My Kitchen Musts, Favorites & Desires

Someone once asked me what my top kitchen products are and I immediately thought to myself... Wow, what a great blog post idea. So, here we are, I’ll be sharing some of my favorites, my non-negotiable must-haves, and some wants. After all, ... any foodie is never content and always wants more appliances without the space to store it all. LOL. All my bakers, chefs, and content creators will certainly understand that one. 

I guess we can start with my non-negotiables. For me, that’s an easy four if I were to say so. And obviously we are excluding the common ones of the fridge, microwave, and oven. 

(Please note this post is not sponsored, but rather a blogger sharing her favorite products that one may find useful.)

Non-Negotiables 

• Waffle Makers/Griddles: Protein waffles or protein pancakes almost nightly is how I like to live my life. You can certainly call me the queen of making waffles and pancakes. I love to use my protein pancake mix and add different nutrients into them to meet my macro and nutrient goals. My favorite waffle makers and griddles are the Dash brand. Mini, portable, easy to store, and so so so many fun shapes to allow all your creativity to come to light. 

• Toaster: I freeze my breads and bagels often because they contain no preservatives for the most part, but also because I live alone! Freezing breads and bagels allows for a longer shelf-life and lets me have freedom in my meal choices that vary from trying to eat a loaf of bread myself in four days. I’ve also converted myself from a non-toasted bagel girlie to a nicely well toasted bread/bagel girlie. Who wants a non-toasted sandwich? I really like the Dash Toaster as well because it’s affordable and matches my vibe. I bought the one with the lid for my apartment to avoid any ladybugs from getting in there.  

• Blender: I refuse to live without a high-quality blender for my smoothies/protein shakes. I drink smoothies year-round and especially love them in the summer heat. As someone with gastroparesis, low-appetite, and a lover of fruit, a good blender is key for me. I love the Ninja Kitchen 72 oz blenders because I load those babies with tons of ice. 

• Keurig: Never living without a Keurig in my life. I love my morning coffee and my nightly tea. I also make oatmeal with the water from my Keurig. I currently have the simple slim one for my graduate school apartment but trust me I would love to have a fancier one with more settings in the future such as one that controls the strength/temperature. Keurig also has one that can make lattes which is another future want of mine.

 

Other Unique Favorites (Ones you may not think of) 

• Bagel Slicer: I had not heard of a bagel slicer until I started working at Starbucks. As someone who loved working ovens, I was OBSESSED with the bagel slicer. I actually bought one for my own household as a gift to my brother for his birthday because he LOVES bagels but was too young to truly cut them on his own. Now, I love having one myself. It’s super convenient, reduces the mess from cutting them, and reduces any accidents from trashy knives cutting bagels. I also probably should invest in some higher quality knives that aren’t $1 from Target, but that’s another story.

• Long Smoothie Spoons: I make volume smoothies. I put loads of ice in them and it makes a lot. A regular spoon just isn’t going to cut it when I decide to fill up a larger cup or a cup to go. Therefore, I highly suggest investing in a longer smoothie spoon. I actually tend to use my smoothie spoons for yogurt bowls, cottage cheese bowls etc. thinking it's just so much fun to use a longer and smaller spoon. 

• Room Essential Products from Target: All my college friends need to take themselves to target and grab the .50 cent cups, plates, bowls etc. You can also buy them in a pack. Microwavable, dishwasher safe, and affordable. I live off of these and they are SO durable. In fact, most of my kitchen stuff is Room Essentials Target brand. 

• Mug Cake/Soup Bowl: I actually need to find myself another one of these, but this is one of the best Christmas gifts I’ve ever gotten. Thank you, Emilee, :-) A bowl with a lid that comes with a handle. I use this all the time for my protein fluff recipe or to microwave soups in. 

• Apple Slicer: Nope, I cannot cut an apple with a knife. It’s a disaster and a frustrating experience every time. An apple slicer is a MUST have for me if I want to pack apples on the go. Plus, apple slices are so much better than a whole apple if you ask me.

• Coffee Grinder: My dad uses his coffee grinder almost daily to grind beans at home for a fresher pot. Now, since I live by myself, I don’t have a coffee pot and just use my Keurig. However, I own a coffee grinder because I use it to grind oats to make oat flour. I love using oats instead of flour in some of my baked good/pancake recipes. A coffee grinder is a convenient and affordable way to grind the oats yourself! 

• Sandwich Maker/Panini Press: I bought this sandwich maker beauty to make grilled cheese and it was definitely well worth the investment. I actually think my brother may even like it more than I do. This is great for a pressed hot sandwich! My only wish is that it was a tad bigger since sometimes the bread I use is slightly too big for the maker or the maker doesn’t close completely because we LOVE a loaded grilled cheese sammy. 

Some Desires of Mine 

• Air Fryer: I actually don’t own an air fryer, but I am currently eyeing the Dash one. I didn’t do a great job during my first year of graduate school at cooking full meals for myself. I think an air fryer would be a great way to make potatoes, cook shrimp burgers, make chicken etc. 

• Ninja Creami: I love smoothies, I love smoothie bowls, and I love my Ninja blender (although I am in the market for a new regular Ninja blender). It only makes sense for me to want to add to my collection with the social media phenomena of the Ninja Creami. 

• Food Steamer: At one point in my life, I really wanted a food steamer and forgot about that desire until this past weekend. I was recently diagnosed with gastroparesis which means I need to avoid raw vegetables and cook my veggies. This may not seem like a huge lifestyle for some but I LOVE raw veggies. Raw bell peppers, raw baby carrots, raw string beans etc. are probably the most popular way I consume veggies. However, my digestive system cannot handle it. Therefore, I need to adjust. A steamer seems like it’ll fit my newfound food life conveniently. 

• Continue to build my baking collection: In general, I have been heavily working on adding trays, muffin pans, bread pans, cake pans etc., to my own collection at school. Next up, is probably a good hand mixer for me personally, mini single serving bread pans although I have one at home that I may steal to take back to Georgia with me, so I can make my protein cheesecake recipe throughout the year. My mom is obsessed with temp-tations, so she has a ton of temp-tations cookware. Lastly, I know for sure I want a brownie pan, and slicers for evenly cutting recipes! 

Comment below your favorite Kitchen appliances and be sure to check out my blog and social media for more product favorites, recipes, and life hacks.