As I spent more time at home other than going to work, I couldn’t help but browse online more than I usually would. In doing this, I’ve found a few curious items that I would make a note of buying when I get my own home/move out and I thought I would share it.
The items are in no particular order, and some may or may not have pictures. Also, some of the picture are affiliated where I can earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you choose to purchase the item. More info here.
Cocktail Shaker/ Jigger Set
Simply put, it’s that shaking thing you see in bars to make cocktails. Now there isn’t much home use for it, but I think this would be a great thing to have if the need ever arises. For example when you’re of drinking age, you could entertain guests or friends by making ‘experimental’ cocktails with the set.
Long Spoons
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Now this sounds absolutely weird, but I had been waiting until I found the right ones before I bought them. I don’t know if it’s my family but our soup spoons are typically very short and stubby ceramic ones, and at one point or another one will always end up drowned in soup. I found that long handle metal spoons were very neat and kind of made sense, I first found out about them when I first traveled to Korea.
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 Stainless Steel Spoon – $8.90 from: YesStyle.com |
I bought mine at miniso and despite being scolded for spending money on things we didn’t need, everyone now prefers to use them. I would suggest dishing out a little more money for well made ones, but don’t buy anything over $15 for a set of 2 though.
Mini Whisk
 Electric Whisk As Shown In Figure – One Size – $5.61 from: YesStyle.com |
Not everyone has an electric mixer ready at home, most are likely to have a hand whisk which is very basic but also awful when you make super hard recipes. Hand mixing macaron batter by hand is not fun, let me tell you that. Not to mention when I tried Dalgona Coffee? My arm ached for days.
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The ones I’m talking about are the tiny electric whisks, I don’t see them everywhere but I found a few on amazon. They look similar to a milk frother though.
Electric Lighter
I absolutely loathe having to use a traditional lighter or matches anytime I need the power of fire for candles or incense. I got burned more than once by these fickle little things, and have always been curious about buying an electric lighter for this purpose. I know there are electric lighters similar to the traditional ones, but the one I’m focusing on are the long-necked U-shaped ones.
Once again, found this on amazon so a quick search should bring it up. But whether it works or is safe is the bigger question.
Reusable Tea Bag
I’m not the most environmentally conscious person, but if there’s a more earth-friendly alternative you can get I’ll look into it. My family drinks a lot of tea, and while most of the ones I buy already come in tea bags I’m talking about those that are loose-leaf teas.
For example, most David’s Tea mixes come as loose-leaf bags or canisters. In this case a reusable tea bag would come in handy (so would a tea diffuser thing, but some aren’t well made), or you could always fish the leaves out or strain it but that’s more work on your part. The one I found was from a seller on Etsy, I’ve yet to buy it yet though.
Metal Straws
I’m fairly certain this is a must in all households at this point, you can also get glass straws but I have my concerns about those for another blog post. It seems that metal straws are very easy to get now-a-days, I personally find that it keeps the drink pleasantly cold throughout the straw.
I had a problem of chewing on my straws when I got bored so this brought me out of that bad habit as soon as we switched over, they aren’t for everyone though. There are also different sizes available (regular, smoothie, bubble tea, etc.).
Steam Rack
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I personally see this as a no-brainer, a steam rack is extremely useful in a household because it sets up items to steam easily. The ones I’m mentioning are metal and fold and open up like flowers, not the simple dish holding racks where you have to place a plate or bowl on it. However this specific type is only good for veggies I suppose, because I feel that Dim Sum will just stick unless there’s a cloth or something between.
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 Foldable Stainless Steel Steam Rack – $7.90 from: YesStyle.com |
There are also multi-layer ones but you’ll probably need a huge pot for that. I think it’s also safe to mention that some will start to rush, chip or discolour over time and with extensive use so having a spare around is handy.
Reusable Soup Bag
 Drawstring Soup Bag – $2.90 from: YesStyle.com |
I feel like this is a very uncommon item to find in a modern kitchen, but I would probably have one in my future home. Most of us are probably used to using boxes of soup stock, but some soups may need this. For example, making dashi soup stock with bonito flakes. This would be very useful.
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Another use for it (if it works because this is also just a theory) would be using it to strain cooked and grounded soybean, in the process of making soy milk.
Stainless Steel Tongs
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This is very specific actually, think along the lines of those same things you use when you eat Korean BBQ. Slightly short, but with jagged “teeth” to grab the meat from the grill. While most things are already great for the regular household, I find that some traditional dishes would benefit from these.
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 Stainless Steel Food Tongs – $6.90 from: YesStyle.com |
Another small benefit is that since they’re stainless steel, there’s not underlying fear that they’ll melt. They also have “teeth” to grab onto meat better so at home K-BBQ is saved!
Side-Bowl w/Handle
 Plain Ceramic Dish – $13.90 from: YesStyle.com |
In all honesty, it kinda looks like a small ceramic or metal pot. A tad too small for cooking use, but it can also work as a creative serving dish. My thinking is that it’s a great thing to have if you eat hotpot at home a lot (like we do). It has a handle so you won’t burn your hands on the bottom of the bowl when you pick it up, and it could go to improve your posture if you slouch while eating.
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However because not many people have use for the size and specific shape of the side bowl, it’s going to be a little harder to get outside of Asia maybe.
Multi-USB Port
Last but not least, this would be extremely useful in any household because over time more electronics would have a USB end to make charging easier and more accessible. However, most computers or laptops have a limited number of USB slots and most multi-slot USB wall outlet adapters don’t work well.
You can easily have one of these lying around to charge multiple things at once, have more things plugged in and etc. This is dependent on the product working as advertised though, so while I wouldn’t spend an arm and a leg, I wouldn’t buy it for a very low price either.
So, did I point out anything you didn’t realize you might need? If so, let me know in the comments! Anything else you might want to add onto the list? Let me know as well, we can always do better to improve our lives this way.
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