These 3 Kitchen Tools Are A Recipe For Success, According To This Famous Food Blogger

Unsplash/Monika Grabkowska

If you’re on a tight budget or limited on kitchen space, you probably want to know how you can be the most efficient with the least amount of tools, right? It’s a question that translates into most areas of life: Is it better to buy a few high-quality tools or a bunch of mediocre ones? And which kitchen appliances are worth investing in and which ones will end up collecting dust in your cabinet?

Swirled sat down with Tieghan Gerard — the well-respected food blogger, cookbook author, photographer, stylist and recipe developer behind the award-winning blog Half Baked Harvest — to find out a few key secrets to cooking like a pro at home.

The Colorado-based food blogger does all of her cooking in a rustic, renovated barn with tons of natural light and vibrant ingredients, so it’s no surprise that her photos have captivated home cooks for years. When it comes to core tools that Gerard can’t live without, she shared with us her instinctive three: sharp knives, a cast iron pan and a food processor.

Tieghan Gerard

Gerard is a big fan of cast iron pans. “It’s just as easy as using a non-stick pan,” she told Swirled. A lot of cast iron pans come pre-seasoned, too, which means clean-up is simple. Gerard suggests scraping out the pan and rinsing it with water (avoiding soap). “The key is to make sure it’s dry,” she said.

You can never go wrong with a set of sharp knives. You’d be surprised how much easier the cooking process gets when your knives cooperate with you. And a dull knife is actually way more dangerous to cook with than a sharp one since it can slip out of your grip while you’re chopping or dicing something. You can either buy your own electric knife sharpener for less than $30 or have your knives sharpened professionally at a local shop. Whatever method you choose, sharp knives are essential for seamless cooking.

Unsplash/Chuttersnap

When it comes to the food processor versus blender debate, Gerard said a high-power blender can be just as effective but, ultimately, the food processor is easier to work with and is worth the investment. You can find an eight-cup food processor for less than $70 online, and it’ll come in clutch for pretty much anything you’re making — hummus, soup, pesto, brownie batter, your favorite sauce, you name it.

You don’t need to be any kind of an expert in the kitchen to navigate your way around these core tools. Just take it from someone who spends her days crafting picture-perfect plates that are approachable for everyone.

We hope you find these products useful! Swirled may be compensated when users click on the affiliate links in the story below. Prices are accurate and products are in stock at the time of publication. 

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