12 Kitchen Tools for Produce Prep this Holiday Season

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The holidays are around the corner!  Here’s 12 kitchen tools for produce prep to help with my holiday meals.

The holidays are around the corner.  Like, Thanksgiving is in a few weeks.  Can you believe it?  I most certainly cannot.  Time just flew by!!

So, to help you make your holiday preparations fly by, I’m sharing some of my favorite kitchen tools.  I know some of them might seem a little unorthodox for the time of year, but you must hear me out on some of these tools.

Yes.  This a strawberry tool from KitchenIQ.  No, strawberries typically aren’t in season during the holidays.  But, hear me out on this one.  It slices more than just strawberries.  I use it to slice hard boiled eggs for egg salad or potato salad.  It’s been used for slicing large grapes, pickled jalapenos, you name it!  It’s a handy tool not just for strawberries.

I don’t know how I lived without a mini chopper.  Now, mine is from Tupperware, but this one from Chef’n is very similar.  Yes, I have a mini Cuisinart, and I’ll talk about that later, but this one is great in a pinch when you don’t want to get that larger gadget out.  This one can stay on the counter and you can easily chop garlic, shallots, herbs, olives; you name it!  It’s super handy to have in the kitchen for quick prep.

Most probably don’t have one.  I don’t have one either, but I hope someone will see this on the list and order it for me.  Why a Y peeler, you ask?  Well, this one from OXO has a comfortable handle for peeling large potatoes, butternut or acorn squash, or eggplant.  It’s not easy to hold these vegetables to peel them.  With a Y peeler, you can set them on the counter or your work surface and easily peel them.

Then, of course, there’s an OXO regular peeler.  This is for those smaller potatoes, apples, etc.  I have this one and love it.  I have two but only one is the OXO.  Consequently, it’s the one that gets used the most.  You can never have too many peelers. Just sayin.

This is another KitchenIQ tool that is super handy to have.  A grater paddle is a go to for me sometimes.  Want to grate a little cheese on top of your pasta?  Need to grate some onion or garlic into a meatloaf?  Or need to grate some carrot for cake?  Grab this baby!  The notches make it grate perfectly.  The non-stick surface makes it certainly easy to clean.

I love this V-notch spice grater from KitchenIQ.  I have it and use it for my nutmeg.  The nutmeg nut stays in the little casing and I can grate as little or as much as I want for my pasta sauce or baked goods.  If you haven’t freshly grated your nutmeg, you need to.  It’s so amazingly delicious that you will not go back to buying pre-ground ever.  I have nuts in the pantry that are reaching probably a decade old.  They’re still good because they’re in the whole form.

Yes, I’m showing the love for KitchenIQ.  I have these products and use them all the time in the kitchen!  This is their ginger grater.  It not only grates but slices ginger.  But, not just ginger!  You can finely grate garlic, you can slice radishes or olives, or you can grate horseradish for your roast beef dinner.

Every kitchen should have a good pair of shears.  These kitchen shears from Casabella are super sharp and have an herb stripped built into the handle.  Want to have a little fresh rosemary garnish?  Then grab these shears.  They easily lock for safety and are dishwasher safe.

For some, this might seem like a tool that’s not necessary, but I beg to differ.  A cherry pitter can be an essential tool in the kitchen.  Casabella makes a mean one that can not only pit cherries, but that jar of olives you grabbed that you THOUGHT was pitted, but isn’t.  Ooops.  If you have one of these in your gadget drawer, then you’re covered!

I LOVE this!  I received this recently and it’s a permanent fixture on my counter.  If you don’t have a vegetable brush, then you need to get this one from Casabella.  It not only cleans vegetables, but there’s a little silicone piece that pops out and can clean mushrooms.  How awesome is that?  I’ve used that mushroom brush so much in the last few months.  It really does clean the dirt off.

Everyone should have a salad spinner.  Sadly, we do not.  I don’t know why not.  We just haven’t gotten one.  That’s why I’m putting this salad spinner from OXO on my list.  Hopefully, someone will feel sorry for me and send me this for the holidays.  It’s a no brainer.  Even if it looks pre-washed and safe, it’s not.  I wouldn’t trust that and wash my leafy greens (with Veggie Wash).  Now, I simply use the Alton Brown method and spin them in a clean kitchen towel.  Yes, it looks funny.

Finally, you need an apple corer.  If you plan on making an apple pie at all, ever, in your life, then you need an apple corer.  I have three in my drawer.  One has been handed down, but use them all at least once during the year.  This one looks so handy!  You can flip the thing out and remove the core easily.