Kitchen Gadgets - my favorite utensils

1. Digital Kitchen Scale Digital Weight Grams and Ounces -- As far as kitchen gadgets go, this is one of my most-used. Food scales give exact measurements, which come in handy for tricky recipes that require a precise amount of flour or salt, for example. A food scale is also less dishes and less hassle than a bunch of clunky measuring cups!

2. AmazonBasics Silicone, Non-Stick, Food Safe Baking Mat, Macaron - Pack of 2 -- I've seen so many fun and different recipes for Macarons on Pinterest lately, that I plotted my Macaron Move for next week. However, instead of always having to pencil in my circles ... this mat does the hard work for me. Plus, it's obviously reusable versus always using sheets of parchment paper.

3. Cuisinart FP-8SV Elemental 8 Cup Food Processor, Silver -- My food processor is by far the most versatile kitchen gadget that I own -- from chopping and slicing my vegetables to whipping goat cheese and compound butters.

4. Frozip 125 Disposable Ice Popsicle Mold Bags -- Here's what I consider to be a "fun" kitchen gadget. Homemade popsicles are another topic of recipes I've seen popping up on Pinterest ... after all, it is summer! For traditional popsicles, I'd definitely recommend molds. However, if you're looking to whip up a batch of boozy popsicles (great for parties ... if we can ever have those again), these are the way to go.

5. LHS Herb Scissors with 5 Multi Stainless Steel Blades and Safe Cover -- A space-saving alternative to the food processor, these scissors make quick work of any herb you're incorporating into your meal.

6. Sondiko Butane Torch -- Crème Brûlées, meringue/meringue pies, toasted marshmallow ... this is the perfect little torch for your dessert needs!

7. OXO Good Grips Olive and Cherry Pitter, Black -- I love olives and I love cherries. Unfortunately, I don't love their pits. If you're cooking a dish that requires a bunch of these, manually pitting each will take all day. This fancy little kitchen gadget takes a tedious task and reduces it down to mere minutes.

8. Adoric Ice Cube Trays Silicone Set of 2, Sphere Ice Ball Maker with Lid and Large Square Ice Cube Molds -- Fancy cocktails require fancy ice cubes, right? Well, it's not necessarily all about aesthetics. Ice does two things to your cocktail: cools it down and dilutes it. Research has shown that a little bit of water actually opens up some spirits, by emphasizing some aromas and masking others. The shape and size of your ice impacts how quickly it melts and how much water gets into your cocktail. That’s why it matters whether you use big rocks, standard cubes, or crushed ice.

9. Wooden Spoons for Cooking,Nonstick Kitchen Utensil Set -- This set of teak wooden spoons is a dream to cook with. I use my wooden spoons in every aspect of my cooking or baking, but especially with my non-stick and cast iron pans (as to not leave scratches and ruin the pan).

10. Helistar Popsicle Molds 6 Pieces Silicone Ice Pop Molds -- A BPA free option for making all of your homemade popsicles! Fruit, yogurt and ice cream options ... all work well with this silicone design.

11. Top Rated Zulay Premium Quality Metal Lemon Lime Squeezer - Manual Citrus Press Juicer -- I've had my manual juicer for years. It's small enough so it's easy to take with you (to the beach or on a picnic). It's also easy to clean versus an electric juicer.

12. iTouchless 13 Gallon Stainless Steel Automatic Trash Can with Odor-Absorbing Filter -- Convenient and hygenic (the best combination for kitchen gadgets)! This was made for cooks! Picture it: you're in the middle of prepping/cooking and your hands are messy, but you need to throw something away? You wash your hands, throw the item away and then probably wash your hands again before resuming the cooking. Well, now you can wave a dirty hand, an arm ... even your elbow ... over the sensor and the lid opens!

13. KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer 6 quart, Toffee Delight (Renewed) -- I have the same version, but in black. However, how awesome is this toffee delight option? Anyway, this is the professional version of the infamous KitchenAid mixer. It's 6qt (versus 5qt for the Artisan model). It also has the brute strength to knead all of those loaves of quarantine bread we've been making. If you want a complete rundown of the differences between KitchenAid's Artisan and Professional Stand Mixers, click here.

14. Microplane Premium Classic Zester grater, Fuchsia -- The microplane is one of my newest kitchen gadgets. I am a HUGE fan of Ina Garten and I kept seeing her use this to zest citrus, grate garlic and ginger. However, I'm stubborn and I thought I didn't need another gadget -- I had a cheese grater that could do everything. Well, after several failed attempts at using my cheese grater for my zesting, I bought myself this microplane. My citrus tarts are much happier.