Hi friends! Em here, back with another glimpse into some of my favorite, most frequently used things.

Today, we’re reviewing half a dozen small tools that are game changing when it comes to unexpected kitchen tasks, from my favorite way to mix up meatballs (actually, I’ve got *two* tools that make light work of that one!) and the only garlic gadget I’ve used in the past 20 years to a cheese grater that makes so much dang sense it’s become one of my go-to gifts.

Watch our latest YouTube video for alll the deets! Little Elle even makes a cameo!

Box Grater / Super-sharp box grater with a removable zester that also makes it super-easy to access the interior to clean, PLUS a self-storing measuring cup you can grate directly into (with a lid for saving any extra).

3/4 oz (Size 40) Cookie Scoop / The perfect size scoop for making meatballs, tiny ice cream sundaes (Lana is always tickled when I make her a “three-scoop” mini banana split — she feels so indulged!), and perfectly-sized cookies of every variety. (Read: not overly giant bakery-sized cookies, but sufficient enough to feel like you had a cookie, you know?)

Garlic Twister / Essentially smashes and then shreds 4-5 cloves of garlic at a time, then rinses clean without any hassle. Have been using this one for almost 20 years, and it’s the only garlic tool I use.

Dough Whisk / Excellent for bringing together bread dough, pizza dough and even cookie dough (or anything kinda crumbly) BUT in this house, it sees the most use when it comes to mixing ground meat. Honestly the easiest way to incorporate seasonings and/or herbs, eggs, bread crumbs, what have you into ground meat for burgers, meatloafs, meatballs, etc. — while keeping the meat really loose and tender.

Pastry Cutter (or similar) / Intended for cutting fat into flour for pastry crusts and doughs, but we use it all the time for quickly slicing eggs or mashing them up for egg salad, or bashing together ingredients for a quick guac. It’s basically ideal for bashing/mashing any semi-soft item into a sauce (mangoes for a fresh relish, for example). Fun for involving kids in the kitchen.

Bench Scraper / Super-handy tool for folding ingredients together on the countertop, but we also use it for quickly slicing logs of cookie dough, portioning ground meat, cutting gnocchi, and sweeping up ingredients on/off the cutting board. During baking projects, we also use it to sweep excess flour from the counter directly into the under-counter garbage can. Also great for craft cleanup (sweeping up tiny paper scraps or glitter into the wastebasket!).

Got a favorite kitchen tasker of your own? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

xo,
Em

Friends! Follow me on Instagram for accessible, easily adaptable recipes; sneak peeks of The Mom Edit content (and sales!); and more snippets of our life on the Northern California coast. And if you feel so inclined, pop over to my personal food + lifestyle blog, The Pig & Quill, where I share salty scribblings from my kitchen and home life. Byeeeeee.