As we all know, thanks to Covid-19, Americans are cooking much more than they have in many years. For some, this is a huge downer, as cooking is not their forte. For me personally, I have always loved to cook. It is one of my true joys in life.
Over the past 22 years of my marriage, I have purchased countless items from the direct sales company, Pampered Chef. I am sure most of you are familiar with them, but if not, here is all you need to know—they sell high performing gadgets and much more for the kitchen. Their products, in my opinion, are top-notch. Many of the items I have purchased from them have lasted 15 years or more. In today’s blog, I thought it would be helpful to share 5 of my favorite Pampered Chef items $25 & under that are maybe a little less known than some of their cult favorites (The Garlic Press—Swoon!).
Microwave Pasta Cooker ($25.00)- https://bit.ly/33xwlXt
This pasta cooker is a favorite in our house! Our 12-year-old LOVES pasta, and she especially loves macaroni & cheese. She uses this pasta maker multiple times a week to make homemade macaroni & cheese for herself for lunch. The best part is she can make it all on her own, with no help from mom. All she has to do is put her desired amount of pasta in the ceramic bowl, add enough water to cover and top with silicone lid. She microwaves the pasta for about 3.5 minutes, tests the noodles for doneness, and then adds cream and fresh cheddar cheese and microwaves it for 30 seconds more. Voila! Super easy.
This handy maker is also great for college students, empty nesters, and older adults who live alone. Our college son has one that he uses when away at college to make buttered noodles or other quick pasta sides for himself.
Tortilla Warmer ($14.00)- https://bit.ly/2XQH1Nl
The tortilla warmer from Pampered Chef is fantastic! If your family likes Mexican food as my family does, you will definitely want to think about investing in this warmer. It allows you to heat up multiple tortillas at once and it keeps them warm if family members want to go back for seconds. The tortillas are heated in under a minute and the warmer itself is machine washable. It can also be used to keep pancakes warm. I love this product!
Mix-N-Chop ($15.00)- https://bit.ly/2Pw5UcA
This nonstick, dishwasher safe tool is awesome for chopping up ground meats like beef or turkey. Instead of using a spatula, this is my go-to tool, to crumble meat into small pieces while browning. I despise huge chunks of cooked ground meat in my food and this tool really helps you break it apart. The Mix-N-Chop is also wonderful for making scrambled eggs, mashing bananas, tomatoes, avocado, and more. You will be surprised how many uses you can find for this!
1-Cup Prep Bowl Set ($24.00)- https://bit.ly/2DG341X
You get 6 bowls and 6 covers in this prep bowl set. These can be used in a multitude of ways. Obviously, you can use them to prep herbs and ingredients for cooking or baking, but you can also use them for individual servings of all kinds of things like fruit salad, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, sauces, and more. I also use them for leftovers because they come with lids—which makes them quick to grab and put away items in the fridge. The bowls are stackable so they do not take up much room in your cabinet and they are (along with the covers) dishwasher safe. I use mine in some way or another, close to every day.
Handy Scraper ($10.00)- https://bit.ly/3klCYlp
Oh, how I love this helpful scraper! It has been a longtime favorite of mine. 😉 I bought one early on in my marriage but somehow lost it in our last house move. I lived without it for a couple of months, but I missed it like crazy. I had to re-purchase it!
I use this scraper in multiple ways. For cooking and baking, it makes lifting chopped items off of cutting boards a cinch. It is also great to help separate chopped items on a cutting board easily. You can just slide items from one area to the other. Another way I use this tool is for clean up. I may love it most for this purpose! For example, if you are baking and you have a ton of leftover flour on your counter, just slide the scraper on your counter to collect all the leftover flour into one pile. Next, simply slide the extras into a garbage can or your hand for easy cleanup—super easy and efficient. Also, the scraper has a squeegee side, so it won’t scratch surfaces, so no need to worry about that.
Another favorite clean up use I have for the scraper is getting hidden crumbs off of my counter. I often find I will spray down and wipe counters, only to find I missed a bunch of crumbs. The scraper really helps with this issue. It really is a gem of a tool for only $10.00!
Well there they are—5 of my Pampered Chef favorites $25.00 & under. Maybe you have found a couple items that you would like to try? If you are in need of a consultant, I highly recommend Lori Haizel. She is the consultant I have shopped with for what feels like forever. She has years of experience with these products and can answer any of your questions. She is a hard worker and a dedicated mother as well. All of the links in this blog are linked to her website in case you would like to shop through her.
I would love to hear if you decided to purchase any of these and if so, what you think of them once they arrive. I hope they help make cooking at home easier and more enjoyable!
XO- Kerry
Leave a Reply