Kitchen Crush: Summer 2014 Edition
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Yesterday, my roommate walked into the office to look for something, and after having to move several of my outdated electronic devices and three piles of clothes, he screamed, “Why do you have so much stuff?!”
I tend not to respond to such queries because the answer is obvious. I am a hoarder. We know this, we have accepted this, and I refuse to be made to feel badly about what is clearly a genetic disorder.
While I do my best to control them, my hoarding tendencies are obviously strongest when it comes to collecting culinary/domestic items. I’m fully aware that I don’t need anything else for my kitchen, but there are a lot of things that I want. So many that I’ve started keeping a year-round wish list just to keep track.
Said list has gotten embarrassingly long, but I thought I’d share the short version with you today for funsies. You know, in case you’ve got some extra cabinet/counter space on your hands (lucky!). So, without further ado, I give you my current kitchen crushes.
Happy coveting, friends!
1. Williams-Sonoma Rustic Melamine Dinner Plates. Festive summer dishware at its finest. And they’re plastic, which is ideal for rowdier dinner parties. Safety first!
2. Vitamix S30. You can’t really tell from the photo, but this is a smaller, sleeker version of the traditional Vitamix (which I would also like), and it takes up less than six inches of precious counter space. It comes with a 40-ounce container as well as an adorable 20-ouncer that doubles as an insulated to-go cup. I love a good to-go cup.
3. Château Miraval 2013 Rosé. I consider myself somewhat of a rosé connoisseur, and this is my favorite “summer water” of all time. FYI, the vineyard is owned by Brad and Angelina. Do with that what you will.
4. Zoku Quick Pop Maker. Unless you live under a rock, you know that fancy/boozy popsicles are all the rage right now. I went ahead and actually bought this because I’m trendy, and it freezes popsicles on your countertop (sans electricity) in 7 MINUTES. Wizardry!
5. Mason Jar Beverage Dispenser. Picture this as the rustic centerpiece at all your summer barbecues. Lemon Mint Iced Tea would look very sexy in that jar.
6. Weber “Go-Anywhere” Grill. I’m aware that I most likely will not own a full-size grill in the next five years, so I’d like one of these for trips to the beach/my fire escape.
7. Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I’ve always wanted to say that I “churn my own ice cream.” And I really need to make all of this delicious madness.
8. Corkcicle Wine Chiller. While I’m not above putting ice cubes in my wine, I’d prefer that I didn’t have to, you know?
9. Wilton Standard Donut Pan. I don’t advocate eating donuts during beach season, but I’d really like to get my hands on this bad boy for the fall. I’m gonna make pumpkin donuts and drink adult apple cider! Who’s with me?
10. Paderno Spiralizer. Zucchini pasta is bomb. Have you ever tried to make it without a spiralizer? I have. I don’t like it.
11. Oxo Cherry Pitter. One of my life goals is to bake a cherry pie, and I feel like owning this device is a step in the right direction. (I also want to make other cherry things, like this cocktail and this salad.)
12. Williams-Sonoma Copper Mugs. My roommate was gifted a set of these mugs for Christmas (by me, duh), and they’ve really upped the bar scene in our apartment. If nothing else, you will need them for jello shot display.
13. Oxo Salad Spinner. Because wet lettuce is limp lettuce. And limp lettuce is unforgivable.
14. White Wash Woven Hapao Tray. I imagine filling this tray with Blueberry Mojito Royales and carrying it out onto a beautiful poolside patio, where I’m greeted with a slow clap from my guests. (I suppose it would also look nice on a coffee table, or in bed with some breakfast on it.)
139 days til Christmas!
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I bought the Wilton donut maker at an outlet mall on the Oregon Coast during a girls weekend getaway. Not sure if it was the magic of the coast, catching up with a group of amazing friends, or semi-healthy option of a donut that can occur with this pan, but they were awesome! I couldn’t find the pan one day in my oversized collection of speciality pans and nearly had a mini anxiety attack. Recommend the pan, the friends, and the Oregon Coast.
From experience, #8 doesn’t work that well. I had warm white wine, used the chiller and then the chiller got warm and the wine was still warm. Sometimes, you just have to use ice cubes.. Just wanted to save you the 20.00
Thanks for the heads up, Mary! Not gonna lie, I’m a little disappointed, but I guess I’ll just have to continue going the classed cubed route for the time being.
I want everything on this list! I actually just bought the Paderno spiralizer and it’s a game changer – it takes less than 2 minutes to make as many zucchini noodles as you want. Highly recommend!
Glad to know you’re coveting along with me, Caroline! I think of all these things, I need the spiralizer the most, and the thought of endless zucchini noodles is pretty amazing. SOLD.
Oh gosh, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I had a grill this summer – I want one of those portable ones so badly! My mom just sent me a fancy cherry pitter as an early birthday gift…which arrived right after I finished pitting 10 pounds of cherries with a paperclip. D’oh! (the resulting cherry pie totally made the raw fingertips worth it, though!)
I’m VERY impressed with your macguyver cherry pitting skills! And your cherry pie (and those muffins) look unreal. Even more reason I should bite the bullet and purchase one of my very own!
You absolutely NEED the Zoku popsicle maker. I have it and absolutely love it! It doesn’t take up much room in the freezer and is awesome to make healthy, natural popsicles (or the yummy boozy ones). I like using the Naked juices or making smoothie popsicles. The money you’d spend on the Zoku you’ll get back in how many popsicles you’ll make. 🙂 As for the Paderno Spiralizer, if you are short on space try the Gefu Spirelli Spiral Slicer, it much easier to store. Love your list.
AH, I did actually buy the Zoku, and I’m pretty excited to experiment with it! Love the idea of smoothie popsicles. And I just googled the Gefu Spiral Slicer, and it looks like a much more practical choice given my space constraints. Thank you, Marie!