Squeezing Garlic

OK…..I must humble myself and admit my addiction. I crave kitchen gadgets! There, I  said it out loud. But PLEASE, I don’t want to recover! I collect kitchen gadgets like some folks collect fine Crystal. I don’t like Crystal. I like gadgets. Lots of them. When I go to a department store, I swear I can smell the kitchen/household department and I’m sucked in like there’s a magnet drawing me closer….closer….closer. Oh, sweet fry pan! There’s a stuffed chicken skewer I don’t have! Oh glorious toaster, will you look at that flat grater with its very own self storing collector bowl! Holy weight watching, do you see that precious little orange scale that measures both grams and ounces!

Some people are drawn to clothing departments. Some to toys or shoes…well OK, I am drawn to shoes too. Some to books or baby clothes. Me? My eyes glaze over at the sight of  paring knives. My heart races when I spy teeny, tiny brushes to clean teeny, tiny hard to reach places. Mushroom brush? Be still my heart!

Whew!!! Let me cool down for a minute here. Slow, deep breaths. In and out…….

Needless to say, I am going to be sharing with you my favorite kitchen gadgets and my hope is you will share yours with all my Journey Girl friends!

Let’s start with Numero Uno. My Garlic Press

Truth be told. Until I met my husband, there was no Garlic Press in my life. He brought to our marriage… a Garlic Press. I used to scoff at Garlic Presses. “What on earth do you need that for,” I would mutter to myself. And then came my moment of enlightenment. Watching Dan plop a clove of garlic into that sucker, squeeze those handles and watch that creamy unctuous goodness drop into the pan! No smelly hands. No cutting board to scrub. No chunks of garlic to be bitten into. Yep…. I was hooked and I remain hooked. Whether it is for a stir fry or into spaghetti sauce or mixed into salad dressings or even soups, I am now a squeezer, not a chopper!

Squeeze away!

So, dear friends, share with me what Kitchen Gadget can’t you live without?