Kitchen Must-haves

A dishwasher
 Seriously, how do people get by without one?
Dishwasher safe cutting boards
 I just purchased a few poly granite cutting boards from HomeSense. They are dishwasher safe, resistant to odors and non-porous. Sidenote: HomeSense is incredible for finding amazing quality kitchen items for very reasonable prices.
Good knives with knife block
 Make sure they are full tang and have triple rivets. They will cost more but will last you a life time. I have J.A. Henckels and I find them pretty good.
Knife sharpener
 When using place on top of a cutting board so you don’t dice up your countertops like my husband did a few evenings ago – you live and learn right?!
Rubber gloves
 For washing dishes – the hotter the better. If you are a freak like me you can also use a pair to handle raw meat.
Herbs & Spices
 And a lot of ‘em! I grab mine from the Bulk Barn so I can get exactly how much a need to fill my containers (I hate having extra packages of things – I need a pantry, badly!) I despise spice racks so here is a picture of what I came up with for an alternative. Magnetic containers on the side of my fridge.

Wine
 For drinking and cooking. Remember to cook with wines that you actually like to drink as those flavours will be infused into your food. Nothing beats the smell of garlic cooking in white wine…mmm…
Garlic press
 I couldn’t live without a garlic press. I put garlic in everything!
Pyrex set (with plastic lids)
 We recently purchased a set and love them for leftovers, fresh fruits and veggies, and office lunches. Out with the old PBA plastic containers and in with the new, safe and durable Pyrex set.
Food Processor
 I use mine for just about everything – chopping, pureeing, shredding. It saves a ton of time when making stews, soups and sauces (I hear it’s great for homemade baby food too!)
Crock Pot
 Although I should use mine more often, I am so thankful I have it when cooking large quantities.
Laptop
 Regardless of what I am cooking I have my laptop in the kitchen with me. It is a great tool when doing conversions, looking for substitutions or when you need a creative idea for a side dish to go with your entrée.