I might be a maximalist when it comes to flavor (I famously think everything should be flavor-blasted), but when it comes to my kitchen, I am a minimalist. I rarely buy gadgets and hate owning anything that isn’t multipurpose. I’m not easily susceptible to marketing in the culinary department. That’s why you must trust me when I tell you that the items below are game-changing, life-altering, world-enhancing products that I own and think you absolutely should too!
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- Ninja 4 Quart Air Fryer
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I don’t want to sound dramatic, but this air fryer has changed my life. So many people told me I “didn’t need” an air fryer because it was “just a convection oven” and “not that useful.” Wrong. 100% wrong. This machine is easy to use and cooks everything quickly. Frozen mac and cheese balls, packaged tofu, and chicken tenders all get perfectly crispy in this machine. I even recently learned to “soft boil” eggs in this air fryer. The best part of all is that I never have to turn on my oven and make my small apartment hot.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Baking Steel Pizza Stone
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If I am turning on my oven, it’s to use my Baking Steel. I was gifted a Baking Steel for my birthday and it has really upped my frozen food game. A typically underwhelming Trader Joe’s pizza out of the freezer tastes like an artisanal pie when you cook it on the Baking Steel. I cannot recommend it enough.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- OXO Good Grips Salad Chopper and Bowl
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This is my favorite thing I own. Shocking, right? But I love a good salad in which everything is evenly distributed. The chopper helps make ingredients a uniform size and gets ranch dressing into every nook and cranny of each piece of lettuce, pepperoncini, sunflower seed, or chickpea. It really makes the salad feel like one harmonious salad rather than a bunch of random ingredients. Plus, everyone knows the only way to eat a salad is out of a gigantic bowl.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Martha Stewart Collection for Macy’s Enameled Cast Iron Round 8-Qt. Dutch Oven
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I cannot afford a Le Creuset dutch oven. It’s as simple as that. And even if I could, I don’t know if I would drop hundreds of dollars on a single pot. That’s why I always recommend the Martha Stewart for Macy’s dutch ovens. They come in multiple colors and sizes and are a fraction of the cost of a Le Creuset dutch oven. I’ve had mine for about ten years and it’s still in excellent condition. Everything from bags of frozen pasta dishes to canned soup to breakfast sausage can be cooked up and served in this dutch oven.
Credit: Merc / Macy’s
