My (Current) Kitchen Wishlist

I love kitchen gadgets! I could probably spend an entire day in William Sonoma or Bed Bath & Beyond, for real.  I'm also a newlywed, so I don't have the most equipped kitchen. I finally bought my first muffin pan LAST WEEK!

Yeah, it's like that.

So, as I am trying to live a more natural and holistic lifestyle, my kitchen needs are changing. Here's a list of 5...ish items that I feel could make my life much productive and efficient in the kitchen:

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1. A(nother) slow cooker.

Yep, I need more than one slow cooker. Why, you ask? For broth, of course! I need a slow cooker than can practically run all the time for the sole purpose of preparing broth and keeping warn broth available for drinking anytime. This may sound weird to some, but broth is super healthy (Jewish penicillin, hello!). Plus I've been threatened by my CSA coordinator that if I don't drink broth every day, then....well...I'm crazy!  Finally, when I'm not making broth. I could always use this to batch cook on the weekends for the coming week! Since slow cookers are so inexpensive, I'm sure I'll be adding another one to my arsenal pretty soon.

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2. A Food Processor

Doesn't this make EVERY home cook's life easier? Something that will do all that redundant slicing and dicing for you?  Well, I honestly don't mind the slicing and dicing because I'm trying to develop Iron Chef knife skills (watch out, Marimoto!). But there are a couple things I would be constantly using this awesome thing for. One would be seed and nut butters! It would also be super useful when I'm whipping up some Paleo-Friendly cookies by Kelly Bjelly. Then there's pesto, salsa, cauliflower "rice", SO many things I could do with this thing! Hopefully it won't be too long before I have one of these.

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3. A new set of knives.

So, back to the Iron Chef knife skills...I want them. And not Iron Chef America skills. I want the skills of the O.G.s from Iron Chef Japan! I want to julienne a carrot perfectly in seconds. I want to be able to butcher an entire pig beautifully.  I don't want to go to chef school anymore, but I would LOVE to take some knife skills classes. I mean, there's no getting around using knives when being a home cook, so why not have some serious skills...and a super sharp set of knives! Yes, I'm talking about cuts-through-paper-with-one-fail-swoop sharp! Did you know that working with sharp knives is actually SAFER than working with dull ones? Yep, it allows you to make precise cuts with minimal effort, instead of hacking away at something with your poor fingers trying to stay out of the way! Yes, new knives would be a wonderful thing.

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4. A Vitamix!!

OMG, I WANT ONE OF THESE SO BAD!!!  The Vitamix is the ultimate blender, used by the worlds best chefs and home cooks. From the speed controlling dial, to the tamper that allows you to push down food while blending, and the insanely powerful motor that will actually heat up pureed soups while blending!  This masterpiece is the perfect blend of art and science - a sleek design that stands the test of time. I have so many plans for this thing. Not only can I make nut butters, purees, soups, smoothies, coconut milk, coconut flour, etc, but I can also work on my skin and hair care line with this thing! And I'd me more than comfortable using it for both because they are a breeze to clean! Just put warm, soapy water in the container and blend! VOILA! With the price tag of over $500, purchasing one of these will take a while, but I'm willing to wait in order to get the best.

                    

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5. A cast iron dutch oven and skillet

Okay, I know this is cheating a little bit, but I want them both for the same reasons - they are both oven safe! I want to make beautiful frittatas and seared steaks in the skillet, while making delicious braised meat dishes in the dutch oven. I love my new cooking ware (especially the fact that it was all less than $50!), but none if it is oven safe. Cast iron is the ultimate in cooking ware. It last forever. It is easy to clean. It's a beautiful presentation all in its own. They don't leak yucky chemicals into your food, and the skillet would even ADD iron to my dishes! It's the gift that keeps on giving!  The dutch oven could essentially be yet ANOTHER slow cooker when I'm home and can watch the oven. So many uses for both of these amazing products - I can't wait to have one or two in my kitchen!

This list is not necessarily complete, but I feel they are definitely the essentials. In the blogs I read, these items come up regularly in recipes and posts.  Please do not misunderstand - I am extremely thankful for what I have. My tiny apartment has a great gas stove that I don't know what I would do without. My current slow cooker doubles as a pressure cooker, which makes amazing stews! My hubby and I bought a Nutribullet not to long ago, and it works well for making smoothies, nut butters (with a little extra texture), and blending batters.  My life will go on if I never own any of these things, but it's good for me to have a wishlist. This process has allowed me to really compare the gadgets I desire to the list of tasks I'd actually perform with them and weed out the fluff. These 5...er...6 items would be used on a very regular basis, and that's why they made the wishlist.

What kitchen items are currently on your wishlist?