The Guide to Kitchen Essentials

The Guide to Kitchen Essentials

Content, product testing and layout by

Borden Communications + Design

Having the right "stuff" in our kitchens means everything...

inside this guide you'll find the best cookware, gadgets, accessories,

small appliances, and more - but, no gimmicks, of course.

Get inspired to make and share good, clean food.

There are more products available today than ever before that

are designed to make our lives “easier,” many of which are to

help us out in the kitchen. But if you have a drawer filled with

utensils that serve one single purpose, doesn't it take you more

time to rummage through everything to find that banana

slicer, and then put everything back into the drawer, than it

would to have just used a regular ol' knife?

Buying the right stuff means less clutter in our kitchens, our

lives, and the landfills, using fewer resources, more money in

our wallets, and more tools that actually serve us, rather than

aggravate us. If we simplify, it's easier to find what we are

looking for when we need it.

Plus, having the right tools means we won't need lots of little

gimmicks; Just a great, inspiring space to make and share good,

clean food.

It's amazing to me that people argue organic vs. local when it comes to their food. Is organic only for

those who don't want toxins in their bodies, and local is reserved only for environmentalists who weigh

their food miles? It's actually best that we all strive to be eating local AND organic food, by choosing

what's in season. Our grandparents ate “organically” and locally, and they cleaned without chemicals

too. Wow, that makes sense! I always got along famously with my grandparents so, as they are amazed

with the “progress” of our world, I am interested in some regression back to how they lived as kids it's

great that we have a lot to share and learn from each other.

Now, let's nip this argument in the locally grown, organically cultivated bud and move forward (or was

that backwards?).

Why Local?

It's fresher - shorter time from farm to table

It's tastier - do your own taste test…as an aside, if your food needs to travel far, t's bred to withstand a longer shelf life and is usually picked before it's fully ripe

It's healthier - retains more nutrients and has less preservatives and additives because long distance travel is not required

It's environmentally sound - long distance travel requires more packaging, refrigeration, fuel to get to table, and generates more waste and pollution (did you ever wonder how produce arrives from Mexico without bruises and without being rotten?)

It's cheaper - less middlemen, less marketing and less transportation costs

It's neighbourly - money stays in your community, creates jobs and supports local farmers

Why Organic?

It's tastier - again I suggest doing your own taste test…but without all of the synthetics, it's just pure unaltered delicious food

It's healthier - higher levels of vitamins and minerals and less exposure to chemicals and synthetics

It's environmentally sound - my farmer friends have given me lots of reasons, but simply, crops grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and GMOs mean fewer of these items are being produced and fewer are being released into our soil and water

Keep in mind, your money is your voice. With every dollar you spend, you are telling that farmer or that

restaurant or that supermarket or that company to make more of the same.

So, YOUR wise choices are a benefit to us all!

What should you buy foryour kitchen, Local or Organic?

Bake and cook in glass like this and you can

easily and safely go from the oven, to the table,

to the fridge, and back again. Yes, they come in a

variety of shapes and sizes to bake all of your

loaves, casseroles, pies, and more!

Pyrex Glass Bakeware

www.pyrex.com

People have been cooking with stoneware for

thousands of years. Why? It’s heavy duty,

distributes heat evenly, and is free of toxins, so

you can bake even crispier fries, or your gram’s

cookies exactly the same way she made ‘em!

Hartstone Pottery

www.hartstonepottery.com

A great pot can shorten your cooking time

(really!), and make your life (or at least your meal

prep) easier. Salad master claims their cookware

allows you to cook your food quickly and evenly,

and protects the quality, purity, and flavour.

Salad Master

www.saladmaster.com

Cast iron is one of the original nonstick cooking

surfaces. They last forever, and they don’t have

any nasty PFOA’s (google if you don’t know why

we should be avoiding them!) so you won’t be

eating, or inhaling any toxic sprays or coatings.

Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron

www.lodgemfg.com

Cookware + Bakeware

www.lisabordenworks.com

It’s just as important to consider what you are cooking with or on, as it is to choose healthful ingredients.

Avoid non-stick coatings, and cook on safe surfaces that won’t leach into your homemade, clean cuisine.

The last thing any of us need is more plastic in

our kitchen, in our lives, and in our world. So,

let’s get it out! Glass is definitely the safest bet,

and the only way to be sure you are only adding

what your recipe is asking for.

Anchor Hocking

www.anchorhocking.com

The faster you peel your potatoes, the better,

right? We agree with chefs that a straight blade

peels faster than anything else. This stainless

peeler also has a side cutter to remove blemishes,

and make decorative cuts into fruits and veggies.

Stainless Steel Peeler

www.swissmar.ca

Take your fave raw veggies and spiralize them

into delicious (carb-free and fat-free!) noodles or

slice them in just minutes. Raw zucchini turns

into amazing spaghetti the kids will even eat. It’s

safe enough (and fun) for kids to use too.

Vegetable Spiral Slicer

http://amzn.to/Zvp7aD

Useful GadgetsIf you have great, useful gadgets & not too many of them (important!) , you’ll never need

to reach far into cupboards or drawers for these easy to use (and easy to clean!) tools.


