Jessica takes us into her kitchen and tells us about her five favorite kitchen tools! There are some gadgets that can make cooking faster, easier, and more fun. 

1. Panini Press

She uses this press to make panini for school lunches for her children. 

She developed two recipes: 

A Caprese sandwich with pesto, sliced mozzarella, heirloom tomato, and parmesan cheese. 

Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin with muenster cheese and sliced apple.

Try cooking egg plant on a panini press! Brush it with olive oil and grill it for a few minutes. 

2. OXO Salad Spinner

It helps her to bring her kids into the kitchen to help her. Getting them interacting with preparing the food means they’ll be more likely to eat more of the food they help to prepare.

3. Digital Thermometer

Keeping your food safe by making sure it reached a good internal temperature. 

References Food Safety Episode. Having digital thermometer as opposed to an analog one takes the guesswork out of whether the food is cooked well enough through.

4. Small Cutting Board

They’re much easier to use, clean and store than the larger cutting boards. She doesn’t only use it for cutting food, but also for making sandwiches. 

5. OXO mini measuring cups

These are designed in such a way that you don’t have to look at the side to see how much food is in the cup, you can see from looking down from the top. 

Bonus: Her Microwave!

She uses it for heating up food that’s already been cooked. It fits well into her and her family’s busy life. 

Questions Addressed

What are some safe ways to use the microwave? 

Don’t microwave plastic, only use glass or ceramic containers. Don’t use it to cook food, only heat things up since microwaves don’t heat evenly. 

What are your favorite kitchen-cleaning tools?

Small bar towels for cleaning dishes and surfaces instead of sponges. 

Parchment paper. She uses it to line pans so it makes cleaning easier. 

Contact

Email Jessica at [email protected]

Disclaimer

Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel, has a Masters in Public Health. However, she is not a doctor and her nutritional recommendations are not tailored to specific health problems. Always consult your physician before beginning any nutritional program.