Indispensable

Here are some things that I wind up using over and over again in the kitchen. Even if you don't feel like you "cook" you'll cook for yourself sometime, and these will come in handy. (I've included where you can buy them as well.)

Silicone Spatulas
The little red one, in particular, is good for getting the last bit of anything out of a bowl, narrow jar or can (think tomato paste and horseradish). It also works for mayo, mustard, and molasses and honey at the bottom of a measuring cup. I keep a well-nicked white spatula specifically for cleaning the food processor so the other ones don't get shredded. Silicone spatulas are obviously also good for every type of flipping or stirring whether or not heat is involved. Dishwasher safe.

The little thin yellow one is the king of tiny flipping. Eggs, blinis, corn pancakes, crepes, whatever. It's always either in use, or in the dishwasher, because we use it so much. What I love about it is that when I'm making corn pancakes, or any batter, for that matter, I can use it to scrape out the bowl before the last pancake. Only one utensil to wash. Thrifty and Compulsive at it again-- it drives me nuts when cooks on television don't scrape their bowls out when making recipes. "You put three tablespoons of (ingredient) in there!" I shout. "What if there's a tablespoon left!" or "There's another whole pancake in that bowl!" Ok, I don't really shout, but I think about doing the math and wonder how many hundreds of pancakes could have been saved if each and every one of them would just scrape out the bowl. I have not been able to find this specific spatula online yet. The initials on the handle are WMB. My mom got it in a store in Modesto. I will find out more if I can.

Sturdy Kitchen Shears
I use these for everything from opening zip-top packages (such as those nasty sugar-laden dried apples) to snipping chives, parsley and cilantro, cutting flowers, string, parchment paper. Absolutely everything. Even cutting up those nasty sugar-laden dried apples. My grandmother asked me once what I wanted for a present, and I said kitchen shears, and this is what I got. She thought it was a little weird at the time, but I use them a lot, and every time I look at them and use them, which I have for years, I think of my grandmother.

I don't remember exactly when I started making a point of making sure that my birthday and Christmas money went towards specific things that were practical and I knew I'd use, but I'm glad now that I did. My big dictionary, my stockpot, these shears, my good chef's knife, all came from my grandparents' gifts. My pepper grinder was a wedding gift from a good friend. She asked for one from me for her wedding, and I asked for one from her. It's always been symbolic of our friendship to me. Not that our friendship is peppery. It's simple, sturdy, and important, and it's always at hand, whether I need it or not.

Dog
Great to have on hand, or under foot as the case may be, if you don't have a dustbuster. (We are thinking of calling our next dog Underfoot.) For cleaning up small spills and flung granola bits. Easy to use.