I don’t have children, so I’m not going to sit here and tell you that trying to choose a favorite cooking utensil is like trying to pick your favorite kid. But we all know that those of you who are parents have one. (One of the perks of being an only child is permanently occupying that particular throne. Yes I do realize that also makes me permanently the least favorite, but this is my blog and I am going to choose to ignore that fact right now.) So yes, I have more love for some of these tools than others, but I will never tell them that. They are all perfect in my eyes. And now I’m going to end this cooking tools-as-children metaphor before you decide I’ve gone fully off the deep end.
(I’m just going to leave these photos of my cats here immediately after this discussion about children and let you draw your own conclusions.)
So, without further ado…
- Tiny Whisk
- Blessed be the tiny whisk, I tell you what. Whisks are, of course, spectacular for incorporating ingredients thoroughly, incorporating air thoroughly, and being super cute when you make them itty bitty. In addition to being adorable, though, the tiny whisk also makes me feel like I have precise control over the incorporation of two ingredients together– its short, tightly-packed loops pack more of a punch than a larger whisk can. Plus, it is just the right size for whisking small amounts, like a couple of eggs for breakfast, where a large whisk would be comical at best and unwieldy and less effective at worst. Also, did I mention how cute it is?
- Parchment Paper
- I would be truly lost without parchment paper. Or, at the very least, I would spend way more time scrubbing baking sheets. And that’s basically a synonym for lost, because oof. Parchment paper is the lazy baker’s best friend: line a cake pan with it, your cake slips out beautifully. Line a baking sheet with it, your roasted veggies come out perfectly browned and cleanup is a breeze. Turn it into lil packets, you can bake your fish in it. Wrap a sandwich in it, you can pretend it came from a restaurant instead of your own quarantined kitchen, which is something we all need once in a while right now. I buy mine in absurdly gigantic rolls from Costco, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
- Citrus Reamer
- Juicers are great for making…well, juice. When you’ve got a ton of citrus to squeeze and are looking to avoid carpal tunnel, then sure, use a juicer. With the recent exception of overbuying limes that were all about to go bad at once, I can’t say I find myself in that position too often. (Or that I want to again, because juicing a dozen tiny-ass limes is not fun.) When I need the juice from just a lemon or two, my citrus reamer is my trusted friend. It’s quick, it’s easy, it just needs a quick rinse to be clean and good to go again, and I know I’m getting every last drop of juice that citrus has to offer. It’s also just aesthetically pleasing and sometimes that matters too, okay?
- Microplane
- You know that fluffy, stunning coating of parm/pecorino/what have you that you see in every picture of perfect pasta, ever? That’s thanks to the magic of the microplane. This handy lil guy also makes quick work of garlic and ginger, which is clutch for my kitchen since I tend to use that duo a lot. And while it would make this list on that basis alone, the real kicker is that using the microplane to zest citrus has meant I never have to use that stupid, IMPOSSIBLE TO CLEAN “zest” side of my cheese grater again. I would go to the ends of the earth to never again be hunched over the sink, poking bits of lemon zest out of the individual holes of my cheese grater with a cake tester. So, yeah. You could say the microplane is a good invention.
- Sharp, Good Knife
- I never really thought all that much about knives until my partner gave me the very nice knife in the top photo on this page. And I thought it was sweet, but I was also so afraid of damaging it that it took me a while to actually use it. But then I did and HEY WOW turns out there’s a reason every expert who knows anything about cooking talks about the importance of having a sharp, good knife. It was like going from black and white to color. Don’t be like me; if you have a nice knife, use it! And if you don’t, get a sharpening stone so you can wring the maximum benefit out of what you’ve got. It’ll make a world of difference and you’ll feel like a badass chef. Which is fun!
- Herb Scissors
- I’ll be honest, I never had much time for my herb scissors until this spring, when an unexpected giant crop of chives showed up in the planter on our deck (the perks of moving to a new house in the winter; see also, surprise rhubarb in the garden.) Suddenly, I had more chives than I knew what to do with, and they were going in everything. The prospect of finely chopping allllllll those herbs was decidedly not appealing. But you know what was? Chopping them way more quickly with the simple “snip” of a pair of scissors. I am generally opposed to having too many single-use tools in the kitchen, but sometimes, their convenience outweighs the space they take up. This is definitely one of them!
- “Fish” Spatula
- Listen, I’m not here to hate on regular spatulas. They’re great! But anybody who’s ever accidentally piled a freshly-baked cookie onto itself when trying to move it from the baking sheet to a cooling rack knows that sometimes, you just wish your spatula were…better. Different. And that’s where a fish spatula comes in! Its super-thin structure and edge make it easier to slide under food, rather than into it. It’s also great at helping food that’s a tad bit stick to the pan become unstuck. A fish spatula is flexible but strong, and does everything a regular spatula can do, but more and better. What’s not to love?
- Spider
- Initially, I bought a spider for deep frying projects. It does a lovely job at that, but it it has so much more potential! (Which is great, because I can’t all that often get myself to bother with the whole rigamarole of frying.) Need to transfer your pasta from its water to a sauce, but want to hang onto the starchy water (or just avoid getting a colander out)? Use the spider! Want to lower a few eggs into boiling water for soft-boiled eggs without splashing yourself? Use the spider! This is the only acceptable “spider” I want in my kitchen (or house, or general environs).
- Instant-Read Thermometer
- As someone who was functionally vegetarian for most of my early cooking-for-myself years, meat was very intimidating to me. When you undercook a vegetable, it’s a little crunchier than you may have wanted, but you’re fine. If you undercook meat, you could DIE! The stakes are high! But wow wow wow, is overcooked meat not fun to eat either. So what’s a plucky chef to do? (Yes, that you’s I’m talking about.) Get an instant-read thermometer! Not to go all infomercial on you, but: you’ll never over- (or under-) cook your meat again! When I was home and making Christmas Eve dinner this year, I broke into my mom’s stocking just so I could use the instant-read thermometer I was giving her. And you know what? That beef tenderloin was damned good, if I do say so myself. Couldn’t have done it without my (well, her) trusty thermometer!
- Tiny Spatula
- Alright I know you are going to suspect me of just playing favorites with anything tiny, but I swear it’s not just that. A tiny spatula is a darn handy thing to have around! Especially now, when lots of folks are trying to maximize the resources in their kitchen. That last little bit of peanut butter/mayo/curry paste at the bottom of the jar? You can get it, thanks to the tiny spatula. It’s also the perfect tool for stirring up a small amount of any sauce– I use it all the time to mix up a little dish of fun aioli for our burgers or breakfast sandwiches. It can also be a better tool for spreading than a knife can, if you’re working with something delicate that tears easily. Also, and I swear this is just a side bonus and not the main point: it’s so cute!
Law and Lentils 