7 Essential Kitchen Tools for Creative Cooks ...

The Ribbon is perhaps the most ingenious of the essential kitchen tools. For people like me who have a limited amount of storage space, it can be a life saver! The ribbon is a thick silicone band with magnets on the bottom of it. It comes with a steel pan which gives the ribbon of silicone its foundation. You can bend the Ribbon into any shape you desire: square, circle, heart, your only limit is your imagination! This ingenious contraption saves loads of space, condensing all of your pans and cake molds into one single, flexible product! Quirky.com is the place to go if you’re looking to buy one of these fantastic baking aids.

If you often find yourself in need of helping hands but don’t have any readily available to you, the Baggy Rack is here to make your life easier. I can’t count the number of times I have tried to pour leftover stew, tomato sauce, chili or some other messy meal into a freezer bag with disastrous results. With one hand holding the pot and one hand attempting to keep the bag upright, I inevitably spill a great deal of delicious food all over the counter as I try to scrape out the pot. The Baggy Rack has adjustable "hands" that hold the bag open for you and keep it steady so it doesn’t spill. The height is adjustable, so you can accommodate all bag sizes. This inspired invention provides the ideal solution for those who need a little assistance in the kitchen. Solutions.com sells these in sets of two!

I have owned a Kitchen Aid mixer for years and until recently I had never realized how many incredible attachments there are for it! My absolute favorite would have to be the Grinder attachment. This marvelous addition to your already wonderful KitchenAid allows you to grind your own meat, and for a few dollars more you can add the sausage making kit which lets you make your delicious sausage right in your own kitchen! I wish I had known about this years ago. Check out Shopkitchenaid.com for this and all other attachments to help you turn your one appliance into several!

My husband and I have been married less than a year and prior to that we had both lived on our own for several years. When I moved in with him, we attempted to combine kitchen utensils, gadgets and tools. This of course led to a mismatched mash-up of things that don’t fit together. I know I’m not the only person currently in this situation, so allow me to introduce you to one of the most useful things to ever grace my counter top, the Universal Knife Block. Unlike traditional blocks that have specific slots for particular knives, the universal block is filled with flexible carbon fiber rods that allow you to stick the knives in wherever you want. It holds the knives steady, keeps the blades safe and best of all, it allows all of your mismatched knives to be stored together in one block. You can find several different styles at BedBathandBeyond.com as well as Target.com.

If you are clumsy and prone to burning yourself, like me, the Pasta Pot with the built in straining lid will make your life much easier. Instead of struggling to pour your pot full of boiling spaghetti into a strainer precariously balanced above the sink, you simply turn the pot over to drain it. What I would like to know is where has this been all my life? The fact that it totally eliminates the necessity for a second dish for me to wash is icing on the cake! You can, of course, find several of these on Amazon.com.

I’m sure that by now everyone either has a Keurig or knows someone who does, but I could not function without mine. My husband is a coffee drinker while I am a tea and hot chocolate type of girl. The Keurig enables us to have our own individual tastes met in a matter of minutes without any substantial clean up or wait time. The Keurig is truly one of the most essential kitchen tools in my home. The variety of teas, cider, coffees and other hot and cold drinks it makes readily accessible allows you endless opportunities to find beverage bliss. Check out Keurig.com, you’ll find wonderful things there.

As previously mentioned, I have a habit of accidentally burning myself. I always use oven mitts but I still end up managing to burn myself somehow. I would have to coat my arms in a heat resistance material to go a solid month without burning myself as I take something out of the oven. The Oven Rack Guard wraps nicely around the outside edge of your oven racks and keeps your hands and arms safe from inadvertent burns. I think perhaps this was invented specifically for me. If we share a similar penchant for heat induced accidents, you can pick yours up at BedBathandBeyond.com.

These essential kitchen tools offer unique and handy assistance to every cook from beginners to seasoned chefs. Once you have tried them you will wonder how you ever made do without them! What kitchen tools do you use that you couldn’t do without?