In my years of canning, one of the things I’ve found is that most of my favorite canning tools weren’t made specifically for canning. They are simply kitchen utensils that are well made, sturdy and just happen to serve a useful role in my preserving practice. From the bottom left corner and moving clockwise, here are some of my current favorites.
- This six-piece set of stacking measuring cups
by RSVP is fantastic. They are made from solid stainless steel and have a nice heft in the hand. I use the one-cup measure to portion jam into half-pint jars and the half-cup one fits neatly into my larger storage jars.
- I’ve long been a fan of a serrated edge peeler. It’s particularly handy during marmalade season because it allows you peel off the outer zest from citrus without taking any of the pith along with you. What makes this particular peeler so nice is that it had dual blades, one smooth and one serrated. Makes for less clutter in a crowded utensil drawer. The one pictured above is from Williams-Sonoma. Kuhn Rikon
also makes a version.
- Thermapen
is simply the best instant read thermometers out there. I’ve bought two in recent years and just love them for minding the temperature of my jams, jellies and curds. They’re pricy, but worth the money (and make sure to check the end of this post for a Thermapen giveaway!).
- I first found this potato masher
at a Tuesday Morning and it has supplanted all my other mashers. What makes it so awesome is that the tines are bladed. They’re not sharp, but they have just enough edge to make it perfect for breaking down cooking fruit. It’s a fantastic tool.
- A good, fully encased silicone spatula. The one pictured above is from GIR and is quite nice. However, it also costs $22.50, which is more than most people want to spend on a spatula (disclosure! this one was sent to me for review purposes). For a more sensibly priced version (under six bucks), check out this one from Orka
. According to Amazon, I bought mine in 2009 and it’s still going strong.
- A good paring knife. I like the ones made by Kuhn Rikon
, but couldn’t find one in the kitchen when preparing to take this picture. The most important thing is that it feels good in the hand and holds an edge.
- If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you’ll know that I am crazy for my 4th burner pot
. Also made by Kuhn Rikon (they don’t know I exist, I just like their products), this skinny pot has a spout, a heat-proof handle and is fitted with a rack. This means that it works as a small batch canning pot, a pot for heating pickling liquids and syrups for canning whole fruit and even as a tea kettle in a pinch. On Thanksgiving, I used it to heat up the gravy. It is a genius piece of equipment and I love it so much that I own two.
- I bought this Cuisinart stainless steel wok
at Macy’s last summer on a whim. It was on sale and I had a feeling that it might be a handy size and shape for making small batches of jam. And I was right. The flared sides encourage evaporation and it holds a bit more jam than a 12-inch skillet. It’s lighter than ideal for a true wok, but is quite nice for jams, jellies and chutneys (and it just costs right around $30, which makes it highly affordable).
- Finally, flour sack towels
. I finally got smart and started buying them in colors instead of in white. No matter how much I bleached them, the white ones just never get clean. The deeply colored ones don’t show the stains as much. Amazing the difference these little choices make in my quality of life.
As promised, I have an orange Thermapen to give away to one of you nice folks. Here’s how to throw your hat in the ring for chance at it.
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me about your current favorite kitchen tool.
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012. Winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog over the weekend.
- Giveaway open to everyone (the shipping is on me, no matter where you live).
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post. I do not accept submissions via email.
My silicon basting brush. It’s great for basting but also pastries, cookies and entertaining my 2 girls.
My little garlic chopper these days!
I have a Vitamix that I use every morning to make a smoothie. That’s my favorite right now.
My favortie kitchen tool – well, I really love my wooden spoon. 🙂
My double edged peeler has my vote. It gets used for peeling tomatoes, peaches, carrots and even cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches.
Um, I love canning and I love using my extensive collection of Pampered Chef tools. I ALWAYS use the cutting boards, knives, pans, spatulas, and nylon tools. Insofar as my big canning pot, I found a cheap one at the dollar store that I’ve used for years. I would love wining your Thermapen. It sounds like it will be an extremely useful tool. Thanks for your blog!
I would have to say my food processor.I’m baking so much this time of year and a lot of items I bake call for chopped nuts,so the processor makes quick work of them. (BTW I have your book on my Christmas list 😉
My current favorite took is my kitchen aid mixer. I got it for my birthday last year and love it.
My whisks! I love my whisks. I have a small one that’s use daily, I would be lost without it! Would love to try out a thermapen though 🙂
My favorite tool right now is my ninja chopper. It saves me so much time when I have a lot if stuff to chop for soup’s & chili.
My current kitchen tool is the knife i got from ikea. easily sharped and fits comfortable in my hand.
My favorite tool is my jam canning pot as we’ve had some good times together. HA. I also love my spout I put into the jar when filling it as it makes canning so easy, without that I’d be a complete failure while canning in the kitchen.
So many to choose from. I’d say the most used tool in the house is my bench scraper. It gets used so often that I have two. I also love Kuhn Rikon products. I bought the 4th burner pot after seeing how much you loved it and it comes in handy on many occasions. Also love their pressure cooker and can opener.
