...A Few of my Favorite Things....

Anybody who has let me take over their kitchen (and take over i do) for any amount of time, knows that i have very *particular* ways of doing things. And most of those people would also tell you that i usually come with a few tools in hand. So here are some items that i prefer to NEVER cook without.

Most important: A SHARP KNIFE!
Years ago, i had a knife set that was fairly high quality, and it worked alright. But everything changed when i got this knife as a gift from my Brother and his Wife. The First time i cut through a pile of uncooked bacon with this weapon, i almost shed a tear, it was like cutting through Jello. And now i cannot cook with out it.

"Shun" 8" Chefs Knife:



A GOOD Pepper Mill and Fresh High quality pepper corns
This may seem silly, "it's just pepper, the second most boring seasoning" but wrong you are. After i purchased my perfect pepper mill (that also travels with me) I realized how important pepper can really be. It makes a huge difference in my opinion having fresh pepper that is ground very fine. Now as far as the peppercorns themselves go, i prefer a rainbow peppercorn blend in my grinder for everyday use, lots of flavor, not overpowering.....and it looks perty! This Pepper mill is from Crate and Barrel, it is not the one i use but i purchased it for a friend as a gift and it's great!




Microplane Graters
There are a ton of uses for micoplane graters and many varieties as far as shapes and sizes go. I only have this one, and I really only use it for two things on a regular basis: Zesting (Lemons, Oranges, Limes) and Hard Cheeses (Parmesan, Romano etc.) Even though those things seem fairly trivial, i use them both A LOT and have always considered my mircroplane an irreplaceable tool.