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.
Definitely my chef’s knife. Time to get it sharpened!
My favorite kitchen tool is my cast iron skillet – it gets used multiple times a day, and I love thinking about all the women who’ve fed their families from it (it was a handmedown!). The Thermapen looks pretty handy too, I’d love to try it!
Favorite gadget and most used, paring knife. I have two rescue parrots who get fresh fruit and fresh veggies twice a day, and then used for family cooking.
I love my good bamboo spoons and spatulas–they’re just the right size and shape.
My favorite is my potato masher too. It is so versatile! Thanks for the chance.
It’s so hard to pick just one favorite kitchen tool. I guess I would have to go with my blue silicone mini-spatula. I’ve had it for years and it even has a little nick on the side, but I can’t part with it. I always reach for this one first before any of my others.
Wow, how to decide?!!
My hubby? My slow cooker? So many implements; so many purposes
i also am in love with my fourth burner pot, its essentially my go to pot in the kitchen. just awesome.
The magnet on a stick makes my life easier – and keeps the lids sanitary and my fingers not burned!
Hard to choose between my 20+ year old 10-inch All Clad covered skillet or a stainless steel flat whisk my husband picked up a few years ago. Both are in constant use every day!
I was given a large stainless steel bowl almost 30 years ago as a wedding present and I have used it for so many things that it has to be my candidate for favorite kitchen tool. I even mix up the granola in it and bake it in the same bowl.
I would love a better thermometer. My candy thermometers always seem awkward and difficult to secure properly. I’m no blessed good at the spoon or plate test, so I need temperature to ensure set.
Okay, not really a tool in the traditional sense, but I’m in love with my new gas stove. It’s the first gas stove I’ve had, and I’ve waited a long time for it – but, oh, so worth it!
My current favorite kitchen tool is my vacuum sealer! I use it for everything, including storage for my herbs that I’ve chopped up and frozen in olive oil.
My favorite tool is my microplaner.
So many things to choose from…but I believe my favorite (or at least the item that gets the most use) is my Crock-Pot. Fruit butters, stews, beans…that thing is magic.
There is no way I could list just one. And I don’t have a favorite, since I love them all. Well I either love them or hate them. Mostly love. The most frequently used tool is my knife and chopping board. I actually have four smallish chopping boards, but the knife I wash after use. It doesn’t get thrown into the dishwasher.
My favorite kitchen tool is the mandolin. Despite the fact that pretty much everyone that uses it has been cut by it, it’s a huge convenience to use, as long as we’re careful! I guess I should get a glove to protect the users for when you can’t use the guard. Then that may be my favorite item!
As silly as it is, the little magnet on a stick is my FAVORITE canning tool!!!
ouch! you’re going to make me choose? that’s like choosing a favourite child!
I guess if I were pinned down to it I think I’d have to say my garlic press. It’s a plain old stainless steel one from ikea 10 years ago. It’s got a pivoting hammer and a removable head so it’s super easy to use and to clean. It gets used at least once a day in our house!
Currently my favorite kitchen tool is a canning funnel – fits a narrow mouth jar, and I use it for a lot of things besides canning.
I have one spatula that’s just perfect. It’s the right combination of flexible and strong that makes it perfect for spreading and stirring.
We’re enjoying the griddle right now….it can handle all the grilled cheese sandwiches or all the pancakes in one fell swoop!
I love my dough wisk from King Arthur. I use it to mix in heavy ingredients. It works like a charm.
My kitchen scale, without a doubt. I even brought it with me to my mother’s for Thanksgiving, because I cannot cook without it.
Probably my favourite tool is my chef’s knife.
thanks for the draw – hope I win!
Lately I have been loving my bread maker. I love how easy it is to mix up a batch of dough to make crescents which goes fabulous with the jams I canned this summer.
Well, since I didn’t win the knife you offered last time, I finally got off my behind and got mine sharpened (3 so far) and boy does that make a difference…LOL! Have a great day!
