***This contest is now closed to entries, winners will be notified in a couple of days.*****
With the advent of food television filling our screens these days, more and more people are getting back into their kitchens to cook. Sometimes they want to replicate the magic they see on TV, sometimes they just want to get something quick on the table after a long day at work. What ALL cooks need is good information to make dishes they can rely on. This is a cookbook that can help you! From the same people behind Cook’s Illustrated Magazine and America’s Test Kitchen on PBS, comes this huge family cookbook.
The man behind all this is Christopher Kimball. I recently toured a cookware shop with him to get his hints and recommendations on the essential tools for cooking. I have two of these books to give away. To enter just click on the Comments section below and tell me about your most indispensable kitchen tool. Contest closes December 2nd.
Here are some of my favourites:
Microplane graters: I have two, one long thin one and a box grater with different size holes. They make the shortest work out of grating cheese, citrus zesting, nutmeg, ginger and garlic. Love them!
OXO peeler: A nice, big rubber handle to grasp, and a sharp blade that peels anything. A similar one is made by Messermeister and has serrated blades, great for knobbly vegetables like potatoes or ginger root, even kiwi fruit or ripe tomatoes.
My Global vegetable knife: Stays very sharp, thin blade, all-metal design, excellent for working with onions, garlic, smaller jobs.
And before anything gets done in the day, my big splurge kitchen gadget: A Saeco Vienna automatic espresso machine. Fill it with water and beans, touch a button, it grinds the beans, tamps the coffee, brews it, and then ejects the spent grounds into an easy to empty container. Then I steam the milk with the wand attachment and cafe lattes have never been easier, especially when I stumble into the kitchen first thing in the morning. Expensive, but pays for itself when you add up all the large lattes you’re NOT buying anymore at Starbucks.
My favourite gadget is a combined shaker/measuring cup, which measures 500ml water or rice, flour or sugar in grams.
Hi Don,
Just heard you on the radio talking about your time with Christopher Kimball. I have read about him lately on some food blogs that I frequent (have you checked out “Je Mange la Ville”, it’s lovely) and seeing as I collect cookbooks but am always putting myself into debt to do so (my job feeds my feeding habit) I thought I would take a stab at the giveaway. But the unfortunate thing is this: I’m not into gadgetry. I cook every day, ninety nine percent of the time from scratch. I soak my own beans for goodness sake, but I really don’t have all that many gadgets! There are some things that I cannot cook without, however, and I will tell you what they are (are you just totally breathless with anticipation???).
1. My timer. I time everything. Sometimes I time how long I steep my tea. I time pasta. I time all my baking of course, and sometimes I time myself if I know I’ll be procrastinating and not brushing my teeth before I go to work. My timer doesn’t even have a nice sound, it’s this shrill beep that really carries, which is I guess what you want from a timer. My boyfriend hates it and thinks that I am over-timing, however he never bakes oatmeal pecan muffins. I do.
2. My adjustable measuring spoons from the Pampered Chef. They were a gift from my parents and I use them all the time. They’re great because they take up less space and you never have to search and search for the eighth of a teaspoon measure which fell behind the stove a week ago and you forgot all about.
3. My friends’ ladle that he left at my place three months ago. I love it and use it all the time for spooning batters or making risotto, or for, you know, ladling soup. I make a lot of soup but I never had a ladle, and now that I do I’m not sure that I can go back to my ladle-free existance. The guilt might get to me soon but for the meantime I’m a giddy new ladle owner testing out her ever-burdgeoning ladle skills.
Of course I use other things, knives, cutting boards and the like, but really, I’m not a gadget person. Maybe I’ll grow into that later on in life when I can afford gadgetry, but perhaps not.
Thanks for your show, it’s always nice to hear someone else wax poetic about food and actually be doing it for a living! WAY TO GO!!