Whether you are mixing or serving hot or cold, it

is important to not put any toxic materials into

your food (and not to scratch your pots and

pans!). Try these utensils made from beachwood

from sustainably managed forests.

Beachwood Cooking Utensils

www.noplastic.ca

Super Storage

This reusable, fluid, and air resistant beeswax

coated wrap keeps your leftovers fresh and

delicious. It’s Canadian made (yay!), reusable and

compostable, so you can say goodbye to toxic,

wasteful, expensive plastic wrap forever!

Abeego

www.abeego.ca

Fill these paper bags with anything from fruits

and veg, to fresh baked breads, even your

favourite house plant. They feel like leather, and

wash like fabric, and are made from virgin fibre

from cultivation, not through deforestation.

Uashmama

www.uashmama.com

These jars are perfect for storing fresh juice,

homemade salad dressings, and canning

preserves! We love them even more than mason

jars because they’re easy to stack, pour from, and

the reusable glass lids aren’t lined with BPA!

Weck

www.weckcanada.ca

There’s so much plastic in storage these days, it’s sickening, literally. It’s easier than ever to quit

buying plastic wrap and containers when there are so many great options (for on the go too!).


Your food stays fresh and ready to go with you in

these reusable, airtight containers. These glass

goods are incredibly affordable, freezer and

dishwasher safe, and the thick glass makes them

durable and chip-resistant too.

Frigoverre

www.trudeaucorp.com

Table Toppers

These artful drinking glasses are handmade from

the bottom half of old wine bottles! Wine Punts

recycles thousands of wine bottles each month.

Every single glass is inspected so you can feel

good about doing good with every sip you take.

Wine Punts

www.winepunts.com

Sourcing flatware that isn’t made in China wasn’t

easy. Liberty Tabletop says they are the last

flatware manufacturer in the USA. They use

recycled 18/8 stainless steel, and operations run

off hydro-electric power from Niagara Falls!

Liberty Tabletop

www.libertytabletop.com

Don’t you find that food is simply more delicious

when eaten off of a pretty plate? (We think so!).

These sea glass designs are handcrafted in the

USA in a LEED certified facility, and a portion of

the proceeds go to local and national charities.

Riverside Design Group

www.riversidedesigns.com

Stay clean and tidy with organic cotton napkins.

Madder Root’s linens are printed and sewn in

Maine with organic materials and solvent free

water based inks. They’re great for every day

use, hostess gifts, and picnics too!

Madder Root

www.etsy.com/shop/madderroot

After prepping and preparing your local, organic ingredients, present your dishes to your family

and friends with tableware that is as conscious and unique as your meals themselves.


You may not realize that you need this appliance,

but you really do. You really, really do. It’s fully

automatic (once you add the ingredients) making

it a smooth and easy process to whip up drinks,

hot soups and cool ice creams in just seconds.

Blendtec Designer Series www.blendtec.com

Make your own nutrient dense compost fertilizer

from your own food waste and table scraps. The

Ultra is automatic, energy efficient, and emits no

trashy odours. You can tuck it away in cabinet,

but we’d rather leave it out on display.

Nature Mill www.naturemill.com

A slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, and yogurt

maker all in one! It’s made from unglazed Zisha

clay (so no plastic, chems, aluminum or lead

touches your food!) and it preserves your food’s

nutrients, enzymes, and vitamins too.

VitaClay Smart Organic Multicooker www.vitaclaychef.com

We finally found an incredible counter top oven

that isn’t coated with a non-stick lining! This

convection oven also has full steaming capability

cutting cooking time as much as 40%. Steam,

poach, bake, and broil to perfection!

Cuisinart Combo Steam + Convection Oven www.cuisinart.ca

Small AppliancesCooking time with these efficient, multitasking, compact appliances over your

large"standard" kitchen appliance is life changing and brilliant. Trust us.


This jar is a genius for whipping up recipes like

nut and seed butters, dips, salad dressings, and

baby foods. Simply add ingredients and twist the

lid while the blend cycle is running to achieve a

perfect blend every time.

Blendtec Twister Jar www.blendtec.com

Dehydration is the healthiest, easiest and most

economical way to preserve foods. With this

dehydrator, you can make fruit and kale chips in

no time! A fun and healthy idea for any party

menu, and the inserts pull out for easy clean up.

Excalibur Dehydrator www.excaliburdehydrator.com

The water from fruits and veggies is delicious

and full of healthy benefits, but don’t buy the

stuff filled with added sugars and preservatives.

Make your own (with organic produce of course)

so you know exactly what’s in it!

Omega Juicer www.omegajuicers.com

Mix, grate, and chop it up with your trusty food

processor. This reliable appliance makes tedious

tasks seem like a breeze, saving you time and

energy that you can spend instead enjoying your

meal and your amazing dinner company.

Cuisinart www.cuisinart.ca

More Small AppliancesThere’s no need to overpay for prepared foods when these great appliances make it

quick and easy to whip up homemade snacks, chips, dips, and sips.


