What's your favorite kitchen toy...er, tool?

[Robb]

Right now I'm torn. I love my newly sharpened 10-inch knife (won't just shave the hair off your arm, it'll shave a little skin safely off too!), and the vacuum pump thingy for the wine.

I know some of you have gadgets.... salad shooters? :)

[JPace]

1. Have lots of kitchen....

toys, tool, and cookbooks...
what I really really want is a cook!

[Don_G]

2. Chef's Knife

I'm not real big on specialized gadgets unless it's the can-opener that opens the seam where it dosen't leave a sharp edge and provides a lid I can re-use.

[wryter2000]

3. Cuisinart miniprep

A teeny food processor. Just right for grinding coffee and making about a cup of mayonnaise. Costs under $20

[Mika]

4. A garlic mandolin

It cuts slices so thin that they're transparent.

[chefgirl]

5. Gotta be my knife

Without a doubt, my 10inch Henckel. I've had to learn over the years to do just about everything with not much more than a knife in my hand.
Second choice would have to be my Kitchen Aid mixer. Makes life soooooooo much easier.

-chef-

[liberalnurse]

6. I've got a zester-grater

that is long, like a file. I use it a lot but forget the official name. I'll have to ask Martha...

[SOteric]

9. It's a microplane, - and those are pretty cool.

I like mine.

[MercutioATC]

7. Knives, Knives, Knives...

Wushhof Culinar knives, to be specific. Beautiful, superbly-balanced and razor-sharp. Hmmmmm :)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Automatic apple/pear peeler

it is great for processing large quantities of fruit for drying. It cores, peels, and slices the fruit into uniform slices that come off the machine in a loop which is fun to break apart and place on the dryer.

[SOteric]

10. My complete set of Global knives

Including a butcher's knife, a 10" and an 8" French knife, two cleavers, a flexible boning knife, a paring knife, a birdsbeak, a perfectly balanced graniton slicer, and a bread knife.

Never cared much for gadgets, though one or two tools have come along which have earned my respect.

[Robb]

11. You like the Globals?

What do you like about them? I became a Messermeister convert (from Henckels) after working in a kitchen. Good hardness for the buck, and whatever that part of the blade closest to the handle is called -- it's thick enough for good sharpening over time.

My "block" is pretty diverse, actually. Mixed bag of Messermeister, Henckels, and my grandpa's Gerber boning knife.

[SOteric]

12. I love Globals

I like the durability, they keep a remarkably sharp edge and they're lighter than air. So even after a lengthy session of complex or rapid knifework, there's far less fatigue.

I've worked in kitchens all my life (family of restauranteurs, and I cater).

I've had 3 Messermeisters, including a 10" chef's knife. I was disappointed in two of them. One of them bent at the tip while I did nothing more rigorous than bone out a chicken. I had to have a bladesmith grind the edge down until it became a 9 1/2 inch blade. The next Messermeister that I bought was a grade up, thinking the blade might be a bit better reinforced. I used it exactly twice before a hairline crack developed in the upper 1/3 of the blade. I had the purveyor who sold it to me replace it (after all, they're guaranteed). The replacement bent at the tip within a month, in the same manner as did the first. After that I bundled my Messermeisters together and gave them to a Mexican prep cook of my acquaintance.

I won't purchase another.

I like Globals very much and have never had a problem with them. My second choice would be Forscheners. My elder brother will use nothing else, but I don't care for the metal rivets in the hilt and the balance is a little heavy for my hands. (I'm small)

My 3rd choice would be Wusthofs, then Henkels. I love the elegance of the Wusthofs, but there's a much higher fatigue factor with Wusthofs than any other knife I've used. The Henkels I've tried have all been good, serviceable knives, - but nothing special. Sometimes that's what you need, though. I've never had one bend up on me, anyway.

:hi:

[Robb]

13. Amazing

Never had a blade tip bend on me on the Messermeisters -- even the cheapos!...did have the same experience on a leg of lamb, but it was actually an old, old Henckels -- and I figured it was me. Was it recently? Maybe something changed... I always felt the Global knives were too light; although I can see the advantage if you're doing tons of parsley for hours on end. I always felt like I was about to lose it.

Never used Forscheners. I do think Henckels got worse over the past few years, although I can't put my finger on it, the older ones seem better, somehow. And I can't stand any of the ergo-looking handles from anyone for more than a minute or two.

My hat's off to you. I could never cater. I could barely stand people at the restaurant! :)

[SOteric]

16. It was about 2, maybe 3 years ago

that I had the string of Messermeister-related trauma. Perhaps worth noting that they all came from the same purveyor. Perhaps it was all of a shipment.

Globals are not too light for those of us whose total body weight rarely exceeds 100 pounds. I've long felt that other contenders weigh like an anvil. - A very sharp anvil :7 - but still an anvil.

Yeah. Restaurant politics are a nuthouse apart from the internal politics of any other industry.

[Robb]

17. "Restaurant politics"

Actually, I was referring to the customers! :evilgrin:

[SOteric]

20. *snort*

I wish I could assure you that the guests at a catered event are any more civil than the patrons of a restaurant.

One day I shall tell you of the mother of the bride who turned a garden hose on her ex and his new 'friend' to the detriment of a buffet table.

Perhaps you'd like to hear about the Samoan wedding where two dudes the approximate size of a mountain each consumed the 2/3 the contents of the buffet table before the rest of the guests had even sauntered over for a plate.

Or the countless instances where Bridezilla did battle with Mother-of-the-Bridezilla, and or Mother-of-the-Groomzilla. You haven't lived until you've had 3 overbearing women phone you to change the menu in a perpetual rotation for 4 days straight.

To say nothing of the folks who confirm a banquet for 400 and then cancel 3 hours before the event.

Or sign the contracts and fail to notice any of the large print indicating that they will confirm a number of attendees 24 hours before the event and they will pay for that number regardless of who does or does not show up.

Okay, I've had my little catering rant, now. Give me a fussy customer and a chef who's been pickled in cheap scotch any day.

[GOPisEvil]

14. 7" Henckels Granton Santoku chef's knife!

http://store4.yimg.com/I/chefknivestogo_1755_177542

It slices, it dices, it is comfortable to use. It was a Christmas gift to myself last year.

[NashVegas]

15. Pasta Roller

Ain't nuthin' in the world like fresh-made ravioli.

[Shakeydave]

18. My morter and pestal and my.................

balloon whisk!

[BigMcLargehuge]

19. I have a Japanese paring knife

that my brother gave me for my birthday (both of my brother's a chefs, while I have strayed from the foodservice kitchen). The knife has a "folded" blade, that is, it was made in the same way a samurai sword is made.

It's so sharp it cuts air molecules. I love using it but it scares the hell out of me.

[DoNotRefill]

21. Knives....

I've got lots and lots of good knives. 6 butcher blocks worth. They're all different, except I've got three of the same paring knives so I don't have to stop cooking to wash them. Some are thick, some are thin, some are long, some are short, all hand wash, all need TLC, and all cut stuff.

My favorite is my Zwilling cleaver. Its very heavy. Cuts a whole chicken in half with one whack.

[trof]

22. soda siphon

I'm a scotch & soda drinker and a little box of cartridges is like a case of club soda.

[cmd]

23. A sweet little vegetable peeler

I bought it at an Amish store. The little baby fits so well in my hand that I actually look forward to peeling things.

[Ediacara]

24. cuisinart food processor

I chop food in it for the joy of watching :-)