These are product links for a few tools I like using in the Kitchen.

Happy Cooking! 

Bread Pans | Sheet pans | cake pans

Breville Toaster Oven

I love my Breville Toaster Oven Air! It can bake, roast, dehydrate, proof AND air fry! The advantages of having an air fryer are that you get the texture of fried foods without all the fat from deep frying in grease! You can literally spray a quick spray of grapeseed oil on whatever you want to air fry, set your air fryer on 400°F for 11 minutes and voila! You can satisfy your craving for french fries, chicken nuggets or calamari from the freezer! I don't know why it takes the same time for calamari from the freezer or defrosted, but I'm a fan! 

Here, you have the Breville Oven with Air Fry Feature or the Breville with Smart IQ which can help you tell when your baked meals are heated through. 

 Cuisinart Food Processor

The first one slices and dices... There is a small bowl to chop nuts or make small amounts of dressings or sauces... And the blades lock in. If you'd rather have the classic, the link for that is on the right. 

Vitamix Blender

You need a high powered blender for soups, purées, emulsifications and smoothies. The first is the one I like. It’s 64oz. and low profile. If you have a chilled soup for more than 4 people, you'll need the larger one for sure. The next size down is 48oz. It's adequate for smoothies and soups for 2 or 3 people. Yes, they're expensive. They're worth it. And you can find cheaper refurbished ones online. Ask me, and I can send you a link.

Cast iron skillets

These are really great, and a kitchen staple for a lot of reasons. I take extra good care of my cast iron. No soap. Ever. The seasoning process will sanitize it and the sear you get from cast iron is the best of anything. This is a set of 2 pieces. I prefer Lodge because they’re the best and because they come from Tennessee, where I’m from. But they’re the best anyway. 

Clean your cast iron with one of these metal rags. I have one and it will scour the burnt on bits, without ruining my seasoning. Like I said, I never use soap, and I build up my seasoning over several uses. 

Kitchen towels

I like them to be black or grey. Just because they will get stained. These are absorbent and lint-free. Maybe get one pack of these and see how good they are before buying a second or more. The white ones are also really great. And, hey, they're bleachable.

Measuring cups

We all need metal measuring cups and glass measuring cups. There really is a difference between the dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups. Dry measures get filled to the top of the cup and scraped off flat. Liquid measures are designed to take the liquid up to the line without spilling out. Please don’t get the ones that have magnetic handles. They sound great, but they wind up sticking to everything else in the drawer. These are AllClad. 

Pyrex makes the standard in glass measuring cups. 

Measuring spoons are pretty much the same for dry or liquid measures. These AllClad measuring spoons match the AllClad measuring cups. Isn't it precious? 

Drying mat

These are probably the standard in drying mats. They’re good to lay out for vegetables and dishes. Then they’re machine washable. Probably get a couple at first. We can always get more if we like having them. 

Non-Stick Pans

Non-Stick Pans are tricky. There are bad chemicals in many of them. However, we have developed so many cooking styles reliant on non-stick cookware. You'll have to replace your non-stick skillets often, even if you're extremely careful to only use rubber or non-scratchy utensils to stir or flip your food. You want good quality, but not toooooo expensive. 

My old client was the president of branding for Williams-Sonoma and he gave me this one when it was just a prototype. The first one wore out, and I bought the new version when it went into production. Oddly enough, I don't think WS decided to carry this pan. It’s supposedly diamond coated with something called Biotan. I think it’s safer than other non-stick pans. I promise to make it my mission to find the safest non-stick pans for us and our kids. 

Grilling Tools

These are by Traeger. Long tongs are very important for tending the meats and veggies on the grill. By the by, Traeger Grills are like the sous vide of grilling. You cook with flavored smoking pellets that gently cook your meat at a specific temperature for a little longer time than the high heat of a grill. And just like sous vide, you reverse sear your amazingly flavorful and tender grilled food! 

If you have any tools you love, I can find a link for them and post them here, too! 

Thanks! 
Chef Andy