Mary
My favorite tool always seems to go with the season…. the pastry blender right now…
My current fav kitchen tool has to be my immersion blender. It also has a mini chopper attachment which is awesome for onions, garlic, and making small batches of dips. My immersion blender was an awesome addition to my canning projects this summer. It also allowed me to make some amazing homemade cranberry sauce.
If we’re being honest, it’s my coffee maker — I’d be a wreck without it! But interms of cools adverts, I love my half-sheet pans. They’re so versatile and cook things evenly.
My chef’s knife. I love it so very, ridiculously much! My instant read temp probe died over a year ago, and I’ve been using an analogue one since. I’d love to win this contest!
My favorite kitchen tool is my blossom silicon trivet. It is a great adjustable trivet that I also use in the bottom of a pot for a canning rack.
This is a hard one…there are so many to choose from, like my Cutco spreader I use every morning to butter my toast and then there’s my new peeler with little teeth to peel and make little strips out of citrus skin and of course there’s my wonderfully seasoned, cast iron frying pan.
As a former food service manager, the thermometer was always in a pocket to temp food and I used them before the digital or instant read ones were invented…lets you know I’m not a spring chicken anymore, huh? I still use those old thermometers as they can be calibrated and you know you’re getting a correct temp, but they do take long to register, so this would be very cool to have in my utensil drawer!
I’d say my canning funnel is right up there- I use it all the time to keep everything neat and tidy….
Yes!!! Forgot about that!
My favorite tool at the moment is my immersion blender. I feel like a tv chef when I pull it out and turn it on. love it.
um, hafta say my chef’s knife but my wooden spatula comes in second 😀
It’s a tie between my Kitchen Aid mixer and my Blendtec blender. Right now I use both at least once a day.
My favorite kitchen tool is my Kitchen Aid — I feel like I can do anything with it!
My “go to” kitchen utensil is an old beat up wider wooden spoon. The handle has a bow to it and it feels good when I use it. It shows many memories. 🙂
I’m not sure if it counts as a tool since its an appliance, but I am so deeply in love with my crockpot. I’d be lost without it. I also use one of those little mesh tea balls all the time. I use to infuse soups, jams, drinks , and any other random thing I can think of in this cold weather. Its one of those cheap little things I thought would sit in drawer but I am always using it.
My favorite kitchen tool is my double sided spatula. It has a little one on one end, and a bigger one on the other. It is the color red to boot, and spreads its little cheerfulness into everything I make. It is great for scooping out things from the blender as well as getting that last little bit from jars. And, I would LOVE that thermapen! I have been eyeing it like crazy. I make all sorts of goodies that need temperature readings – ice cream, canning, and candies.
My favorite tool is my Henkel Santoku Knife. I bought it about five years ago, and since it’s first use my old chef’s knife hardly ever gets used any more.
My chef’s knife
Regardless of the season, I love to make soups so my favorite tool is my immersion blender. It’s such a great time saver!
My favorite kitchen tool is my sunbeam bread machine. That thing is amazing , I have two small children and I love that we can have homemade bread without me having to be in the kitchen.
My favorite kitchen tools are all my Williams-Sonoma silicone spatulas. I have them in a rainbow of colors and don’t hesistate to use one, then drop it in the dishwasher, then use another.
My whisk 🙂
I have to pick just one favorite kitchen tool? That’s like asking a mom which child she likes the best! Oh, all right, but shhhh! Don’t tell the others! I have a vegetable peeler that is actually three blades in one device. Found it at Sur La Table. It has a regular blade, a serrated blade, and a julienne blade. Love it when I am peeling peaches, apples, etc. I also love the knives and big ol’ copper jam pot I married into. Thanks for the Thermapen giveaway! I have been through two “less expensive” thermometers in the past year (dropping them into hot jam accidentally doesn’t help), and I have asked Santa for one of these handy dandy tools!
wood chop sticks from Chinese take out~ run it in a jar for the bubbles,better than the store bought one and free