IF YOU EAT ANY MEAT IN YOUR HOUSE…WE USE OURS MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK
04. UNIVERSAL KNIFE BLOCK HOLDER — THOUGHT THIS WAS A CHIC SOLUTION FOR SMALL SPACES IF YOU HAVE A RANGE OF DIFFERENT KNIFE BRANDS/TYPES
05. BENRINER MANDOLIN — SUPPOSEDLY THE BEST. WE’VE HAD ONE FOR OVER A DECADE AND IT’S SHOWING SIGNS OF AGE (DULLNESS) SO WE DID SOME RECON TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING BETTER OUT THERE. THERE ISN’T! JUST BUY A KEVLAR GLOVE TO PROTECT YOUR HAND!
06. HOMWE MITTS — THESE ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST EVER. I USED TO GO THROUGH A PAIR OF WILLIAMS-SONOMA EVERY YEAR OR TWO BECAUSE THE ENDS WOULD GET BURNT OR THREADBARE. THESE HAVE LASTED AT LEAST FIVE YEARS (MAYBE LONGER?) AND I LOVE THE SILICONE TIP FOR EXTRA HEAT PROTECTION
07. TWO-STEP LADDER — CHIC ENOUGH TO LEAVE OUT
08. ROSLE TONGS — OUR PARTY TRICK. YOU OPEN BY POINTING THE TONGS UPWARD AND LOCK WHEN TONGS ARE FACING THE GROUND…GREAT FOR ONE-HANDED USE, BUT ALSO A FUN MAGIC TRICK
09. UTOPIA DISH TOWELS — I’VE TRIED ‘EM ALL AND THESE ARE MY FOREVER FAVORITE…INEXPENSIVE, HYBER-ABSORBENT, UNFUSSY, AND YOU DON’T CARE WHEN YOU HAVE TO TOSS THE STAINED ONES
11. GLASS STORAGE JARS WITH LIDS — PERFECT FOR THINGS LIKE SQUEEZED JUICES, MISE EN PLACE, CUT FRUIT, OVERNIGHT OATS, ETC
13. ANOVA VAC SEALER — MR. MAGPIE’S FAVORITE TOY ATM…A MUST FOR SOUS-VIDE LOVERS BUT ALSO INCREDIBLE FOR FOOD STORAGE…YOU CAN FIT SO MUCH MORE IN YOUR FREEZER, AND FOOD DOESN’T GET FREEZER BURNED!
14. KUHN RIKON PEELER — WE’VE USED THIS BRAND’S PEELERS FOR AGES…THE BEST (SMALL) HANDFEEL, AND ULTRA-SHARP
15. FELLOW ELECTRIC KETTLE — MR. MAGPIE AND I ARE SECRETLY HOPING OUR ELECTRIC KETTLE DIES SOON SO WE CAN UPGRADE TO THIS BEAUTY, WHICH ALSO RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS FOR PERFORMANCE
16. STAINLESS STEEL FOOTED BOWL — TECHNICALLY A CHAMPAGNE BOWL (HOW FAB?!) BUT COULD USE AS A CENTERPIECE IN KITCHEN WITH FRUIT!
17. ROSLE BASTING SPOON — WE HAVE A BUNCH OF THEIR STAINLESS STEEL IMPLEMENTS AND THEY ARE SO RIDICULOUSLY STURDY/HEAVY…LIKE, HAND-DOWN-ABLE! PLUS, LOVE THE SLEEK DESIGN
18. EMILE HENRY OIL CRUET — SO CHIC
19. KUHN RIKON SPIDER SKIMMER — ONE OF OUR MOST-USED IMPLEMENTS IN THE KITCHEN…A MUST FOR FRYING OR SCOOPING SMALL BATCHES OF PASTA OUT OF BOILING WATER, BUT ALSO DOUBLES AS TINY STRAINER
P.S. More kitchen must-haves.
P.P.S. Inspired by French kitchens.
P.P.P.S. A great party dish.
This is related and unrelated to this post, but I am finally going to take the plunge and buy a high quality dutch oven. Given the higher price point, I would love a size that will cover a lot of bases (soups, stews, potentially baking bread) and was wondering what size you own and if it satisfies a variety of different uses. Thank you 🙂
Hi Julianna!! An EXCELLENT investment. We have a Staub and absolutely could not live without it. If I recall correctly, we chose the Staub because it has a metal knob on the top and can therefore withstand higher temps in the oven vs. Le Creuset, which has a plastic lid knob and cannot endure as high heat. I’m not sure if this is still the case. Ours is an 8 qt but I do not think they make that size anymore. Personally, I would do either the 7 qt or 9 qt to cover all your bases — we find an 8 qt serves us well for nearly ANY recipe, any party size, etc. It’s big but not so big you can’t brown just onions/garlic. I’d probably err on the larger side (9 qt) because you’re usually making larger batches of soup, stew, etc when using the Dutch oven anyway, but think either would work — 7 or 9.
https://bit.ly/3PT6WxA
Happy cooking!
xx
I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! I purchased the 7qt and have already used it several times. It is exactly what I needed and will be in heavy use for years to come.
Oh, of course! I’m so glad!! One of our favorite and most-used items.
xx
Great items. Going to definitely order the peeler.
I just received this and love it! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095Y4TMN2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Yay!! A butter keeper is life-changing for sure! We just got one a year ago and I don’t know how we lived without for so long.
Those Kuhn Rikon peelers are the best!
xx