Tooling about in the kitchen

On Sunday as I was rearranging the stash of fabric that seems to multiply in our craft room, I listened to a rebroadcast of The Splendid Table that featured various guests talking about their favorite kitchen tools. The guests included Tim Hayward, knife maker Quintin Middleton, and Ruth Ades-Laurent, daughter of the legendary Joseph Ades AKA The Gentleman Peeler, a man who made millions hawking vegetable peelers on the streets of New York City. Hearing about kitchen tools set me to thinking about my favorite kitchen tools.

Since I have loads of kitchen tools, my mind wandered for quite some time. There is the rolling pin made of gorgeous sapele wood that I purchased at a local craft show – it’s so nice when a tool looks as good as it works. My Mauviel copper mixing bowl fits that category as well. Another item that lands on the list is my trusty loop-type melon baller that works so much better than the regular hemisphere models. The OXO salad spinner that gets used almost every day is yet another favorite. I resisted getting a salad spinner for years, using various methods to dry greens including placing them in a clean pillowcase that I whipped around above my head. The pillowcase did the trick, but it also splattered droplets of water everywhere and had to be laundered, so it didn’t seem to be net plus. I finally broke down and got the OXO, and it was love at first spin.

As I thought about the things that I would want to take with me on the proverbial desert island, it became clear that price was not the determining factor in how much I cherished a tool. The melon baller was well under $10, and the rolling pin only $15. I would rather give up the beautiful copper bowl than either of these two items.

If I wrote about about all of the tools that play important roles in my cooking and baking I would be up all night, but I have a few more shout outs to items that make working in the kitchen easier. I will always have a kitchen scale (in fact, I have two – one for backup in case the other fails). Weighing ingredients means fewer dirty measuring cups to wash. Restaurant quality cookie scoops make portioning a breeze and will always have a home in my kitchen. The Microplane grater also earns a permanent spot in my tool drawer. Which tools do you find essential?

Books of interest on the subject of kitchen tools:

• Tools for Food: The Stories Behind the Objects that Influence How and What We Eat by Corinne Mynatt will be published in September by Hardie Grant.
• The Encyclopedia of Kitchen Tools: Essential Items for the Heart of Your Home — And How to Use Them by Elinor Hutton
• Essential Tools, Tips & Techniques for the Home Cook: A Professional Chef Reveals the Secrets to Better Cooking by Michelle Doll