Happy eating,
Charlotte Cumberbirch
I am an avid reader of Cook’s illustrated, and much as yourself, I find myself flipping to the kitchen gadgets section very shortly after receiving my latest copy (after, of course, I remove and discard the annoying “extra covers” pushing their latest cookbook collection). In my experience, the best gadget is not, in fact, a gadget at all – it is the lowly kitchen hand towel. The key here is to have 100% cotton terry, and fairly thick. Whenever I embark on a new recipe, I first don my favourite apron, and hook this hand towel over the side of one of the straps used to secure the apron behind my back. The versatility of this, the simplest of kitchen necessities is unparalleled. It is oven-mitt, pot holder, spill-soaker-upper and pot-rest, all rolled into one. When the kitchen heats up, or I am tackling a particularly difficult recipe, I have even been known to wipe the sweat from my brow with this multitalented little kitchen companion. Of course, with such varied and intense use, it is always good to have a few clean back-ups at the ready for when the condition of the towel is starting to breach your acceptable kitchen sanitary standards!
Hi Don
My favourite kitchen gadget is my trusty potato peeler. Very low tech but it serves me well. Apart from the obvious (potatoes, zucchini etc) I use my peeler on my hard cheeses to make delicate curls for my salads and pasta dishes. I learned this great techniques from Glenys Morgan at a cooking class at the cookschool when I was just learning how to cook.
PS – My one year old baby loves to watch the curls and it serves as a great entertainer as well.
I have so many kitchen tools and gadgets that I have run out of drawers, cupboards and counter space. One tool that I use often and that I love is the Cutco serrated knife I think is called a trimmer. It cuts any tomato no matter the ripeness and is great for all vegetables, too.
I love my dollar-store mushroom brush!
Hi Don:
Just heard you on BC Almanac talking about America’s Test Kitchen’s new cookbook. I was writing my grocery list out the same time you came on the radio, and the recipe was “Fettucine with beef, pancetta, and red wine bolognese sauce”, from the book “Here in America’s Test Kitchen” from 2002. I’ve made this many times since we returned from our second trip to Italy, and it’s the only thing that comes close to the wonderful pasta we ate there.
The gadget I love the most is the microrasp. From parmesan cheese to lemon zest, the microrasp is used in our kitchen almost every day.
I would love the latest Test Kitchen cookbook–I’ve made many dishes from the book we have, and would be thrilled to have the opportunity to try some more.
Sincerely,
Katherine Buchanan
Victoria, BC
Hi Don, Just heard you on CBC,great show!I first started collecting Cook,s Ill.when the mag.cost a lot less then it does now.A long time ago.My current favorite kitchen tool is a Wusthof chefs knife that has a four inch blade,its great for all around kitchen chopping.It does an especially fine job on fresh herbs.My alltime big indulgence,is an Asian shredder grater,that makes long thin shreds of many different types of vegetables.I like to shred a pile of carrot,rutabaga,onion,and season with lots of garlic,fresh ginger,stir fry quickly add teriaki sauce,and a little sesame oil.A good veggie side.As a big time cookbook collecter I,d love the new Cook,s Ill.for my shelf.Love the Food for Thought,CBC segment,keep up the good work.A fellow ,bitten by the cooking bug,smitten by all that is kitchen cooker in Kelowna. Barb Kemmis
Hi
My personal favourite is my chef’s knife. There was a time a few years ago when it cost me dearly. I had just received it as a gift from my daughter along with a new cutting board and I was the Yvan Cournoyer of chefs. Needless to say the quick action and the leaving of a thumb in front of the other fingers means blood. This happened a couple of times and I guarantee you it has not happened since.
I love the knife but am looking to upgrade…I need a little more clearance between the handle and the cutting board. My cutting speed has improved considerably needless to say.
The question is will I repeat the same mistake with a new knife?
Not!!!!!!
