The gang’s all here! I’ve posted almost everything I use for my cooking and photography here in this resources page, as well as some other items I just cannot live without. Just like Julie Andrews, these are a few of my favorite things:
DSLR camera. Now I couldn’t afford a brand new Canon DSLR, so I found a used on on Amazon that works perfectly fine. It came with the 18x55mm lens, which worked great for a while until I decided to update to a lens that was more appropriate for photography food.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II camera lens. This size lens was recommending by my friend who also happens to be a professional photographer. While it does not have a zoom function, it takes great photos of food, capturing the texture and color and even steam perfectly. Definitely a worth-while purchase.
Kitchenaid stand mixer. For those of you who know me, know I have been wanting and wishing for a Kitchenaid mixer for the past year or two of my life. They just make baking and cooking sooooo much easier. My brother, always living up to his title of being the best brother in the world, bought me this stand mixer! I picked out the color and everything. Although this one is not a tilt-head mixer, it is very powerful, having the equivalence to 1.0 HP. It has ten different speeds, and I have almost all of the attachments for it as well. You’ll read my reference to my mixer attachments in a lot of my recipes (meat grinder, sausage stuffer, ice cream maker, and citrus juicer, respectively in pictures below). I honestly do not know how I survived in the kitchen without one for all these years! Plus, my brother bought it refurbished after asking my permission cause it was a better deal to get this mixer with more power for less money than the other mixers that are not as durable.
Ninja blender. I received this as a gift for my birthday from my boyfriend at the time. Funny story though. My mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said a Ninja blender. She said she’d give me the money to buy the one I wanted. So she gave me money. I held off and held off cause now that I had the cash instead of a present, I didn’t know if I should save it for something more important. My boyfriend encouraged me to add the money to my investment account. Little did I know, he had already ordered the Ninja for me before I even asked my mom for it. It truly is one of the best gifts I ever received and I use it literally every single day. I blend my morning smoothies, chop salads, make homemade nut butters and pesto and more. I love this blender so much because it has blades that go all the way up the container and are not just centered at the bottom of the container, so it is able to blend everything all at once, including tough ingredients like ice.
All Clad indoor grill. This indoor grill is great for rainy or cold winter nights when you really don’t want to endure the weather that accompanies an outdoor grill. Sometimes I even use it cause I like it more than an outdoor grill for vegetables, shrimp, or other small items that can easily fall through the grates of a grill. It is non-stick and conducts heat evenly across the whole grill, unlike many stovetop grill pans. Would definitely recommend this for a chef who enjoys the taste and general health of grilled foods but does not have room or want an outdoor grill.
Calphalon cooking pots and pans. I bought these this year one by one with each pay check of mine. I would treat myself to one set each paycheck until I had 5 essential items I needed to cook. Sauté dish and frying pan with lid as well as a flat griddle and pot. This brand really does say it all, and when it comes to my cooking utensils, I’d rather have durable equipment that will last than cheap stuff that breaks down after only one year of use and cooks chemicals into your foods. These Calphalon pots and pans are dishwasher safe and withstand metal utensils, although I would never test that since they do cost a pretty penny. Therefore, I still hand wash them and only use plastic or silicon spatulas or spoons.
Bake Me Healthier 