5 Expensive Kitchen Gadgets That are Totally Worth It
I am the queen of buying specialty kitchenware. Me and Williams-Sonoma are in a toxic love affair. All Williams-Sonoma does is take and take from me, and I can’t resist. That whole family of stores just sells directly into my bloodstream. (Yes, Williams-Sonoma and West Elm are owned by the same people. They have taken so much of my money.)
But unfortunately, some things are just… worth it. Not all — but some of it. If you’re a home cook who also cannot resist the lure of specialty kitchen stuff (I did NOT need a walnut-handled lamé), I hope this helps you decide where to invest your hard-earned cash. Here are five expensive kitchen things that I have found to be truly worth the price tag. Not everything is from Williams-Sonoma, I promise!
Silpat Half-Sheet Liner
I’m ashamed to admit that these are $27. You’re probably thinking, “Irena. Parchment paper is like $2 a roll, why the hell would I buy a Silpat??” I could make arguments about the environment, but these simply create such a nice baking surface. Sometimes you can find them on sale at Marshall’s/HomeGoods!
Enameled Cast Iron
You can bake bread in this. You can make soup in this. You can deep fry in this. It may be $85, but nothing else is going to do it better. Don’t fall for the Le Creuset aesthetic — the Lodge Dutch Oven is going to serve you just fine, and be 4 times cheaper.
Microplane
The Zester (left, $15) and Coarse (right, $15) are sharp and perfect. The Zester will make your orange smooth as a baby’s bottom. Instead of crushing garlic now, I Microplane it, skin on, à la Molly Baz, and it saves me from mess and garlicky-smelling fingers. The Coarse grated off part of my wrist and I didn’t even notice until the blood started. Give away your box grater. Buy a Microplane!
Sharp Knives
I get the nails-on-a-chalkboard feeling when I see people chopping with dull knives. You’re more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one! Invest in your knives. These are from Misen, though there are many other nice knife brands. From left to right: Serrated/Bread Knife, Chef’s Knife, Santoku Knife ($65 each). I use the Santoku most often, since I eat a lot of vegetables. These are dreamy knives.
Food Processor
I just mentioned expensive knives, so it seems unnecessary to have an appliance that chops for you. To break down large quantities of vegetables, however, this cuts prep time dramatically. I use this whenever I batch make wontons or dumplings! A food processor is also the only way to make true smoothie bowls — the NutriBullet requires too much liquid to blend. The food processor gets the consistency just right. This KitchenAid 3.5 cup food processor is $50, but it’s often on sale/refurbished for $25-30!
Speaking of KitchenAid, I must confess that I have a KitchenAid stand mixer I love. It’s brilliant for making bread, handles hot sugars well, and really saves my arms a workout. It didn’t make it into this listicle because it was a gift. As much as I hate to say it, you don’t need it. A hand mixer will do just fine for cakes and cookies, and your arms knead great bread (no electricity required!). It’s also heavy — I don’t drag mine out for cookies anymore because it’s such a pain. If you had told me this when I was lusting after a stand mixer, though, I wouldn’t have listened. If you have the disposable income or very generous family/friends, get a stand mixer. If you don’t, I promise you can still make amazing bread and pastry!
I hope this was practical and not too out of realm. I do believe you can be a wonderful home cook without any of this (except for the knives — I stand by every chef needing sharp knives). These five kitchen gadgets have made my life easier, or at least more efficient. They bring me joy when I am puttering around trying new recipes! While they are pricier than their alternatives, their value is worth the cost.
p.s. Seriously, invest in sharp a** knives. Great for cooking AND surprise murderers.