My favorite item is my food processor!! I have a 14 cup one and it is great for chopping all the bulk celery and onions I like to freeze!
My favorite tool is one that isn’t made anymore. It’s called a Foley Fork and is designed for dough blending. However, I find it stands in as a masher among other things!
This time of year, I give thanks for the almighty Silpat. I’ve got 6 (3 half-sheet and 3 qtrs) that’ll stay in heavy rotation right thru New Year’s.
The apple corer/slicer/peeler gadget at this time of year, apple sauce in seconds!
one of my favorite kitchen tools is my 6$ mandoline… It cuts everything and makes prep for pickles or slicimg any veggie/fruit easy, quick and uniform.
My current favorite is my own fully-encased purple silicone spatula, purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond. After an old rubber white one disintegrated in a hot syrup, I swore I’ll only buy silicone from now on!
I love my knives when they are sharpened. That is on my to-do list this week.
I’m loving my cheapo Thai knife, purchased from the local Asian market. $4, and I can tune it to perfection!
My fav is the Vitamix – but non-electric would be my bench scraper – it’s a great versatile extension of the hand and fingers.
lately my favorite kitchen tool has been my cutco serated knife.
I think my favorite kitchen tool is a good quality chef’s knife. I don’t know that that’s exactly a ‘tool’ – but I spent so many years with a crappy knife, not knowing what I was missing. Since I’ve gotten a good one, I’m amazed at how wonderful it is every time I use it!
At this time of year especially, my immersion blender is a favorite and frequently-used tool. Perfect for soups and fruit butters!
Right now, I’m loving my immersion blender! It sits next to my best wooden spoons and makes the most awesomely-textured soups.
My favorite’s is my hand blender, and my apple peeler, it peels and cores and cuts with each turn of the handle. The kitchen tools giveaway is awesome,Thanks….
My favorite kitchen tools are my hands, but for some crazy reason reason I just go crazy over new gadgets for the kitchen…specially if they are this nice! I’d love to win these…
My favorite kitchen tool is my immersion blender. It comes in handy when I’m pureeing soups and I don’t want to take out my VitaMix.
One of my new favorites is the fruit/vegetable strainer for my Kitchen Aid ~ tomato sauce, applesauce ~ a snap! Else my knives.
At this time of year it would have to be my rolling pin! Between pies and cookies it gets quite a workout! Thanks for the fun give-away:@)
I bought the 4th burner pot on your suggestion sometime last year. It’s great for boiling ears of corn too (at least if you are a family of 3 or less). Looking forward to making some more jam for thumbprint cookies – your pear cinnamon recipe makes great cookies.
More of a tool for holding my tools, my favorite thing right now is the awesome expanse of pegboard my fiance put up in on an unused wall – I’ve got my cutting boards, colanders, cooling racks, box graters, and small-but-not-small-enough-to-fit-in-a-drawer-tools all up in easy reach and out of my teeny-tiny cabinet space…
Best tool or gadget in my kitchen is a magnetic knife holder strip that I attached to a small section of wall by my counter. Keeps 5 of my well loved tools close at hand. Best thing I ever did.. Love it.
It is so hard to pick my favorite tool. Silicone fully encased two-sided spatula? Bench scraper to pick up all those little chopped up pieces of deliciousness? Oh, the ceramic knife is nice, too. Will cut through anything. It even came in a case that will not release the knife unless held correctly to keep you from cutting yourself.
Favorite tool of all time is my tiny, super sharp paring knife. I use it every day.
Right now it has to be my nonstick omelet pan…love making brunch on the weekends.
My favorite kitchen tool is a whisk that I got years ago that doesn’t overlap at the end – it’s shaped like five metal petals coming almost together. The genius of this design is that things don’t get trapped in that inner whisk cage that often happens with the traditional whisk. It also doubles as a great light masher.
Love my chef’s knife, now matter what the recipe, always start with a bit of chopping.
One of my most prized kitchen tools is my immersion blender. Perfect for scrunching up tomatoes during canning, and pureeing winter roots for soup. And so many other things!
One of my favorite kitchen tools is my iPad 🙂 It is so convenient to use when I am following a recipe from a website or even one of my own that has been typed up. I also love a good wooden spoon!
My vitamix blender was incredibly helpful this year in my canning!!!!
I admit I love all “gadgets” for the kitchen but my knives are my mainstay. Sharp knives make work so much easier and I would be lost in the kitchen without them.
Thanks for the chance of the giveaway!
I actually have one of those spatulas and am in LOVE with it!!!
Giant cooking chopsticks! I use them to mix, beat, stir, poke, turn over… and in a pinch as drumsticks.
I love my microplaner and use it almost every day
I love my microplane for easy grating and zesting.
I would just LOVE to have that Thermapen thermometer [rated tops by “Cooks Illustrated”]! Speaking of Tueday Morning, I bought several shapes & colors of wonderful silicone spatulas there this year for a terrific price [$3-4 each].
My favorite tool in the kitchen is my KitchenAid stand mixer. With the different attachments (from meat grinder to veggie strainer), it get used almost every day.
A lame and a razor blade for perfectly scoring baguettes.