Regards…..Dan
Hi Don,
Although my cooking may not be as sophistocated as some, or as glamorous as I’d like it to be, I love great food and I love being in the kitchen. The tool that I’ve come to love using is something I picked up at a Pampered Chef party – a mini metal spatula, perfect for cookies. At the time it felt great to be buying something so extravagant and non-utilitarian, but I have to say that is actually quite practical. I bake just so I can use it! It has been really helpful for delicate, thin cookies, and I know it will be used quite a lot in the next few weeks as I get going on my Christmas baking.
Some women may enjoy shopping for clothes, but I have to say that there is nothing like window shopping in a cooking store – talk about “eye candy”!
Love your show,
Tanya Thiessen
Hi Don,
Everyone has the essential pair of tongs. Well I have two, an expensive pair from Paderno that locks for easy storage and a cheap pair that stays open in the drawer. My favorite of the two is the inexpensive set. They don’t lock when I need them open during cooking! To keep these tongs “closed” in the drawer I simply slide them into an empty paper towel roll so they stay nice and compact. Tongs are very basic but essential to almost every meal! Thanks for the chance to win the book. Elisha R.
Hi Don,
My best-loved and most used cooking tool is an angled stainless steel turner/spatula, made by LamsonSharp. Thin, flexible and easy to clean, it brings joy to my hand whenever I use it.
Thanks for what you do.
Jim G.
Hi Don,
Ahh! Food and wine and sharing with others!
Hear you earlier this evening on the CBC out of Thunder Bay. Good show! Good attitude!
Re: your contest:
My most indespensable kitchen tools: 1. a well used, and the first item I grab each morning – an old Melita drip coffee carafe, cone and filter.
2. A 6 1/2″ chef’s knife from “Good Cook” AND a sharpening steel. The one is usless without the other!
3. A cork screw, the jack-knife type. When I open it, life just seems to get better!
4. A carbon-steel wok, bought in China town in Vancouver. Cheap but effective.
5. Most underused yet neatest tool I own: an “Ulu” also know as a mincing knife.
Bon appetit!
My favourite kitchen tool is my Bialetti MokaEasy electric moka pot. It makes a terrific cup of coffee in just a couple of minutes, and wipes clean with a wet cloth. It’s quiet, compact and draws comparatively little power, so it’s also ideal for the cubicle dweller who wants something better than office coffee.
PS: My wife and I are still enjoying your herb and edam pizza recipe of many years ago. Keep up the good work!
My instant read digital thermometer is my favorite kitchen gadget. It puts me to ease knowing that my spiced pumpkin cheese cake is baked in a water bath to exactly 150 Fahrenheit as the Americas Test Kitchen recipe calls for.
You simply cannot underestimate the variety of duties a trusty colander can accomplish in the kitchen: strain pasta, steam vegetables, wash leafy greens, sift solids, sieve liquids, etc. And when not in culinary use they serve as fine fruit bowls. Therefore, without question my most favourite kitchen gadget is my quality colander.
My absolute favorite kitchen gatget is a Polder Digital Meat Thermometer. I love that I can cook a roast and never have to open my oven.
Not only have I been using mine for several years, I have bought several as gifts for my roast-loving friends. Also, at one time my thermometer broke, and Polder replaced it for me! I love my Polder Digital Meat Thermomete!!!!
My favorite tools is my small, very sharp, french chef knife. I use it for chopping & cutting everyday. I love listening to your comments on CBC.
I always enjoy your show. I have a number of kitchen gagets that I enjoy, but I do have a grater that was given to my mother as a shower gift and to this day I am still using it. My mother is now in her 80’s and she swears everytime she visits, she says she is going to throw it away and can’t believe that I am still using it. It still serves its purpose well and every time I use it, it brings back fond memories of when I was growing up and spending lots of time in the kitchen with my mom.
Hi Don
My favourite kitchen gadget is, and has been for 12 years, my Henckel zester.
I just love the scent of orange, lemon or lime zest in the kitchen.
