5 Unexpected Must Have Tools In The Kitchen

I love being in my kitchen! I also love helping women feel successful at home. When I’m teaching a woman about cooking and planning in the kitchen, I always want her to walk away with ideas and plans that can be implemented right away. This way she is starting off with a sense of success from the get go. When I’m sharing tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way, I love sharing my favorite list of must have tools in the kitchen, and I’m excited to share some unexpected tools with you! The word “tool” simply means a device that helps to accomplish a task.  Some of these may surprise you!

There have been countless days when I have found joy in my kitchen. (Even though I may have to search a little harder on the days when the dishes are not done and the floor is not swept), joy is still there waiting. It may be in the gathering of family and friends, or in the flicker of the candlelight during a quiet dinner for two. Joy is always there, waiting to be discovered – even when we are just in the kitchen!

I once did an exhaustive (not very) scientific poll on social media to ask about people’s beliefs surrounding the home. Based on that (not) very extensive research, I found that everybody was in total agreement that the kitchen is the heart of the home. One “participant” in my poll put it this way: “A kitchen is comfortable and comforting and therefore holds the “heart” status.”  Isn’t this the truth? We spend so much time in the kitchen, and then after we’ve prepared, we gather.

This “participant” in my poll happens to be one of my very dearest friends, Katy, and she always has a way of saying things in a way that makes you catch your breath because of her depth of insight! Katy went on to say, “The challenge is keeping it a place that consistently wows the audience. But also keeping it a workspace that is reasonable – nobody wants to clean their time away!”

Which started me thinking… what are the best most necessary tools in the kitchen that are beneficial to “wow our audience” yet make sure we’re not wasting our time and energy there?

In another post, I share about tools to use when working in the kitchen whether cooking or baking. This list is a little different.

What many of us often forget is to set the stage. Before a meal is placed on the table, there are 5 surprising must have tools in the kitchen to lead us to the best end result.

SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO

I have memories of when I was young and sitting near the kitchen while my mom prepared a meal. I can still remember the sizzle of what she was cooking and the smell of the fresh bread baking in the oven. I remember as I looked out the giant window, watching the birds dance on the large oak tree in the back yard. Even remembering these things, what I remember the most, is the familiar sound of the radio that sat in the window above the sink. It was always set to the same channel and if there wasn’t music it was some sort of teaching. Mom always set the atmosphere of the kitchen (and the evening) with what she chose to play on the radio.

ESSENTIAL OILS AND A DIFFUSER

I love that I can prepare a meal and at the same time, I can contribute to my family’s health and well being. Studies have shown that essential oils are not only full of many relaxing benefits, they are also proving to be antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal and can benefit our health and detoxify our home at the same time. I love that my favorite essential oil company owns many of their own farms where they grow and process the oils so I know that the oils I am using are 100% pure and don’t have anything extra added which is so important!  One of my favorite diffuser blends when I’m cooking is 3 drops each of Orange and Clove and 2 drops of cinnamon. It smells like comfort!

A PLAN

When working in the kitchen it is important to have a plan. As with many things in life, if we don’t have a plan, it’s really easy to become overwhelmed, and quickly off course. A plan in the kitchen doesn’t have to be extravagant. It can be as simple as stopping to think for a moment before getting to work. Sometimes the plan starts quite a bit in advance with a meal plan and a grocery list. Sometimes it can be simply stopping for a moment to take inventory of what’s in your pantry and refrigerator. The import thing is taking that moment and gathering your thoughts in one place and then setting into action. One of my favorite quotes is simple yet so profound. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

YOUR FAVORITE BEVERAGE

This one seems so simplistic and might even cause you to scratch your head, but follow me for a moment. When we are in the kitchen if we allow it to, the act of “working” may cause us to be anxious or even cause us to focus on the drudgery of the day in and day out activity of working in the kitchen. There’s something about intentionally slowing down just for a moment, to enjoy an ice-cold beverage or a steaming hot cup of tea or even a glass of your favorite wine. It causes us to pause, be in the moment and relax a little.

Growing up, I spent quite a bit of time with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins. I have always admired how my aunt has always been intentional about taking time to unwind and slow down in the evenings, often starting when it was time to prepare dinner. She recently shared a story about my grandmother who was so special to all of us. At the time of this story, my precious grandmother was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and she and my grandfather were living with my aunt and uncle. Each evening, when my aunt would begin to prepare dinner, she would open a new bottle of wine and pour the smallest glass for my grandmother, whose response was the same every time. She would simply say, “Oh, this one is nice! I think this one is the best one yet!” Because I lived states away, I wasn’t able to be there for these evenings, but I love this story so much and think of it often. I can imagine all 5 feet of my grandmother sitting on the kitchen stool and trying a bottle of wine again for the first time, while my aunt prepared dinner. I know they both took so much delight being in the kitchen together and this one small act caused them to slow down and enjoy being in the moment.  I think they were on to something!

MEANINGFUL SERVE WARE

When we’re talking about being creative in the kitchen in order to “wow our audience,” the last thing I love to have is a few great pieces to serve the meal with. I have some serve ware that belonged to grandmothers and great grandmothers and has been passed on to me. I have pieces that were weddings gifts that I have cherished for 15 years. I also have pieces that I have collected over the years. All of them are just as precious to me as each of the rest. One of the ways we can love on our families is by serving meals using serve ware that has meaning and value.  It always surprises me how much joy and delight I find when I pull out something special to serve meals on, even if it’s just an ordinary weekday dinner.

There are countless other tools that are great to have in the kitchen.  No matter If you start with this list, or with another list of ideas you’ve collected, having some great tools you can utilize will always help you accomplish your goals in the kitchen; whether it’s to prep for a large celebratory gathering or for an intimate family meal. Keep an eye out for another blog post where I’ll share a quick list of my favorite tools for cooking with.

What is on your list of surprising tools when it comes to being in the kitchen?