An induction hot plate.

From William Sonoma- rooster oven mitts and matching rooster linen dish towels. From Pier 1-a beautiful glass rooster with colors that match the mitts and towels.

My nephew is now in Munich and looking for the elusive bread box. With luck, I'll have this cool item by Christmas.

Ball canning jars. First good thing - $10 = 12 canisters. Second good thing, as I'm transferring stuff from its renovation hiding places and sundry packaging into jars in preparation for the open concept pantry, they're oddly soothing and visually interesting as scenery.

Third good thing will be the jar labels - I know that sounds crazy, but when I run out of corn starch without being able to immediately update a shopping list - there's nothing there to remind me of the missing corn starch two days later when I'm heading to the store. Now there will be the completely empty jar saying Cornstarch.

Fourth good thing - no ants.

DSF....what to do when you can't open a jar???

Le Creuset silicone handle covers.

OXO Good Grips garlic press.

Individual and double sized Le Creuset stoneware baking dishes.

Pyrex bowls with lids.

But I have lots of old favorites from the old kitchen that I'm just thrilled to be reacquainted with.

One never miss one is the silicone garlic peeler. That's just the best!

It is so nice it stays on the counter..

Crate and Barrel Chopping Board. 14"sq.x1.75"H

SKU 628085 End Grain Chopping Board
Butcher-block integrity featuring extra-strength construction in beautiful end-grain acacia wood. Rich natural contrasts in tone render each thick, footed chopping board unique. A great prep station that translates well to the table or buffet.

Acacia wood
Durable end-grain construction
Stabilizing feet
Hand wash

Once the remodel is done, DH says I'm going on a strict budget. He can already tell I'm dying to make a trip to Home Goods. I definitely want a better garlic press, a new toaster and some canisters.

Might as well make that last shopping spree a good one. This is great info guys.. keep it coming!

Details on the OXO garlic press--this is not for people with hand strength issues, but it works the way the fancy Italian one I got in the '80's is supposed to work. Pretty much all of the garlic really does squish through the holes, and you can slice it off like Playdoh Pumper strings (Fine (said to the eeew in the background). Like pressed pasta, but that's not funny). And better yet, when you flip it over to push the cleaner bumps through the holes, that really works too! I'm always impressed by the functional design quality of OXO products, but this one is a home run.

BTW, I also got a powdered sugar shaker, three sizes of scoops, and a new sifter. The latter two are also OXO. The trigger for the scoops is squeezing the grip like a hand strengthener, which is what sold me. I thought the works of the fancy, prettier scoops looked flimsy, and like it would make the thumb start to hurt if one is making a lot of stuff. And the reason for not just using spoons or fingers is to make producing a large number of whatever it is is the reason for buying scoops to begin with.

The OXO sifter is the kind that you shake back and forth rather than having to grip and release or crank. This seems like it'll be less tiring. The real reason for choosing this one, however, is that there are caps for both the top and bottom, which means that one doesn't have to wet clean it and risk mud, or put it away dusty and get tiny drips of flour all over the drawer.

Now I just need to get things finished enough to bake...

Hands down- the AEROLATTE milk frother! Has anyone else ever seen one of these? A little battery operated whisk that foams milk for coffee or espresso way better than any steamer. It is unbelievable how thick you can get it...I have one in the kitchen and one in our master coffee bar. It just rinses clean under running water, instead of all the cleaning involved with those steam wands on the espresso/cappuccino makers. Only 20 bucks.

I have a few but the most used in my small kitchen is my Folding Popup Colander.

LOL!!!! Niffy, I have a battery powered whisk that someone gave me years ago but I never knew what it was good for! Advantage that it doesn't water down the milk, huh?

The cork puller was kinda neat. So was the expresso maker and the ice cream machine.

Now I need a bread machine of some sort, either a good mixer or a whole machine.

Oh gosh this is all good stuff. I'm soooo close to having a kitchen...

The funny part is, we spend all this money on a new kitchen, and I suspect its these cool new gadgets that make it really fun.

My old garlic press is a drag to operate. When I try to scrape out the innards one part of it always falls completely out. I saw on Cooking.com one that actually does thin slices as well as the squishy pressing.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my goggles that are the kind meant for chopping onions. They're so cute too, being pink. You put those suckers on and will never shed another tear for an onion! :)

I also love my mini (Cuisinart?) food chopper. It's like a tiny version of the standard size and is just a heck of a lot easier to use when you're chopping something small enough like nuts or bread (for bread crumb toppings), etc. The one I have was a hand-me-down so pretty old...so any tiny one would do I'm guessing.

I love my Zyliss rotary cheese grater, and also my microplane grater/zester for smaller jobs like just grating fresh parm. on some pasta that's already on my plate. It could do some bigger jobs too though as these things work VERY well and fast!

I love gigantic tongs (the all-metal kind that pro cooks use).

So many gadgets....but the latest addition to the stable is the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker. And the cactus pear syrup arrived yesterday, just in time for the cactus pear margaritas.

You can see the MFCM right behind the glass. Photo does not do the color of that beverage justice (camera phone). The MFCM is amazing it shaves the ice as it adds it to the pitcher, and then the blender part starts whirling. Awesome frozen drinks, with or without spirits.

{{!gwi}}

Apropos of the milk frother, IKEA has one for about 2 bucks that works fine. I give them to people as little gifts.

I love my jar pop. And it's also great little thing to get your Amazon order up to the $25 free shipping level.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jar Pop

Well, it's not a gadget. I love the way my soapstone countertop defrosts frozen meats . . . .

At the moment, I'm loving my egg toppers! I've been cooking soft boiled eggs and trying to get off the tops with a regular knife or spoon for ages and finally broke down and purchased a couple of those things which cut the tops off nice and cleanly.

Got mine at Chef's Shop for 10 bucks. I'd read a lot of the cheaper ones don't work well but this one got pretty good reviews so I took a chance. Works like a charm, I was shocked how well they snap off, no shells in the egg to be found :)

Love my Lee Valley rasp for grating garlic and Parmesan cheese. Also love my Jamie Oliver marinade/salad dressing shaker - it totally emulsifies the ingredients, no more oil on the top salad dressing!

But now I want me one of those frozen drink makers :):)