Barb's Favourite Small Kitchen Tools

Every cook has his or her favourite kitchen tools. Using the right tools for the task can make a cooking experience a joy rather than a chore. I almost feel that some of my favourite tools act as an extension of my own hands and are invaluable in helping me cook and create what is on my mind and palate.

Here are some of my favourite tools:

Good quality knives: I love my chef knife set--8", 6" and paring. I keep them sharp and wash them by hand only. I also find our serrated knife indispensible. Good knives are the foundation of my kitchen!

Tongs: These really act as extensions of my hands! No other tool can go from tossing pasta to flipping a steak to picking out hot stock bones.

Rasp: Although somewhat of a trendy tool, a rasp grates beautifully. It grates hard cheeses like parmesan into a fluffy mound. It grates ginger painlessly while drawing out lots of ginger juice. It effortlessly grates citrus fruit zest without any bitter pith.

Rubber spatula: Great for scraping out bowls, stirring pots of whatever and for stirring and folding batters and other mixtures. The high temperature silicon ones are ideal for hot mixtures.

Kitchen shears: Indispensable for cutting all sorts of things: cooked noodles, whole raw chickens, whole roast chickens or even turkey... The best ones are stainless steel and can be twisted and separated into 2 blades for thorough cleaning.