In order of importance/I can’t live withouts:
Shun Classic knives: serious damascus carbon steel knives made the old-fashioned japanese samurai swords way. serious. The new addition to the Shun family, the cute ultimate utility knive (only sold by Sur La Table) is awesome for cutting tomatoes, bread, etc.
Breville electric kettle – I can’t live without this. Not only does it have multi-temp settings for green tea to black tea but it’s a must for cooking. Zaps up hot water instantly for speed cooking pasta, soup, etc.
All-Clad LTD pans: beautiful stainless & aluminum pans with a sleek black anodized exterior, cooks perfectly every time. Love the all-purpose do-it-all french skillet.
Le Creuset cast iron french ovens, soup pots and skillet: you just feel so professional using these…makes bad-ass soups, stews, sautees, chili, you name it! My thing as of late? Perfect short ribs, mmmm~
Breville citrus juicer press (really thought…”really? need a citrus juicer?”) But YUP! It’s all that and more… you really should get one. Really.
Microplane zester: get tablespoons of gorgeous lemon/lime zest in seconds, also great for fine grating hard cheese that look like snow flakes~
Bonjour timer: many plastic-y made-in-china timers out there. This one has been most reliable, simple to use with BIG display and LOUD LOUD alarm which is great when you got 5 things going on at once. I’ll have to upgrade to their multi-timer one one of these days.
Breville toaster oven – Wow. You really don’t need a full-size oven with this little puppy (hidden in the pantry). From roasting vegetables to making great toast – you can get rid of few big appliances with this puppy. Had it for almost a year now and it’s still working great. Only pet peeve is that the light bulb in the menu screen’s flickered off and now the neat-o blue light is just no longer. Breville USA – are you listening?…
Emile Henry casserole dishes – Beautifully crafted with zillion candy colors available, no nicks or bumps here, just smooth perfect casserole dishes to make perfect casseroles and lasagnas and did I mention SUPER EASY cleaning? score! Use the 8 1/2 x 12 all the time for dinner for 4-5 or 2 with lots of leftovers.
Global knives – since sending my Shuns away for its annual sharpening – been cheating on a different set of knives – a sexy and so lethal-looking Japanese stainless one-piece knives that can cut through tomatoes like it was a celery. Yes – have some recent war wounds on my poor finger to prove it. Still love my Shuns, the heft and the feel of it but these (for ninja) Global knives are AWESOME for thin delicate chops of onion, carrots, kale, you name it.
Peet’s Coffee’s stainless 2TBSP measuring spoon – I got it years ago with my Peet’s coffee purchase and it’s one of the best measuring tools for cooking! I typically use it as ratios so for instance, to make salty/sweet teriyaki base sauce, I use 2 spoons of soy/shoyu with 1 spoon of brown sugar etc. I think I left mine the last time I taught a class and am desperately trying to locate it. If not – I know it’s always there for purchase. It’s like your baby blanket though…you had it forever and just think that it has some good magic sprinkles associated with that specific tool, you know?
Bodum French Press (minus klutzy me breaking the glass & replacing it ALL the time) is the most simple and beautiful way to make syrupy caffeinated cup of joe. Combine that with the new acquisition of Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Grinder? HEAVEN. Yes – it’s bit messy but not as messy as the blade grinders out there. For one cup – put the grinding time to 7 seconds at little finer grind than the French press grind symbol and you’re golden. Oh – I love thee fresh ground coffee in the morning by Bodum Bistro electric burr grinder (don’t get the White color though – I was thinking Apple. It’s more like the original PCs…and stuck with a Black one instead).
Not a real gizmo but still something to rave about. Something new but old and recycled and just makes you smile to say “Love Bottle“. Found it at a local pop store during the holidays – an easy and eye pleasing way to store water in fridge and to serve at dinner table. And then there’s the Takeya glass water bottles which ensures that I’m not getting a nasty plastic water bottle smell but with its rubberized cover keeps it “on the go”. Did I tell you that I’m obsessed with water bottles?…and then there’s Contego water bottles that guarantees no spills. While been a fan of the cold water bottles,, had to chuck the stainless travel mug as the top was getting nasty.
The days of peeling your vegetables with a knife have been over since we have been blessed with the peeler. The days of fine chopping your food by hand have been over since we have been graced with the presence of the food processor. Needless to say, innovations in the kitchen have allowed people around the globe to save time preparing their favorite meals.