If your family hangs stockings as a way to exchange small gifts, teas,  home-made jellies, and spice mixes may be fine. We suggest you add a few small kitchen tools because these helpful items can be used over and over to make cooking easier.  

 All of the following cooking tools are described in our upcoming book “$10 Meals for a Family of Six,” and are on our list of essential kitchen items. Many are available for $1 at the Dollar Tree.

• Digital meat thermometer to measure whether your meat  is safe to eat.
• Scrub brush for washing vegetables.
• Hand grater for making zest.
• Bamboo mat for making sushi or egg and rice rolls.
• Refrigerator or oven thermometer to accurately measure temp.
• The green plastic mat is a flexible cutting board.

• Wooden spoon and fork
• Wire whisk for mixing sauces.
• Stainless sieve for sorting and washing legumes. It is also useful for dipping seafood into hot oil and removing vegetables from boiling water.

• Measuring spoons and cups. Each child can have a set and practice measuring.
• Funnels are useful when transferring liquids and spices to small containers.
• A steamer basket is used almost daily for cooking vegetables or reheating planned-overs.
• Use a pastry brush to spread oil, baste roasts, spread sauce and glaze pastries.  
• The tea ball holds bulk tea and spices.
• The green rubber mat helps you grip bottle and jar tops for easy removal

• 1/16″ mesh covers a wide-mouth jar to make a  sprouting jar.
• Grow sprouts from seeds in your new sprouting jar.
• Peeler for serrated carrots and potatoes.
• A spring clip helps keep bags sealed and notes hung.
• Wooden skewers are great for making broiled or grilled k’ bobs. Soak in water before using.