If you’ve ever struggled to get the inside of your

bottles and tumblers nice and clean, this is the

brush for you. Simply place the long end inside

the bottle and squeeze the handle to clean both

the inside and the outside effortlessly.

Full Circle

www.fullcirclehome.com

Scrub well with these copper threads that gently

removes cooking grime on your pots, pans, sink,

and stove, and even safe on glass and stainless

steel. It’s double layered for strength and just

throw in the washing machine for a fresh start.

Bürstenhaus Redecker

shop.redecker.de

It doesn’t need to cost a fortune to keep the

kitchen clean. Microfibre cloths and water do a

remarkable job lifting any dirt, bacteria, or grime

left behind. They’re economical, machine

washable, and can be used over and over.

E-Cloth

www.ecloth.com

Real CleanWhether you are tidying before your meal or on cleaning duty afterwards, you want your home to be truly clean.

Replace every conventional cleaner under the kitchen sink and in the laundry room with NOTHING (well, maybe

not nothing, but as close to it as possible!). You do NOT have to sacrifice the cleanliness of your home.


Most cleaners pollute our homes with chemicals

that we inhale and absorb all day long (causing

headaches, itchy skin, and much more). You can

easily and inexpensively make your own truly

natural and smart cleaners with safe ingredients.

Full Circle

www.fullcirclehome.com

How many plastic straws get thrown out each

day? (It’s scary!). Strawesome’s reusable glass

straws are safe and toxin-free, and come with a

lifetime guarantee - that’s how committed this

company is to their functional works of art.

Strawesome

www.strawesome.com

Artful Accessories

Sure, drying your dishes isn’t always fun, but you

can make it look fun and be conscious about it

too. Growing cotton uses more insecticides than

any other major crop! Choosing organic is a

much safer choice for our health, and our future.

Ferm

www.ferm-living.com

Whoever thought something practical couldn’t

also be fun and stylish, obviously hasn’t seen

these organic cotton oven mitts. Stay cool, and

protected with something you’ll feel good, and

look really good, slipping your hands into.

Ochre & Ocre

www.ochreandocre.com

If food is art, then this natural slate board is the

perfect canvas. So much so, it even comes along

with soapstone chalk to write directly on the

slate to identify what you’re serving, or scribble a

tasty greeting for your guests.

Brooklyn Slate Company

www.brooklynslate.com

The kitchen is a place to feel inspired and be creative, so give it as much

flavour and flare as the food you’re plating, and keep it green and toxin-free.


On The Kitchen Bookshelf

Terry Walters delivers super simple, incredible

tasting, plant based recipes that work with the

season we’re living in. She gives approachable,

healthful, and nutritious information that

satisfies our craving for easy, real, clean food.

Eat Clean, Live Well

www.terrywalters.net

We can’t imagine a healthier cook book by a

better chef (and person). These tempting dishes

are bold, innovative, fresh, easy and above all

delicious. Both vegans and non-vegans will find

them absolutely delicious.

Vegan Everyday

www.dougmcnish.com

Ditch the calorie counting and fad diets, and

discover how much fun you can have when you

UnDiet! Meghan’s vibrant, inspirational message

will help you find your way to true health - trust

us, this IS the way to eat and live life!

UnDiet

www.meghantelpner.com

Find out what’s good for personal health, what’s

good for the planet, and what tastes great. Learn

how to find your way around a farmers' market,

how to cook with the least amount of energy,

and how to eat locally, even in winter!

The Conscious Kitchen

www.alexandrazissu.com

You don’t need to be vegan to enjoy these books (we don’t like labels, and we don’t like

“mock” food!), you just need to appreciate simple, quick, clean recipes & perspective!


From Here to There

We’ve all been there, when we’re at the market

and realize we’ve forgotten to bring our reusable

bags. Problem solved with these bags that roll up

into tiny balls to leave in your purse, briefcase, or

in your car. (Easier to fold than a pair of socks!)

Flip & Tumble

www.flipandtumble.com

Why use a single-use zipper baggies when there’s

something safer, reusable, and better looking?

These are made in the USA, certified food-safe,

bpa-free, phthalate-free, pvc-free, lead-free, and

can be personalized with your own designs.

Neat-os

www.neat-os.com

This basket can handle it all. It has a tearproof

fabric, sturdy frame, collapsible soft rubber

handle, and the whole thing folds flat so it can

be tucked away in a trunk or front hall. Perfect

for markets, picnics, or to carry potluck dishes!

Reisenthal

www.reisenthelUSA.com

These tempered glass sandwich, snack, and dip

containers can go anywhere you go. And with

colourful lids, you can easily tell whose snack is

whose. Smart Clips lock and secure food inside,

so you don’t have to worry about spills or leaks.

Wean Green

www.weangreen.com

What happens in the kitchen, doesn’t usually stay in the kitchen (or start in the kitchen),

so choose great reusables to bring your food home from the market or with you wherever you go.


www.bordencom.com

Find out what we do.It's good.

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The Guide to Kitchen Essentials