I’m excited to share my top 10 kitchen essentials with you guys! These tools, gadgets and goodies make my time in the kitchen more efficient, cleaner, and fun! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

1. Tovolo Egg Separator: I use this to separate egg yolks and whites when cooking for Maddie, or making an egg dish that calls for just whites or yolks. It's nice because I can crack all of the eggs into a bowl and suck up just the yolks!

2. Kitchen Aid Kitchen Shears: I use my kitchen shears every single day in the kitchen! I use them for cutting meat, herbs, and other food items, and even non-food related items such as the packaging that food comes in. They are so helpful to have on hand!

3.Parchment Paper: I love cover my baking pans in parchment paper for easy clean up. It is also incredible for preventing things from sticking, and it beats aluminum foil in my book when you are using it as frequently as I do!

4. Hand Held Mandoline Slicer: I love this hand held mandoline slicer because it fits nicely in my drawer and dishwasher and it slices veggies & potatoes perfectly every time!

5. Immersion Blender with Food Processor Attachment: My immersion blender has always been a beloved kitchen tool, but more recently I have been obsessed with the food processor attachment. Unlike a large food processor, it is small enough to fit in a kitchen drawer, and it doesnt require a bunch or pieces for set up. I currently use it mostly for blending food such as meats and veggies to add into Maddie's food.

6. Mini Spatula: What's not to love about a mini spatula?! It's small, cute, and reaches into the smallest of places to get that last bit of nut butter, mayo, you name it out of the jar!

7. Bench Scraper: This is a more recent obsession, as I learned about it during a cooking class I took at Sur la Table. I always thought you had to be really into baking to need a bench scraper, but in fact, if you do any sort of chopping or cutting on a regular basis, this tool is perfect for picking everything up and dumping into the bowl!

8. Ice Cream/Muffin Batter Scooper: I have loved my ice cream scooper for a while now, as I am frequently making muffins, mini meatloaves, and other perfectly portioned dishes in a muffin tin. This scooper measures just the right amount of batter, and dispenses it into the muffin tin- mess free every time!

I didn't realize how important it was to stay away from teflon and other non-stick coatings on pans until I started cooking for Maddie. After doing some research, I found that many non-stick pans, when heated past 400 degrees (which almost always happens when cooking on medium-high/high heat), the coating can break down and become toxic. I discovered these stone derived non-stick pans, which were rated one of the top 5 "cleanest" pans, and I am in love! They are sturdy, truly non-stick, and they seem like they will last a lifetime!

10. Good Quality Chef Knife: If I could recommend making one good investment in the kitchen (other than buying a good blender, which technically should be on this list), I would suggest getting a good knife! I personally went into Sur La Table, where I got to test out different knifes and see how they felt and fit in my hand, which is incredibly helpful. I have a small hand, so I got the 6 inch chefs knife rather than the 8 inch, which works really well for me. All they need is the occasional sharpening, and any good knife should last you a lifetime!

I hope this list was helpful, and that it inspired you to try a few of these tools if you don't already! Who knows, you may just find them to be favorites like I do! xo Katie