We are all spending lots of time in the kitchen in a never ending cycle of make, gather, scrape, dump, clean, load, empty, make… we have a colander that gathers the coffee filters, the apple cores, the oatmeal sludge for compost and it is working on overtime lately since we’re all home and all eating at home. Anders asks for about four meals by noon and it begs the question, “Is this boredom eating or is the child truly hungry?” Some nights I see that the hour is creeping around to dinner and I just do not have the stamina to think of something else or spend one more second in the kitchen (those are quesadilla or yogurt and granola nights). Anyway, here’s my point. There’s a few random workhorses in the kitchen that you may not think are kitchen necessities but have, for me, become quite indispensable. So here they are, rounded up, in a post.
01. My Dutch oven. When Steve gave this to me (in 2013! And I have worked that baby to death–especially in the cooler months) I had no idea I’d use it as much as I do. It practically has a permanent spot on my stove top during fall and winter. It doesn’t hurt that it is very, very pretty. So pretty that I’ve considered just bringing the entire thing to the paint store to have them paint match it (I have it in graphite).
What I use it for: all the chilis and stews, slow-cooked braised meats, and no-knead bread (and more).
02. Lodge cast iron pan. I can’t get over the price of this small one–especially when it will literally outlive us all. I was sure that if I didn’t have some sort of nonstick option, my eggs would stick (we make a lot of eggs). Guess what? They don’t! They seriously don’t! I had kind of went down a rabbit hole looking for nontoxic nonstick cookware–of which there are options–but then I read about them losing their nonstick features over time with too high of heats, or potential leaking nanoparticles, and I said forget it and went for this instead. I’ve been so pleased. I love this pan and you’ll often find it right next to the Dutch oven taking up permanent residence on the stove. Also, this scrubber is the best thing to clean it with–or any pan with stuck on food.
What I use it for: eggs, eggs, and more eggs. But also frittatas, and new-to-me Dutch babies!
03. Immersion blender. This isn’t quite the powerhouse of the first two but it is definitely something I would have a hard time being without. I remember transferring a hot black soup into my blender years ago to puree it and recognizing quickly that that was a mistake when black bean soup ended up all over me, the counters, and the floors. For soups that need pureeing, sticking this directly into the pot is so simple and works so well.
What I use it for: this broccoli cheddar soup, tomato sauce, and black bean soup to name a few.
04. Stasher bags. These are the greatest and can be used for so many things. They’ve completely replaced plastic bags and I love that. These days, with school being out of session, you’ll most often find them in our refrigerator drawers filled with various cheeses, or in our freezer with peeled too-ripe bananas, but you can also sous vide in them, or freeze soups in them. When school is in session, Parker brought them to lunch every single day with pretzels, apples, dried mango, cucumbers, whatever. There are different sizes and we have a few and love them all.
What I use them for: all of the above and so much more.
05. Microplane zester. If you have a box grater, this technically isn’t a necessity, but it’s simpler, more suitable to actually put on the table with dinner, and for hard cheeses and more (see below!) it’s the best.
What I use it for: zesting lemon rinds (shrimp scampi! desserts!), hard cheeses like pecorino romano (and I’ll just put it on the table for everyone to do it to their own plate), and ginger root (in some of my favorite Asian dishes!).
We use our zester allll the time—pro tip: if you freeze your ginger it is so easy to grate! Into soups, teas, basically everything we eat.
Ooh, that’s a good call!
I need a microplane zester! It’ll make things so much easier and it doesn’t take up too much space too! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I got a dutch oven for Christmas and I was too intimidated to use it so I just barely used it for the first time last week and now I want to use it all the time! I would love any more recipe suggestions if you have them.
French onion soup! Chicken noodle soup! I basically make everything in it!!!
Bridget, do you use regular dish soap on your cast iron pan + wash it normally? Do you use oil or butter or something when making eggs in the pan to help prevent sticking as much?
I use lots of butter or olive oil for cooking in it (butter when cooking eggs). And I never use soap. An occasional reseasoning with a high heat and some cooking oil in the oven!
I am wondering how I’ve lived and cooked for decades without a mandolin. My husband has recently gotten into cooking and he bought a mandolin and protective gloves. Now he does all these wonderful things to vegetables and we have carrot matchsticks in our poke bowls and shoestring french fries and finely shredded cabbage for slaws and just all the vegetable goodness in piles, in minutes. It’s amazing and wonderful!
I have looked at those so many times and I can imagine absolutely loving it if I had one. Kind of like when I realized the Cuisinart gave me shredded brussels in a fraction of the time that my chopping did!
What size is your cast iron skillet?
It’s the one I linked to for $12! (I want a big one next though!)
my poppa gifted me the cast iron skillet my grandparents had for their camping trailer. they had it for over 40 years. i spent weeks with my grandma and poppa camping. those days and nights were, hands down, the best memories of my childhood. my grandma and i would pick fresh huckleberries for pancakes that she would cook in that cast iron skillet. at night, my poppa would fry the cornmeal drenched rainbow trout we caught over the campfire using the same skillet. he sold their 5th wheel several years after my grandma died. all i wanted was that cast iron skillet. it is in pristine condition. there is something about that generation taking care of their belongings that i never, regretfully, had to know. i need to use it more. the memories of it are so full of love and grief sometimes i can’t bare it.