Top Ten Kitchen Utensils and Gadgets of 2017

Since I am on a roll, I thought I might as well start doing our favorite kitchen items list for 2017.  (You can read about our Top Ten 2017 Baking Essentials here and our Top 2017 Cooking Essentials here.)

This year I wanted to break it up into a few more categories, so I could add a few more of my favorites. So, without further ado (and in plenty of time for in-store buying for Christmas), here are our favorite kitchen utensils and gadgets for 2017.

(These are listed in no particular order, starting from the upper left and going clockwise.)

1. OXO Good Grips Multi-Purpose Pastry Scraper/Chopper

If you love to bake, you really should get one of these. I received mine for Christmas last year and it’s great for any sort of dough-related dividing, cutting, scraping or lifting. It’s a simple tool, but it works. I especially love OXO’s version for their signature grippy handle.

2. Kuhn Rikon Silicone Whisk, 10-Inch

I have a small love affair with whisks. They are hands-down one of my favorite items in the kitchen. I used them to beat eggs, smooth a roux, and mix dry ingredients for baking. I especially love using our Khun Rikon silicone whisk for cooking because I don’t have to worry about scratching our pans.

3. Microplane Ultimate Citrus Tool

Pretty much any Microplaner will become a favorite item, but the particular one we have is the citrus tool (the link is for a newer model than ours). I do mainly use ours for zesting citrus for recipes (like my favorite: key lime pie!), but they’re also great for chocolate, nutmeg, etc. I particularly like the citrus tool because it has the extra features you can use to make citrus curls for garnish.

4. Stainless Steel Handle Silicone Spatula

This is an item that showed up last year, but it’s still one of my favorites (that unfortunately, I can’t locate the same one). A silicone spatula holds up to heat and scrapes dough, and the stainless steel handle makes it super sturdy. I have a few cheaper spatulas with plastic handles what I’m always worried about breaking. No worries with this one!

5. Silicone Solid Spoon

This is a newer addition to our utensils and at first, I didn’t see how it was much better than wooden or bamboo spoons. That was until I started the Christmas baking. This spoon not only won’t scratch pots and pans while cooking, it is absolutely AMAZING to use while melting chocolate in a double boiler. You can easily stir the melting chocolate and scrape the sides of the bowl at the same time. Genius.

6. Prep Bowls

These particular prep bowls hail from one of our favorites: Crate and Barrel. They have little grippy bottoms and handles and pour spouts. I use these a ton while cooking and baking to pre-measure ingredients that are added later in the process. These little bowls are miniature versions of some of Crate and Barrel’s mixing bowls (which, we don’t have), but something about their miniature mixing bowl look makes them extra cute and functional. But, in the end, pretty much any prep bowls will work.

7. Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons

These are also a repeat from last year’s list, but I still love them. (And am super happy that now you can find these at Bed Bath and Beyond and Amazon – not just Crate and Barrel.) These measuring cups are heavy-duty and have convenient half way marks on their insides. No more grabbing out another cup out for 1.5 cups. Someday, I might even get a second set because we used them so much more than our plastic measuring cups and spoons.

The ONLY downside to the spoons is they won’t fit into standard spice jar openings, so keep that in mind.

8. Chef’n StemGem Strawberry Stem Remover

To be perfectly honest, we registered for this strawberry huller for our wedding because it was so dang cute. But, to my surprise, this little device works ten times better than the older pinch versions I grew up with. Hulling pounds of strawberries goes quickly. And in our home, that’s a huge plus.

9.OXO Good Grips Locking Tongs

We love OXO tongs, and have both the complete stainless steel ones and the ones with nylon heads. Tongs are so useful with cooking, and sturdy ones that lock together for storage are handy and convenient.

10. OXO Good Grips Dough Blender

If you make pie crust or scones or shortbread, this is an absolute must-have in the kitchen. Sure you could use a fork to cut butter into the dry ingredients, but a tool like a dough blender makes the job so much easier.

Do you have favorite kitchen utensils? What items made it to your favorites list this year?