We gathered together our team of wedding and kitchen experts to give you the shpeel on what’s what when it comes to stocking up on kitchen items. Why? Because whether you’re all about hand-made from scratch everything, a true hack-aficionado, or a total newbie in the kitchen — deciphering what’s a “must-have” in your own arsenal of kitchen tools is a studied process, and these Cuisinart cult favorites are the perfect starting point.
There’s a lot of lingo that goes into choosing the best of the best kitchenware, so we wanted to not only tell you what we use on a day to day basis, but what we *wish* we had registered for.
Meredith: Hands down my favorite Cuisinart product has to be the Air Fryer Toaster Oven. I use it almost every single day. I make everything from salmon and veggies for my husband and me, to homemade (healthier) chicken tenders for my kids, and we even use it as our everyday toaster (plus it looks beautiful on our counter). I love that the air fryer pre-heats so much faster than my oven and it doesn’t heat up your entire kitchen like the oven does either.
The air fryer makes food so much crispier than the oven and it’s way healthier without adding all the oils. A little “fake it” trick for hosting happy hour after a busy day is to buy frozen appetizers like the feta and caramelized onions puff pastry from Trader Joe’s. Rather than the 25 minutes in the oven as the box suggests, you can pop them in the air fryer for 10 minutes (including the preheating) and you have the most delicious appetizer for your guests (not to mention they look and taste way fancier than they really are).
Charlotte: There’s something about having a wine cellar in your kitchen that just makes you feel more sophisticated than you ever thought possible. Not only are my guests impressed by the beautiful exterior, but when it comes to tasting the wine, they all agree that the temperature setting is just perfect – no matter if it’s white, red or bubbles!
Since we got this Wine Cellar, no less than 3 of our friends have invested in their own – which works out great for us, since we know whoever is hosting the wine will always be served to perfection. What’s more – now we have no excuse not to keep the fridge fully stocked with vino! No more trying to make space alongside the milk and groceries. So whether it’s been a hard day or a surprise celebration, there’s always something ready to drink at our house!
Abby: We use the Multi-Cooker weekly in our family! When you’ve got three kids (who are still home with us every day, I might add) you not only have to get creative with what you cook but also how you cook it. We make a lot of pulled pork tacos, stews and other kinds of meals that seem like they should take HOURS of effort at the stove, but with the multi cooker I can throw ingredients together in the morning in a few minutes, and by dinner the house smells amazing and everyone is happy. But the final element of the multi-cooker that just really takes the cake for me is the fact that I can both brown meat and slow cook it all in one place — and that means at the end of the delicious dinner I made for everyone I have ONE dish to clean. Let me repeat that, one dish.
Cydney: Nothing makes me feel more like a put-together adult than my stainless steel matching cookware set. I spent my early years of exploratory cooking with pots and pans I’d pick up because a recipe told me I *needed* that very *specific* pot or pan to complete my dish. It wasn’t long before I’d collected a hodge-podge selection of really bad cookware that was constantly breaking, bending and chipping (let me just say the there’s nothing worse than finding bits and pieces of your previously intact “non-stick” surface residue in your mashed potatoes)
For Christmas last year my mom got me a matching 13 piece stainless steel Cuisinart cookware set and I’m NEVER going back to hodge-podge again! Not only does my stove-top look fabulously in-sync while I’m cooking (as an enneagram 1 you have no idea how that thrills me) but I can seamlessly transition a dish from the stove-top, to a broiling oven, and then on to my table. Its quality that’s built to last and I no longer have to worry about getting bits into my mashed food :)
Samantha: Let me tell you as a mom to two little ones (two 2 and under, nonetheless) the Cuisinart Hurricane Blender is a lifesaver! With little to no time for myself, this makes my morning smoothies with a touch of a button and I am on the go! Before this blender, I skipped breakfast 95% of the time, because I never had time to make anything. With this, I not only get to eat breakfast but I even get to throw on mascara before dropping off at daycare, working, errands, etc. etc. etc.
My other fave, the Round Classic Waffle Maker! My daughter LOVES waffles, like really loves! This waffle maker is so easy to use, it becomes something we can do together on Sunday mornings. She loves the red and green buttons and I love the non-stick baking plates, which makes cleanup beyond easy! Our go-to is chocolate chip waffles of course, is there any other option?!
So now that you know our favorites, here are a few other tools that can help you out in the kitchen!
Food Processor: This multi-functional tool is DEFINITELY one to include in your arsenal. It can easily chop a load of veggies into perfectly sized salsa bits, take even the toughest of solids down into a sauce, grate blocks of cheese into the perfect shredded size and even knead breads and pie doughs together with perfect precision.
Mixing Bowls: You might be tempted to think “oh, I have bowls that I can surely use here!” and unfortunately, you are wrong. When you get the right mixing bowls you can use them as serving bowls, prep bowls, AND mixing bowls. A matching set of differing sizes is only made better by being pretty!
Cutlery Knives: Let’s talk cutting knives here for a second. For any given recipe you might need a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a serrated knife…. And when all is said and done with cooking that recipe, you could need a steak knife for serving the dish. While you could individually seek out each type of knife, the easiest (and most aesthetically pleasing) route is to go for a block set! Not only does that include all the knives you could possibly need, but also a nifty way to store them that’s pretty on your countertops.
Cast Iron Casserole Dishes: It only takes a few years in the kitchen to realize how magical casseroles and one-dish dinners truly are. If you’re feeding more than two people, often times the best way to ensure that everyone is eating hot food at the same time is to cook your dinners in one big dish. Enter the cast iron casserole dish — the cast iron ensures everything is cooked evenly and holds the proper temperature so your lasagna or chicken and wild rice casserole will come out evenly cooked every time.
Toaster: A toaster is one of those items that you can easily take for granted and only realize it’s daily usage when it’s not there to use. Opt for one that has enough slots to fulfill your needs, and most importantly one that knows the difference between a nice crunch and a total charr.
Griddler: If you believe the best days start with pancakes for breakfast, you might STRONGLY consider adding a griddler to your repertoire of kitchen tools. The even cooking allows for you to cook multiple pancakes at once and the flat surfaces makes getting that extra fluffy flip possible. But here’s the best part — pancakes shouldn’t be alone for breakfast and are best accompanied with fried eggs and bacon and GUESS WHAT the griddler can assist you there as well without the need for getting another dish dirty. That’s called a win-win.
Espresso Machine: The best way to SERIOUSLY up your coffee game is to invest in an espresso machine. If you’re a Starbucks junky who can’t go a day without a vanilla latte, try as you might a drip coffee at home just isn’t going to cut it. The freedom of making your own espresso at home means a whole new world of opportunity is opened! From pumpkin spice lattes to espresso martinis, once you start making espresso at home it’s hard to ever go back to regular coffee.
12 Cup Coffee Maker: If you’re the type of person who likes to have a constant, warm cup of coffee in hand — this is for you. You really can’t get higher than 12 cups in a coffee maker these days, and that many ounces of the sacred beverage can last you all day or fuel up a drowsy family of four with ease. But the best part of this dual-action coffee maker is that it’s able to also produce single-serve cups of brew. So when you’re looking to revive that 3 pm slump you can do so in a single-serve style!
The best advice we can give when it comes to kitchen appliances is to ask around, do your research, and experiment to find out what tools work the best for you. Happy cooking!
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