Things I Never Knew I Needed Until I Got Them

I was blessed this Christmas to get some really great gifts. Useful gifts are my favorite, and I usually ask for things I can use in my kitchen or home. I am not one of those people who get mad if you get them a waffle iron or a vacuum lol.

Anyway, I thought I would show you a few of the things that I received this year. Well, last year. If I had known how awesome these things were I would have had them on my list years ago.

Maybe some of you already have these, but if you don't you should try to get them. They are handy and really nice to have around.

First up is this little gem:

It's a salt hog! Nothing could be more convenient than having this sitting on the counter. I can scoop a little out as I cook or it's super easy to use a measuring spoon to quickly get in there and get some salt. So much better than dealing with the pour spouts on the salt box. I usually buy 2# boxes of course kosher salt and those spouts can be a pain in the rear. Well no more! I love this things.

And then there is:

My mini butter bell. You pack the cup there full of butter, add a little cool water to the crock and put the cup back into the crock. The water seals off the air from getting to the butter, thus preventing it from going bad as quickly AND it keeps it at room temperature so it's soft and spreadable all the time. This one is just so cute, it makes me smile to look at it.

Or there's this one:

The mega-sized butter bell. I put the mini in the picture for size comparison. The large bell works the same way as the little one, only it hold 1/2 cup of butter (1 full stick) instead of 1 Tablespoon of butter. They are both awesome!

Probably one of my favorites:

I can just about guarantee that this is the only piece of Le Creuset I will ever own, but at least it's a cute piece. It's a pie bird if you weren't sure. Instead of cutting out vents in your top pie crust, you put this little guy in there and seal the crust around his shoulders. The steam escapes out his mouth and he looks cute all at the same time. I LOVE making cherry pie with a pie bird, I think it just looks nice!

And last, but not least, is this:

It's a chocolate dipping fork! This would have come in handy when I had 300 Christmas chocolates to dip....oh well, I have it for next year :)

I'm always on the lookout for interesting, useful and unusual kitchen gadgets. Things like this save me time and keep my kitchen looking pretty too. Can't beat useful and pretty ;)