While cooking has always been a shared hobby for me and Nick (we’ve been sharing our Extra (Ap)Petite recipes for years now!) with two little ones at home, it’s become less of a leisurely activity and more of a mad rush of bodies, food, and silicone baby plates flying through the kitchen. All the more reason we’ve been trying to find products that can make meal prep easier, and emphasize versatility and convenience…but still without compromising on performance or style Below I’ve shared some of our most useful kitchen gadgets and cooking finds from recent months, and what we love about each one.
For more kitchen & home tips check out:
- 5 Style & Home Hacks I’ve Been Loving including how we deodorize silicone
- Kitchen Pantry Organization: 5 Useful Solutions
- Kitchen Organization Pt. 2: Drawer & Cabinet Organizers
1. Bottle Spouts
We originally bought a set of nice looking bottles to pour our oils and vinegars in, but realized all we really needed was bottle spouts. This 2 pack of stainless steel spouts can be added to most bottles* for a more precise, drip-free pour. We use ours for olive oil and vinegar but they could also be used for coffee syrups, liqueurs, juice, and other products you use frequently.
*The listing says the tops should fit bottles with a 0.66 – 0.75 inch mouth.
Shop the bottle spouts →
2. GIR Spatulas & Spoonulas
These bring me joy every time I use them, which is just about daily! They are the best sturdy-yet-flexible, heat resistant and dishwasher safe silicone cooking tools. What we really love about the spoonula and spatula is that they are one solid piece. There’s no worry of the handle becoming loose as you’re cooking or from repeat use.
You can buy each GIR piece separately on their site, or there’s a well reviewed set of similar tools by another brand on Amazon.
Shop GIR products →
3. Universal Pot + Pan Lid
We got this as a gift from Nick’s mom years ago and love it! It has several grooves on it so it fits nearly all of our pots and pans, and we also like that it has a few small holes for steaming.
Shop the lid →
4. Stackable Colanders with Corners
This stackable colander set has a clever design with a wide easy-pour corners so the water doesn’t runneth everywhere. We also have this over the sink version perfect for rinsing produce, pouring a pot of pasta into, and doubles as a drying rack.
Shop the colanders →
5. Mini Food Processor
Been using this nifty little gadget so much! The 3.5 cup size is nice for smaller kitchens or smaller batches. It’s very easy to use after you figure out how to properly turn and lock the canister before pressing the processing button, because it won’t turn on if the canister isn’t properly locked (good for safety purposes).
We’ve been using this to make anything from hummus, ginger scallion sauce, to easy healthy “frozen yogurt” : just use frozen fruit like bananas, peach, mango or strawberry slices, add a few spoonfuls of coconut milk or yogurt (or non dairy yogurt), some sweetener like maple syrup or agave nectar, blend until creamy and serve immediately!
Shop the food processor →
Also sold at: Crate & Barrel & Target
6. Easy Clean Round Placemats
We’ve had these faux leather placemats from Crate and Barrel for over a year now and they still look great. The slightly pebbled leather-like finish is chic and is truly easy to wipe clean as needed. NOTE: the material on these will ripple if they get too wet, so these won’t work if you’re looking for placemats that can really get wet.
For little ones, we love these silicone placemats that do withstand tons of liquid and spills.
Shop the placemats →
Hi Jean,
Love you dining set and lighting right above. Can you please share color swatch name of upholstery and where you purchased it from? Thanks!
Hi Jean. Great post. Love the faux leather placemats. Do you have a spiralizer that you recommend?
I’m afraid I don’t sorry! I’ve been looking for a compact one but haven’t bought any yet
Jean – Can you tell/remind me where you got the bar cart in the last picture? I’d like to buy one for my daughter, who’s just starting to furnish her home. Thanks!
Hi Ashley, my bar cart is from Target! I’ve added a link for the current version under the last photo
I love the bowls in the last pic! Where are those from?
Thank you! They’re from Crate & Barrel and I’ve added a link for them under the last photo
Love the utensils – who makes them – just love the gold!
Thank you Karen! The utensils are from West Elm but unfortunately are older and no longer available