One of the secrets to good cooking is having the right tools. I will add all my favorite kitchen tools here with links to Amazon or other online places you can purchase them for yourself.  Email me if you have any questions about these recommendations (melandboys@gmail.com) or if you have some suggestions!

Appliances

Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is a great tool to create incredible meals in the shortest amount of time!  I have seen them at Costo for the same price as this one at Amazon.  My favorite way to use it, is cooking chicken breasts right from the freezer–coming out perfectly tender and juicy every time in minutes! Recipe here.

 

Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine

The Bosch is the best machine – hands down in my opinion – for making bread. Although it is pretty dang great for making just about anything from cookie dough to whipping cream. The motor is 800 watts (that’s 350 more watts than even the biggest Kitchen Aid), and the bowl is big enough to handle more dough than the rest of the mixers on the market.

Bosch Cookie Paddles

What could make the Bosch mixer any better? Cookie Paddles! The bosch comes with a dough hook, scraper and double beater. None of these is ideal for making cookies, so the cookie paddles are a must have.

KitchenAid Artisan 5 QT Standmixer

 

This KitchenAid does not have the power or the capacity of the Bosch Mixer, but it is great for everyday small batches of muffins, cookies etc. And honestly, the fact that it comes in all those fun colors gives it bonus points just because it looks so cute in the kitchen. Brilliant!

Blendtec

This is the ultimate blender!! It is strong and powerful enough for anything from making the perfect green smoothie to grinding wheat. The Blendtec is not cheap but I think it is worth every penny!  I like this one better than Vitamix because it can fit under your kitchen counter, does not require a plunger and has a preprogrammed digital panel on the front.  It makes it easy to use.  I have had mine for 9 years and use it everyday!

 

Cuisinart Food Processor

 

Want to make life easier? This little gem is your ticket.  It quickly and easily slices, dices, chops, and purees – cutting down your prep time in the kitchen.  This food processor also makes pie crust a cinch to make and even kneads bread dough with a special dough blade that’s included.

Blendtech Electric Grain Mill

For those of you that have ever tasted homemade wheat bread made with freshly ground wheat… you know how important a wheat grinder is!  Especially when you have wheat (or other grains)  in food storage that you want to rotate.  This mill will grind a large amount of grain easily and quickly with no hassle and no sweat!

 

 

Cookware

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Pot

Also known as a Dutch oven, this updated kitchen classic enhances the cooking process by evenly distributing heat and locking in the optimal amount of moisture. This pot has many uses from perfectly cooking tender, fall off the bone meat dishes to beautiful artisan loaves of bread to the perfect stovetop chowder or pasta.  This pot is an investment that will last a lifetime!  They come in so many gorgeous colors, you will want to leave it out on your stove all the time to add to the decor of your kitchen!

Pizza Stone

Pizza stones are the best when you want a crisp crust… for calzones, artisan breads, naan, focaccia, and well, pizza!  They are a great addition in the kitchen and help you get fantastic results as they absorb moisture while baking and evenly distribute heat.  Mine was actually less expensive than the one I’ve featured through this link but it’s also a lot smaller, which I really don’t like. This one has a 16 inch diameter – great for making family size pizzas or baking several calzones at once.  It’s on my wish list!

 

Kitchen Tools

 

Silpat

The best nonstick mat out there. The silpat fits the traditional cookie sheet, and makes cooking spray completely unnecessary. And clean up…what clean up? Also great for freezing fruit, desserts or anything else you may desire.

Melamine Bowl Set with Lids

I love love love these bowls!  You have different sizes to choose from, they are in bright and cute colors, and they have lids!  Gotta love lids for all those times you go on picnics and potlucks… or for storing leftovers.

Microplane

We love our microplanes! They are fabulous for creating perfect citrus zest, grating fresh nutmeg and hard cheeses in a breeze. Once you have one, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

 

Ingredients

 

 Pure Vanilla Bean Paste 

We’ve had lots of requests on where to get vanilla bean paste… this stuff is worth its weight in gold. Seriously amazing and SO much easier than dealing with vanilla beans. All the benefits and none of the work!