My favorite kitchen things

Oprah gets to publish a favorite things list, so I thought I would give it a try. Since I love to cook so much, I love a good kitchen gadget. Here are 5 of my favorite things in my kitchen (at least right now...I have my eye on some other great things)

Silicone basting brushes

These are so fantastic. I actually have a blue one too, but I can't find it right now. I love these for putting some bbq sauce on chicken or ribs. I also use them to add some butter to the tops of fresh biscuits and cheesy garlic biscuits. I think I love them so much because I hate the thought of bacteria growing on a brush with real bristles. These are dishwasher safe so I feel that they are really clean when I am finished using them.

mortar and pestle 

At least that's what I think it is called. This is really small, but it serves one single purpose in my kitchen. I hate to eat rosemary because it is like little sticks stabbing me in the mouth. So, whenever I make my granny's lasagna, I use this to pulverize the rosemary! Works like a charm. I get the taste of her yummy pasta but without the stabby feeling in my mouth

Strawberry leaf remover

I don't really know what this is called, but it works really well. And it is super cute! It doesn't hurt that I found it on clearance for about a dollar. You just grab the top of a strawberry, twist and pull and viola!

metal scraper

This is another utensil that I cannot live without. I use it every time I chop veggies or fruit. It gets everything on the cutting board so you can easily scrape it off into whatever you need to. It also works to cut dough for rolls or bread. I love it!

And now...drum roll please...my favorite kitchen gadget...

ceramic knife

This was a gift from my brother-in-law. It is AMAZING! It is remarkably sharp...my fingers can attest to that! It chops and dices with such ease that I hardly use any of my other knives anymore. The only downfall to this knife is that you can't sharpen it yourself. You have to send it away to be sharpened. But, to be able to use this knife on a day to day basis, it is worth it.

So there you have it, a few of my favorite kitchen things. Now I wish I could go to Crate and Barrel to look for some new things that I can't live without!