Hey Don: While my dual timer (with magnet) on the fridge is indispensable for cooking and brewing the perfect pot of tea, I would have to say my favourite kitchen tool is my large enamelled cast iron Crueset. So verstaile (works on the stove or in the oven), so efficient (heats evenly and quickly), and handsome too (often it goes right from the oven to the table). I use it to make just about everything, including last week’s first try at a cassoulet – an attempt to recapture the memories and flavours of a recent walking trip in southwest France. It’s more than a pot, it’s a journey.
Thanks for your show.
My favourite kitchen tool… I have two!
A wooden/bamboo spatula-like spoon- called a ‘spertle’? A good-size handle and a hole in face of the makes it “the one tool” for mixing. I think Grahame Kerr brought them to North America.
#2 — Kitchen towels/dishrags must be large enough for 2 hands! — Why are they size of a face cloth?
Dear Don
So pleased to hear about your new contest for The America Test Kitchen’s Family Cookbook. My favourite kitchen gadgets are in fact cookbooks. I labour over them for hours drooling over the lovely things mentioned inside. I read them as before bed reading on cold nights. I love leafing through their inspiring goodness as I am deciding what to make. Alas, my favourite kitchen gadget is a cookbook. Thanks for the chance to enter for one of my kitchen loves.
Gloria Shabbits
Dear Don
I couldn’t live without my trusty Henkel kitchen scissors. They hand on the wall between the sink and the stove and I reach for them so frequently that I’m surprised they don’t scream when they see me coming.
I cut the meat for the pets, trim the meat for us, use them on bags, paper and even dough!
I’d be lost without them.
My favourite gadget wasn’t originally intended for the kitchen. It’s a small picture holder (cat shaped with a wire and a clip sticking out the top) that I got as a souvenir at a wedding. It holds recipe cards straight up and isn’t easily tipped over. The little clip is firm so nothing falls out and it also allows for coupons, clippings, and other random bits of paper. It’s incredibly handy and if you’re ever at a wedding with this type of favour, I recommend grabbing one!
Like most cooks I have a number of favorite kitchen tools: a ball whisk, a Lee Valley micro-rasp, and an Ikea grater/bowl, as well as my collection of cook books. However the tool I use most, almost every day, is an old, always-sharp M.E.C. Heuck & Co. stainless steel slicer. As long as I can remember my Mom had one, my parents gave us one when we married over 40 years ago ( I replaced it with a garage sale find a couple of years ago). It is a very simple slicer, no knobs, buttons or removable blades but it can slice paper-thin or thick.
I don’t often catch your show but was pleased to hear Christopher Kimball talk about the new cookbook.
I love my kitchen scraper! It has a very simple design, all stainless steel including its handle, which hooks around in an arc to create almost a complete circle.
As well as scraping up after baking, I use it to clean up many of my culinary messes. It also can divide my dough, and crush garlic. Very simple, very handy.
Don – I created a listing for your blog in the ChefsBlogs food blog directory at: http://www.chefsblogs.com/directory/Foodies_by_Region (under Canadian). Please let me know if I need to change anything in your listing by sending an email to webmaster-chefsblogs-com. Also, today we added a “Rate It” feature so that visitors can rate their favorite food blogs. Best wishes. Rich M.
For my favourite gadget, I’d have to go with my new rasp for zesting. I wonder what else my husband has in his workshop that would be good for cooking? I also love my silicone spatulas (no more crumbling rubber) and my colanders.
I love America’s Test Kitchen and Christopher Kimball. Must be the home economist in me.
Cheers! Vicki
Hi Don,
The best kitchen gadget has got to be the microrasper. I love this thing. But how would I survive without my great knife. My husband got it a few years back from Lee Valley. It has a carbon steel blade which takes sharpening to a leathal degree; the handle is wood and not too great, but I see they now have one with a resin handle, so if the handle does ever give out, I’ll replace it. I’ve been rattling pots and pans for over 50 years now and these are my faves.