Gifts We're Lovin' - Pie Crust Bag and Butter Warmer

It probably won't surprise you that one of the most frequent categories of gifts that Whitney and I give to each other is kitchen tools (so much so that it's about time for another round of kitchen de-cluttering!). This post will highlight two such recent gifts that we've been enjoying.

The first one is a pie crust bag. When Whitney said she was interested in this I had no idea what it was, but when I found out I figured it would be pretty useful. Rolling out pie crust can be fairly annoying with it sticking to the counter or rolling pin and constantly checking whether it's big enough and is in a proper circle. With the pie crust bag you roll the dough inside a bag zipped together from two circles, which solves the sticking issue, and the edges of the bag give a clear guide for how to roll the dough. We've found it to be very helpful with our recent pies and quiches. Here are some step-by-step photos from a crust Whitney made:


The second gift is a butter warmer. We keep our microwave in the garage since we don't use it very often and want to save the kitchen counter space for cherished items like our toaster oven. One thing we use the microwave for is to melt butter, which can be somewhat challenging; it either doesn't melt, or if you slightly overdo it, it foams up and makes a mess. The butter warmer is a small vessel that can be placed on the stovetop to melt butter or warm anything else, and it allows us to stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on it, and then conveniently pour it as soon as it's ready. Here it is in action!