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For our family cooking is just something that we do…A way to relax, spend time together, prepare, and celebrate. Over the years we’ve gathered quite the collection of kitchen tools. I thought that today I’d share some of the items that have made life easier or things that we can’t live without.
1) Cast Iron Pans
I don’t know exactly when or why we started using Cast Iron but we rarely use anything else! We’ve got all kinds. Regular skillets, dutch ovens, and several enameled pots and pans! If you’ve never had bread or pie made in a Cast Iron pan, you don’t know what you’re missing!
2) Cookbooks, cookbooks, & more cookbooks!
We’re always trying new recipes. Screenshoting them on our phones, printing them out from other blogs, or buying another cookbook. We even inherited several of Great-Grandma’s cookbooks…Some of our favorite cookbooks are the “Gooseberry Patch” Cookbooks (Click here for a full list!). Filled with delicious and filling recipes using everyday ingredients that you often already have in your pantry! I also love the Pioneer Woman cookbooks. We’ve used a handful of her recipes over the years and they are delicous!
3) A Cookbook Holder
While I appreciate a well loved cookbook, it’s a lot easier to cook if you can see the recipe amid the ingredients, dishes, & utensils littering the counter. Getting a simple book holder not only makes the recipe easier to read it also saves your cookbook from messes!
4) Canning Jars & Supplies
A homestead can never, let me repeat, NEVER have too many canning jars or canning supplies! The supplies linked below are the ones we use most often! Our most used resource is the Ball Blue Book that Great Grandma gave us when we first started canning! I’m almost positive that the one linked below is the updated version! If you’d like a detailed description of how we usually can produce check out this post on how we canned peaches!
5) Fruit Strainer & Salad Spinner
We found a fruit strainer similar to this at the store a while back and have loved it! Not only did it make canning peaches easier it’s also a great way to store washed grapes or berries! Growing our own lettuce, kale, spinach, or herbs having a good salad spinner on hand makes washing it much easier!
The particular salad spinner linked below is the same one we have! The lid collapses for easy storage and also locks in place so that the basket won’t spin unnecessarily!
6) A Good quality funnel
We are almost always looking for a funnel. Usually to refill the oil jar, but we recently tried our hand at making our own vanilla extract (post on that project coming soon!) A good funnel is one of the few supplies you need.
7) Glass Bottles
In order to make your own vanilla, you’ll also need some glass bottles. These would also be good for storing flavored oils or any other small quantity liquid.
8) Tea Infusers
We’ve recently gotten into drinking herbal teas. These tea infusers are not only colorful but they work great!
9) Bread slicer
We’ve recently gotten back into making our own bread…This bread slicer makes it easier to slice the cooled loaves. As a bonus, it’s adjustable so you can make the slices as thin or thick as you’d like!
10) Cookie Cutters
I don’t know about you, but we’re always making cookies. Chocolate Chip, Cowboy Cookies, Sugar Cookies, No Bakes, etc. Usually, there is always some sort of cookie or baked good laying around! Over the years we’ve used many different cookie cutters. But these metal ones are our favorite! They come in so many shapes, complete with little tools to help get the dough out of all the nooks & crannies, and some even come with little tools to help clean them!!
I hope that you’ll find some of these kitchen tools helpful! What are some of your must-haves that I didn’t include? Share them in the comments below!
Until next time,
Bailey Sue
