I get asked a lot about what my recommendations are for kitchen must haves… especially around the holidays. You know you can trust me as I use these time and time again and can confidently recommend these products to you. I am in no way paid or sponsored by these companies. I wish I had time to write this post earlier.. but better late than never… right? So here we go!
The number one question I get asked a lot about is the Traeger Grill and if it really is that good and worth it. My answer every. single. time…. YES! We have a regular grill too and when we first got our Traeger Grill, we grilled half of our meal (whether it was steak, chicken, etc…) on our regular grill and half on the Traeger. The Traeger won hands down every time! Why? The meat was so tender it was unreal and the flavor with the wood pellets the traeger uses infuses the most amazing flavor. We also like that you can smoke your meat if you like it real smokey, or grill it with a mild smoke flavor. Another amazing feature…. it cooks like a oven. You can control the temperature, so anything you cook or bake in the oven… you can cook or bake it in the Traeger. We cook our Thanksgiving turkey in our Traeger and there’s no going back.. and it frees up my ovens… win win! Like I’ve told tons of people… if you’re in the market for a grill…. make sure you get a Traeger… you’ll thank me later! You can head to their site HERE to find a dealer in your area.
If you’ve ever attended one of my cooking classes… you know of my deep love for the Bosch stand mixer. I call it a work horse. The so called Mercedes Benz of stand mixers. It may not come in all the pretty colors as the Kitchen Aid but trust me.. it’s a 1,000 times better and dependable for the same price and I depend on my Bosch every single day. My most used appliance in my kitchen! I got mine HERE and love this company and their customer service!
I also get asked what pots and pans I recommend and use. Definitely All Clad! Go for the D5 or if price isn’t an issue, copper core. The D5 is heavy duty and the pricier copper core gives you the most even heat. I do not recommend getting the non stick. You cannot get the versatility you need when cooking with having all non stick cookware. They are a breeze to clean with Bar Keepers so you don’t have to worry about keeping them looking good and clean. I can’t live without my All Clad pots and pans! You can find them on sale with free shipping right now HERE.
Like I tell my classes… once you have a food processor.. you wonder how you ever got along without one! Grating, slicing, making pie crust or bread crumbs are just a few things that are a breeze with this amazing appliance. My favorite one is this one made by Breville. It comes with so many attachments that come in a compact, organized container. Seriously… every kitchen needs this. We got ours HERE.
Another must have in my kitchen is a very, very amazing knife or knives. I have a drawerful of Miyabi knives… paring knife, bread knife, chef’s knife, meat carving knife… you get the picture. Pictured is the kind that I own. The Miyabi SG2 Artisan series. The quality of this knife is amazing. I use mine multiple times a day and I only have to get them sharpened twice a year. And they feel amazing in my hands.. which is important for safety reasons. Invest in these one or two at a time… the most important tool in your kitchen. You can find these amazing knives HERE.
I just taught a fresh pasta class and we talked about this machine that I’ve owned for over a year. I don’t like a lot of machines like these as I find most of them
“gimmicky” and dust collectors. Not this machine! If you like to eat pasta… there’s nothing that compares to fresh pasta! This makes making fresh pasta quick and as easy as saying 1, 2, 3. And the clean up is also a breeze… another important factor to me. I was shocked just how fast and easy it was to make fresh pasta for an army (or for 2 people) with this machine. Worth every penny. And as a bonus.. when you buy it now.. you can find them on sale for the holidays. Right now you can find it for 100.00 off HERE with free shipping.
Another love of mine.. the amazing Vitamix. We have both a Blendtec and a Vitamix. We actually use both but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be the Vitamix. Why you ask? One example would be because when making a sauce or salad dressing that has onions, garlic or any vegetable that you want completely pureed, you can only do that with a Vitamix. The Blendtec simply cannot completely puree those smooth. Believe me… I tried without any success. This appliance is also a work horse. It’s an important part of our kitchen! Vitamix has them sale right now for the holidays on their SITE.
Just because I said not to buy your pots and pans in non stick doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t buy any non stick pans. I think everyone should have one non stick pan..as they do have their purpose. And when you do buy one, I highly recommend the Scanpan. First and foremost, it is safe for you and for the environment… not toxic! Secondly, it is tough… as in you can use metal utensils while using it and it will not destroy your pan. The non stick surface cannot be scraped away. As the company claims… “There is no tool in your kitchen that could damage or destroy the Scanpan surface.” Enough said! I bought mine HERE and have had it for years!
I use these cups in my cooking class (as well as dinner gatherings and everyday use) and people in my class are always asking me where I got these amazing cups. They keep your beverages cold, look fantastic, are the perfect size and are dishwasher safe… pretty much the perfect cup! These were developed to replace the disposable “SOLO” cups as these are reusable and environmentally friendly. And as a bonus for me.. I just plain like they way they look and function! You can find them HERE.
For those of you in the market for a beautiful, yet functional dutch oven… I highly recommend Staub. They are truly beautiful, high quality and produce the best dishes with an performance! I have been so very happy with mine. I did a comparison years ago of Staub vs. Le Crueset. You can read about it HERE. You can find a beautiful collection HERE on sale right now with free shipping. And yes.. my favorite handles are options you can buy… in cute animal forms!
And last but not least is our newest addition to the Evans Home… The most amazing, legit pizza oven! Believe me when I tell you it took years of research before we felt good enough to take the plunge and make the investment for this baby. It gives us pizza crusts just like my favorite pizza places… the perfect chewy and slightly charred crust… heaven! This oven is made in Italy but the company is in the U.S. It is an Italian family owned company that loves food as much as I do and they were more than happy to answer our million questions. Seriously guys… I am over the moon in love with this beauty! For reference… our is the Mangiafuoco oven and it is the one pictured here. Here is the source for this pizza oven if you too want to give yourself the best present ever! By the way.. you can make way more than pizzas in these ovens… and you bet we will be making all sorts of amazing food in ours! Head over to their SITE to check them out!
There you go friends! I hope this helps you either decide on a brand if you were looking for one of these items or gives you an idea for some great gifts. I promise you will love every single one. I certainly do! Happy holidays to you all and may you all have the yummiest season… I know we will!
XOXO,
Jenny
