Everyone has their favourite kitchen tools. And I’m no different. I’m very attached to some of the electronic gadgets in my kitchen.

Sometimes I wonder what Ma Ingalls would think if she could walk into my kitchen. I don’t need to churn and mold my butter, start a fire before I can cook, fetch water from an outside source or beat my cakes by hand for thousands of strokes (which may be why women didn’t need exercises or a gym to stay in shape).

I wouldn’t want to go back to no electricity. I am so thankful for how much easier my kitchen tools make my life. They save me time and effort so I can sit down with my children and read a book or play a game.

Here’s a list of my five favourite kitchen tools in no particular order because I can’t imagine life without any of them.

My wheat mill – We buy over 250 pounds of various grain seeds every year which we then grind up as needed. Right now I have wheat and rye berries and spelt groats in the house. We don’t grind wheat every day, but I would say on average three days a week we use the mill.

Years ago when my children were little I only had a hand mill. It took a loooong time to grind enough wheat for bread even with help from the children. It was a happy day when we bought a Nutrimill. I’d say we’ve had it for at least ten years now, and it’s still going strong.

You can see from the picture that it’s had a lot of hard use. I clean it up every once in a while, but carefully – water and flour don’t mix well in moving parts. 🙂

My coffee grinder – I use this several times a week also but never for coffee. I use it make oat flour, almond flour, flax seed flour, grind xylitol finer. Having this grinder has made doing a no-wheat diet so much easier.

I have to admit I’m not that crazy about my current grinder. The one I had for about ten years died. Since then I’ve been through two in the last year. Neither of them work as well as my original. I wish I could remember what brand it was because it was fantastic. Still mediocre quality or not I’ve got to have it.

My food processor – This little workhorse has stood me in good stead through many hours of prepping food for canning or dehydrating. We’ve grated endless pounds of cheese in a matter of seconds. I’ve made lots of “Cottage Berry Whips” for my husband and I. I’ve even used it to turn cheap cuts of meat into hamburger. We bought this one ten years ago exactly. It’s just now starting to show signs of age. I will definitely buy a Cuisinart again.

My stand mixer – I wanted one of these for a long time, but I could just not bring myself to spend the money on one. One day my husband found them on sale for a great price and surprised me. Now I wonder how I managed so long without one. We’ve only had it for about two years, but on baking day it can get used and washed and used and washed five or six times. We also use it often throughout the week.

Other than the coffee maker and tea kettle it is probably the most used tool in my kitchen. I love how I can get something mixing and then move on to do some other small task while the machine does its job.

My stick mixer – I had this before I was married but never used it. Then for the first few years of our marriage I still didn’t really use it. Now I love using it to smooth out tomato soup and diet fudge. I don’t use it as much as my other tools, but when I use it I love it. If nothing else, it makes soup and fudge simple.

Just for fun I asked two of my daughters what their favourite kitchen tools are. Here are their answers in no particular order of importance.

16-year-old daughter

• coffee maker (no surprise there)
• coffee grinder
• stand mixer
• colander
• bread knife

11-year-old daughter

• mixer
• food processor
• toaster
• non-stick baking sheets (She’s my baker. ☺ )
• blender

What is your favourite kitchen tool?