Maybe it’s the garlic chopper that saves you an extra five minutes when you make your world-famous homemade marina sauce. Or maybe it’s the lime juicer that spares the tiny cut on your index finger from the stinging citrus pain of lime juice when you’re making margaritas. We’ve all got our tried-and-true kitchen favorites. Our editorial team dishes about the items in their kitchens that they just can’t live without.
Renae Hurlbutt, Editorial Assistant
A visit to my kitchen is a bit like time travel. With nary a microwave, toaster oven, or electric can opener in sight, my kitchen is less Martha Stewart and more Laura Ingalls Wilder. Believe it or not, the only electric appliance I’ve ever felt a pressing need to own is a refrigerator. (I’m a Luddite, I know.) However, all of this changed when I met my KitchenAid mini food processor. It was a hand-me-down, and when I inherited it, I was ambivalent. Great … it chops things, I thought. So do knives. Oh, the naïveté. This wondrous red wizard of a machine has transformed me into a fearless culinary Magellan, pushing the boundaries of what can (and possibly should) happen in the kitchen. Chopped ginger in lemonade? Done. Puréed peaches in popsicles? No problem. Godiva chunks in those boring cookies? Please, challenge me. With my trusty KitchenAid, I am a kitchen pioneer. I think Laura would approve.
Rebecca Brown, Editor-in-Chief
I’ve never loved something deeply while also believing it to be pure, hot evil sent straight from hell, but that’s how I feel about my Cuisinart ice-cream maker. I had been coveting a maker for a few years, but always felt relieved when I saw the expensive price tags because it meant that I could continue with my façade of healthy eating. Then Sur la Table put this model on sale for a mere $49.95 (you can get one, too!) and my life changed. Now I can have any flavor of organic, homemade ice cream my little heart desires (and believe me, I have) simply by mixing a few ingredients and flipping a switch. Dinner guests are impressed; my scale is not.
Nikki Deterding, Partner Coordinator
I’ve accepted that I probably won’t be able to cook an amazing meal, so I might as well eat cereal and save myself the time. Even though I might not put time and effort into cooking, that doesn’t mean that I don’t put time and effort into making alcoholic drinks. When I want an amazingly yummy margarita, I rely on my Tahiti Margaritaville Frozen Drink Machine to get the job done right. And just in case one pitcher of margaritas won’t do it for you—er, your party—this baby comes equipped with three pitchers so you can get your drank on.
