March Kitchen Tools

When I first got into cooking my kitchen was (naturally) very poorly equipped.  I had  2 steak knives, a plastic cutting board (*broken*), a cookie sheet, a set of mixing bowls and a set of pots and pans.  You can certainly accomplish a lot with those items, but it definitely made cooking very labor intensive.

Ever since I first began contemplating the idea of this blog, I knew that I wanted to have a monthly post where I discussed 3 favorite kitchen tools.  There are tons of kitchen tools on the market, some of which have been life changing for me and others not so much.  This monthly post will showcase those tools that I really think are worth the investment.  Since my house is currently overloaded with citrus at the moment, I figured that it might be best to start with three of my favorite citrus tools.   

Citrus Reamer

This is my favorite "on-the-go" juicing tool for citrus.  When recipes call for "the juice of a lemon" and you don't feel like taking out all of your juicing equipment, grab that citrus reamer!  It's quick, effective, takes up minimal storage space and some models are even dishwasher safe (My reamer is hand-wash only, but still easy to clean).

Microplane

I would actually categorize the microplane as a "must-have" kitchen tool.  Not only is it great for zesting citrus quickly and easily, but it is also great for grating fresh parmesan cheese, nutmeg and even shaving chocolate!  In addition to its many uses, the microplane comes with my favorite feature…it's dishwasher safe!!!  What isn't to love about this multipurpose kitchen tool?!?

Citrus Juicer

While the electronic citrus juicers are nice to have, I have found this manual juicer to be more than sufficient for my juicing needs.  When recipes require a specific measurement of freshly squeezed citrus juice, I use my citrus juicer.  Why?  It comes with the measuring units on the container below the reamer, a filter to separate the seeds from the juice, it's small size makes its easy to store and of course it's dishwasher safe to boot!

While this post is only a small flavor of all of the kitchen tools that I look forward to sharing with you in the future, I hope it has equipped you with the information needed for outfitting your kitchen with citrus tools.   

Bathroom Decor and Storage Solutions

As I have mentioned in my post on 5 Tips for Maximizing Space in your Kitchen,  my husband and I purchased our first home about a year ago.  While it is certainly more spacious than anything we have had in the past, it has its quirks and limitations for sure.  In addition to the kitchen storage being tight, I had initially experienced a similar situation in the bathroom.  

Our previous rental had this wonderful little linen closet.  I kept all of our bed linens, towels and dog grooming essentials in this closet.  It was extremely useful to have this additional storage space upstairs in between our bedroom and bathroom.  When we moved, I noticed that our bathroom configuration was such that the former bathroom linen closet had been converted into the laundry closet by the previous owner.  Having the laundry in my bathroom is convenient, but the drawback has been - where do I store the extra towels and supplies that I used to keep in that little linen closet we had at our previous rental?  

The Solution(s)

Bathroom Shelf- I had seen one of my friends add floating shelves to their bathroom to maximize storage space.  It was brilliant!  I had the ideal empty space in my bathroom, but instead of using floating shelves I opted to furnish it with a metal etagere.  The shelves  were the perfect storage solution for all of my towels, candles and bathroom knick knacks.  Yes, I needed a few knick knacks so that my etagere didn't look strictly utilitarian.  The last thing I wanted was to create a display shelf that had an inventory look!

Baskets- I was fortunate to have the opportunity to gut my bathroom before we moved in (thank goodness!).  We only have one bathroom in our house and it was severely outdated when we bought the house.  Since we had a month between closing and moving in, we decided to take care of the bathroom renovation (the renovation would require that the bathroom be out of commission for at least 3 days while they did the flooring).  Included in the renovations, was a new sink console. 

As is the way whenever you are under time constraints, nothing ever seems to go smoothly.  The sink console I had originally selected (with tons of cabinets and drawers) was backordered for months (just my luck!).  In an effort to be adaptable,  I opted for a sink console with drawers and a lower shelf.  Just like the kitchen, I was able to increase storage space on this bottom shelf by adding these Water Hyacinth Baskets from the Container Store.  This provided the additional space needed to house  all of our dog grooming products, cleaning supplies and bathroom paper products.  I also found a smaller matching basket to use on my display shelf for storing extra hand towels and washcloths.  

Every house has its own set of challenges, but I have learned that there is always a solution!  Just be patient, do your research (i.e. Pinterest, Magazines, Friends' Houses) and avoid the inventory look.  You will be surprised at the storage potential of any given space when you take the time to figure it out.  I know I have! 

Sharing a Different Perspective on Wine Glasses

My husband and I enjoy indulging in the occasional glass of wine after work.  Of course I usually am not able to show any restraint and find myself "scaping" a setting even when its just two glasses of wine and a bowl of nuts!  I like to mix up the stemware and use different cocktail napkins depending on my mood and/or time of year.  Among my favorite sets of wine glasses to use would have to be my Riedel Bordeaux Crystal Wine Glasses.   They are so delicate, stately and personally I think they make the wine taste even better!  

Unfortunately I have found that there is a drawback to using my nice stemware…the cleaning!  At the end of the night after a glass wine or two, the last thing I want to do is head over to the sink and start hand-washing glasses.  Fancy glasses can be quite fragile and my husband and I have both been at fault for more glass casualties than I care to count.  We even had to implement a fancy glass washing rule- If you have been drinking then you need to refrain from glass washing until morning (along the lines of don't drink and drive…don't drink and wash).  

While our stemware washing rule is effective, I have also found a stemware alternative- Dishwasher Safe Wine Glasses!  There are some really great wine glasses available in stores that look very high end and are actually made of glass.  Unless you are holding the glass, discerning between the glass vs. crystal isn't easy to do, so why not go for glass?  You can still have the same look and not have to worry about hand washing at the end of an evening.  I am particularly fond of World Market's bordeaux and chardonnay glasses.  I also love these Schott Zwiesel Cabernet Wine Glasses and Pure Sauvignon Blanc Wine Glasses.    

Formal hosting and special occasions will always be reason enough for me to pull out my nice stemware.  However, I must say that having a set of dishwasher safe wine glasses to use on a random week night is certainly something I appreciate.  Above I have posted pictures of my favorite Riedel Crystal Glasses (approx. $25/glass) and the World Market glass equivalent (approx. $5.99/glass…which I also love).  Can you tell the difference?