I’m embarrassed to admit I stayed up later than my usual bedtime last night, not to get ahead on stuff or clean the house, but to watch The Bachelor (hangs head in shame). SPOILER ALERT. I fully admit I got suckered into the finale, then couldn’t turn it off because I was sure once Whitney saw Chris’ obvious love for Becca that things would explode in some serious on-air drama. Nope, and now I’ve lost an hour of sleep over it. Some lessons are only learned the hard way (sips coffee).
Moving on.
I’m in my kitchen for what feels like 75% of the day. I’m constantly cooking, cleaning or prepping. For the most part I really enjoy it, though I’m all about making things as easy as possible. To do so, there are a few items I keep on my countertop at all times to make life easier.
Agave Nectar. Agave nectar is a liquid sweetener that is sweeter than sugar and mixes into hot drinks better than honey (in my opinion). I don’t use it often but I do like it in my apple cider vinegar concoctions, drizzled on oatmeal or anything else that needs a touch of sweetness. If you’re into it too, make sure to grab organic. Almost all agave in the US in imported from Mexico and some shipments have been turned away due to excessive pesticide residues.
Olive oil spray. I use a lot of olive oil for cooking and roasting. I love having an option to spray just a little rather than pouring it into a bowl and tossing to coat. Call me lazy, but omitting cleaning an extra dish is always worth it. However, I do not recommend the exact mister I have pictured because it actually just broke- boo! Anyone have the Misto? Thoughts?
Apple Cider Vinegar. I love me some ACV. I drink it with hot water, lemon and agave as often as I remember, and more when I feel some congestion rear its ugly head. I also keep it handy to add to bone broth (the vinegar helps pulls the nutrients out of the bone) or to add to slowcooker pulled pork or beef (helps break own tougher meats).
Chia Seeds. I first put these little guys in a shaker jar years ago and Hailey has been hooked on ‘sprinkles’ ever since. Keeping them handy like this makes it easy to shake them onto oatmeal, yogurts, toast with peanut butter and sometimes odder dishes like scrambled eggs (whatever you want kiddo!). I see no harm in sprinkling on some extra omega-3s whenever the mood strikes.
Different Kinds of Salt. Before I was into cooking I was perplexed why anyone needed more than just plain table salt. Though I still keep that around for recipes and baking, I keep Himalayan Pink Salt and Kosher on the countertop for most of my seasoning. Himalayan salt is known for it’s purity and quality of mineral content. I think it has a more robust flavor when sprinkled on food. Coarse kosher salt has a larger surface area which allows me to use less of it while getting more salt flavor. I use this to sprinkle on roasted vegetables, in soups, etc.
I also keep hot sauce and red pepper flakes because I’m not afraid of some HEAT in my dishes. Mmm… spicy!
Do you have items that you keep on your countertops at all times?
What items do you use most often is cooking?
emma @ be mom strong says
I ALWAYS get sucked into the Bachelor but haven’t this time around… maybe because I had a newborn and was going to bed whenever she was just crossing my fingers that I got 4 hours of sleep!
Love my some ACV! Have you tried the Bragg’s drinks with it? Get the acai first because the others are a little potent!
Brittany Dixon says
I have tried them! I’ll get them for David occasionally – not too bad if you like ACV!
Taca @ A Side Of Dessert says
Guilty over here as well! I totally got sucked into the finale last night as well! I never understand how it always gets me!
We keep a few items out on the countertop as well: olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Now that I think about it, it’s definitely not the items we use MOST often but they’re just kind of handy to have on the countertop. I love the idea of putting chia seeds in a sprinkler container! I might just have to do that as well!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so nosy, so I love posts like this! 🙂 I use the same brand ACV, and I use it in bone broth/ stock too. I usually keep a small bud vase with a few fresh herbs from the garden for easy access. Plus, they look pretty.
Laura says
I have a misto and it broke too. I probably had it for 2 years maybe? It’s not expensive so maybe having to replace it every 2 years isn’t too bad, but I was thinking about trying the Crate & Barrell one next.
Brittany Dixon says
I just bought one yesterday and would love for it to last 2 years like yours! 🙂
Brynn says
love ACV! I take a shit every morning. I also am stealing your idea to put chia seeds in a shaker – genious and so perfect for little ones!
Brynn says
live ACV, I take a shot every morning. And your idea to put chia seeds in a shaker is genius!
Amanda says
I’m dragging big time today because of The Bachelor. That was clearly not the most dramatic finale ever and I, too, felt like I went to bed an hour late and disappointed. Anyway, I love the idea of doing chia seeds in a shaker. We use them in tons of stuff and that would make it so easy and handy. Great idea!!
kellie says
We have the misto and while it works OK we don’t love it. You have to pump it a lot to build up pressure for spraying and there is a lot of over spray it seems like. We usually only use it outside.
Monica says
The item I use most in cooking is the microwave… does that count? No? Okay, fine… disregard.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma)k says
Make sure to check Morton’s salt ingredients. I had to stop buying theirs because it had some sort of anti-caking ingredient in it. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt only contains salt. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Bahhhhh! I did and you’re right! Anti-caking agent. I swear I try to check labels but look at that… thanks Kelli!
Liz says
LOVING that idea for the chia seed shaker. P would love to do her own when she gets a little older. Right now we always have olive oil on the counter. We have a small kitchen so I like to keep everything in cabinets and counters as bare as possible.
Tara Mason says
Ive had the same Misto for 8 years. I love mine and it’s lasted forever.
Theresa says
i had my Misto not even 6 months before it stopped working. Lots of pumping finally got us nothing but a dribble. Please let us know if you find one that actually works. My pampered chef one wore out quickly too.
Josephine says
Olive oil, sea salt and black pepper on my counter. Oh and coffee… Never seems to make it back in the cupboard! I’ve just bought Apple cider vinegar for the first time Intending on mixing it with cinnamon, cayenne and unfiltered apple juice, in an effort to shift some pounds, it has sat in my cupboard untouched for two weeks though… Maybe I should crack it open? Interesting to read you use it in bone broth. I’m going to try dressing salads with it in summer. I thought Agave was a big no no these days? I use honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup and coconut sugar in baking, no sweetener in my coffee. Thoughts on Agave Brittany?
Brittany Dixon says
Ah yes, agave. I’m split on it. I know it’s not the most natural sweetener (like local honey, which I use for most things), but it is a lower glycemic sweetener which is nice, but the real reason I keep it handy is because it mixes in so easily to warm liquids like ACV drinks without much stirring. Since I only use it occasionally I feel OK about it, though I do usually stick to honey if I’m sweetening something for Hailey (oatmeal or yogurt).
I have brown rice syrup in my pantry too, but I know there is a mixed verdict on it as well (high glycemic and some worries about arsenic level) but I try to stick by the everything in moderation philosophy and so far so good 😉
Geoff Dodd says
Gee, Brittany, I like your choice of ‘countertop’ items. Apple cider vinegar is a real fav of mine, too. Local honey keeps us going…especially the New Zealand manuka honey. 🙂