Lemon Pantry's Must-Have Kitchen Essentials

I thought it was high-time I let you all in on my favorite go-to kitchen essentials.  These are some of my absolute favorite things I just can’t go without.  Honorable mentions include mason jars (duh) because they are so darn functional for storage and cute for cocktails as well as my Pampered Chef pizza stone for nice, crispy pizza crusts every time.  Take a peek at my list and let me know what your favorite items are in the kitchen!

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor, 3-Cup

This food processor is PERFECT for making your own pesto or hummus.  I find it so handy when cooking for one but it also is just the right size for making dips for entertaining.  Find it here.

Calphalon Kitchen Essentials Non Stick Pan

This pan gets used almost every night at my house.  Perfect for grilling salmon, veggies or even fruit.  You can also make Panini’s (although I never have) or toast up bread on it.  It leaves great grill marks you just can’t get otherwise in the dead of winter.  Find it here.

Rachael Ray Cutlery 3-Piece Japanese Stainless Steel Chef Knife Set with Orange Handles and Sheaths

Ray-Ray no longer makes these exact knives but has changed the style slightly and still carries a similar version, here.  The chef’s knife is absolutely perfect.  What more can be said.

NutriBullet Hi‑Speed 12‑Piece Blender and Mixer System

I didn’t even know about the NutriBullet until I received it as a Christmas gift a few years ago and I am hooked.  It is incredibly handy and totally took the place of my old blender.  For real, I got rid of that thing because the NutriBullet is so easy to clean and user friendly.  Ideal for smoothies and the second blade is great at grinding up nuts and seeds.  (I also recommend these to my patients on modified-texture diets.  Because of the different cups it saves you from washing a regular blender 3 times for a single meal.  This way, you can puree meat in one, potatoes in a second, and peas in a third.)  Find it here.

Hamilton Beach 2-Speed Hand Blender

If you are into making your own soups then you need one of these, really.  Every time I use it I am just so happy I have it.  It saves so much effort and prevents me from spilling hot soup while I try to get it into a blender to puree.  This one has a blade that detaches for easy cleaning.  Find it here.

100% Greek Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

This is not exactly a kitchen tool but I use it so frequently I had to include it.  I cook with a LOT of olive oil and lemon juice and this just saves me one step in flavoring most dishes.  It’s also nice to drizzle over dips or salads.  Find it here.

Anchor Hocking 10-Piece TrueSeal Storage Set
I found these on Amazon for a STEAL and they are still available, find here.  I have switched almost 100% to glass Tupperware and I have to say I much prefer it.  I just love that you can get glass Tupperware REALLY clean and it doesn’t stain like plastic.  Also, it looks nice in the fridge and makes it easy to see what you have on hand!