Cooking is such a big part of our lives. We are in the kitchen pretty much every day making breakfast, lunch, dinner or a combination of all of the above.

Because I watch what I buy and how much I buy, I never though I would be the person to have a bunch of kitchen tools that only had one purpose.

I can use a knife in place of specific cutting tools. A stove top and an oven is all I need to make every single meal, and that there’s no real reason for me to have anything other than just pots and pans for the stove top.

However, since living in a place for almost two years (with no end in sight), we have embraced kitchen appliances and tools more than ever.

While I still don’t believe that I need an obnoxious amount of “As Seen On TV”- like kitchen tools, I wanted to share my favorite items that I use frequently.

Garlic Press

Garlic is a huge part of our diet. When we go to the grocery store, we usually just buy a garlic clove just to be safe. And for a little bit, we kept forgetting garlic powder seasoning, so we always resorted to fresh garlic, and honestly… not even mad. Fresh garlic heightens your recipes that much more, and makes your house smell like an fine dining Italian restaurant.

While I was totally fine with chipping little garlic pieces with just a regular ol’ knife, the garlic press makes it so much easier, and I use it so much, it’s enough to justify the extra tool. You can also use it for pretty much any small fruit or vegetable crusher if you are worried about multi-purpose.

Air Fryer

The Air Fryer in our household is use for pretty much one thing: fries. We have yet to expand our air frying recipes, but we use this for fries pretty much every week. The Air Fryer is easy to use, and makes cut potatoes into fries better than the oven does.

While it is a little bulky, and the parts are harder to clean than just a cookie sheet that went in the oven, it is still very worth it.

If it’s not fries, it’s mostly reheating leftovers or making guilty pleasure food like vegan chicken nuggets or vegan fish sticks.

Does anyone have any killer recipes? Because we need to explore new ingredients and foods.

Slap Chop

I just got a slap chop over Christmas, and I already knew I was going to be a fan because I specifically asked for this item. It has made chopping vegetables to much easier for soups, salsas, and pastas and more.

In less than one minute, I can have finely chopped mushrooms for mushroom gravy. Or cauliflower for tacos. Or tomatoes for chili. There are endless possibilities, and I’m only a week in with this tool.

The slap chop is also fairly easy to clean, as the portions come apart in all the right places.

Olive Oil Bottle With Spout

Olive oil is another huge staple in our household. I know you are supposed to use different oils for different purposes, but olive oil is our one trick pony. I use it for sautéing. For baking in the oven. For dressings and more.

We usually buy olive oil in bulk or in large bottles, so we transfer it to a small bottle to make it easier to handle. And one thing that goes with the bottle? A metal spout to control the olive oil coming out.

The spout makes the perfect pour, and makes it so I don’t use too much (which I probably do anyways). While sometimes it comes out too slow, usually it’s just right when I am “buttering” popcorn or drizzling on salads.

Food Processor

The food processor has really upped my salsa game…. notice how most of these items pretty much help me make salsa?

It makes it that much easier to just cut big chunks of the ingredients and throw them in the food processor to make a quick salsa recipe.

And that’s not the only dip I’ve crushed while using this tool. Throw chickpeas in with tahini, garlic, lemon, and olive oil, and voila! Instant hummus. Blend basil, olive oil, pine nuts and nutritional yeast to get a vegan pesto. Process soaked almonds with nutritional yeast and seasonings and add chopped spinach and artichoke hearts for a homemade artichoke dip.

In short, blender-type tools are useful for more than just smoothies and shakes.

Honorable Mention – Crock Pot

I have made only one meal in my CrockPot, but it was extremely impressive. Technically I have made two, but the other attempt, I started way too late, and I had to finish cooking it on the stove top.

But that one recipe I did finish was the best chili I ever made. I am so excited to make a plethora of soups this winter. And because the CrockPot was made for the ski bum lifestyle.

Most of these items were gifts, and they were the perfect gifts if you asked me. If you are wondering what you should get others for any sort of special occasion, ask them if they are in need of any kitchen items, because I guarantee you that it’s something they will use daily.

Your full time plant eater and part-time kitchen tool advocate,

AJ