Practical Holiday Gifts You Will Actually Use
I’m seeing all these “Kitchen Holday Gift” guides and I’m not enthralled by what’s on these lists. They’re very generic, the items are expensive, and they’re pretty useless. Like if someone bought me a soda stream, I’d be like, “Thanks, I’ll probably only use this once and it will lose its novelty.” Here’s a list of items that I use almost every week and are worth every cent.
If you’ve never heard of the InstantPot, you must be living under a rock. This bad boy has nothing to do with MJ or Instagram, but it does everything else under the sun. It’s a pressure cooker, it’s a slow cooker, it’s a sauté-er, it’s a rice cooker. It’s dope. Not literally. Also, it’s one of the cheaper pressure cookers around. My only complaint is that it sometimes needs some TLC when you’re starting it up because the locking mechanism isn’t always cooperative. I use this thing at least once a week for bone broth, rice, beans, and stews. I use this to make my pha-mous (famous) pho.
I know what you’re thinking... that’s a CRAP STOCKING stuffer, but I’m SERIOUS! I’ve broken 4 can openers in my life and I’m OVER cheap-o can openers. The OXO Good Grips can opener changed my life. It opens the can in a way that you can use the lid to store the canned item back in the fridge. Also, I’ve been using it for over a year and it hasn’t broken on me.
Same Story as the can opener. Picture this- you’re with your family during the holidays and you BREAK your one and only wine opener. You spend hours Googling alternate ways- use a shoe... use a knife.. etc. You end up pushing the cork in the bottle and straining the bits with a tea strainer... yuck. The TrueTap wine opener is cheap, but effective. I’ve had it for over a year and it hasn’t broken in me yet.
Youre probably like- whyyyy do I need a slow cooker when I have an InstantPot. Well... I guess you don’t, but this slow cooker is like a nice purse. When you walk into a holiday potluck with this guy, it’s like BAM. Lunch is ready. Also, it does an awesome job of cooking food, has many unique functions, and has thermometer attachment... blah blah blah. Main thing is it looks sick. Also, life changer- make sure you use slow cooker bags whenever you’re cooking. It makes clean up SO MUCH better.
This thing is cheap and it is magic. I’ve never had issues with my batter sticking to the iron... and I use a LOT of weird flours. It’s evenly crisps your waffle and it has 5 crisping settings. The only qualm I have is that it doesn’t beep when your waffle is done. It just has a light that changes.
Cuisinart has a lifetime warranty, which is why I bought these pans. They’re made of stainless steel, which I’ve found to be the best material for cooking most foods and they heat up quickly. I have used all of these pans multiple time- it’s a great set. I really really like the large saucepan and the stockpot. Don’t use these pans for crepes.
Use this for all your sticky situations. Aka crepes, pancakes, other things you have to flip. You don’t absolutely need one, but it makes sticky cooking a LOT easier.
For higher heat cooking... and to look like a boss in th kitchen, I use my cast iron. It’s cheap and it’s not as high maintenance as people make it out to be. When you wash it, make sure you dry it thoroughly... or it will rust. Simple. I love to sear meat and veggies in this bad boy. Drool. I’m not saying get this specific one- it’s just the one I have. I got the 12 inch size.
Appliances I’m not so thrilled with that are on everyone’s shopping list...
Blendtec / Vitamix... I literally used that ish twice and never used it again... I thought I was going to be a smoothie-drinking ab lady. Nope.
Cuisinart... I mean it’s cool, but it’s a little high maintenance and expensive and I wouldn’t call it an “essential”. I’d say get the Bella Blender and use it as your cheap food processor until you save up.
KitchenAid mixer... just encourages you to make cakes and unhealthy foods... or it just sits on your counter unused for months. If you’re an occasional baker, save the money and space and buy a hand blender.
What’s on your shopping list / what appliances do you regret buying? Let me know.
