I have a variety of graters in my “er” drawer and whenever I cook, I find that I am always reaching for one tool over and over again; my Microplane grater. The one I use is a simple, long and slender grater with a sturdy handle. Call me resourceful, call my lazy, but I use a grater for so many things beyond cheese grating. If I need feathery light lemon, orange or lime zest without taking the white pith off, it works wonders. Fresh grated nutmeg or delicate ribbons of chocolate, I’m on it!

The Microplane is also a good tool for finely minced garlic and ginger, but I prefer another tool for juicer grating, the Kyocera Ceramic Grater.  This nifty thing is a small disk the size of a sand dollar with sharp points like teeth on the top and a well at the bottom for catching juices. For finely grated ginger, without the stringy fibers but all the ginger juices, it’s a great tool.

Let’s not forget the classic box cheese grater can be used far beyond cheese grating! Instead of chopping, try shredding. To me, there is something so satisfying about seeing the quick transformation of the shape and texture of a carrot turned into confetti or sturdy potatoes pulverized for potato cakes or even cucumbers shredded for a fresh twist on coleslaw. Like shredding paper or pushing Playdough through a machine, some kitchen tools can make cooking fun and so satisfying. Here is a recipe from Foodista that uses the magic of a fine grater as well as the magic of a ceramic grater.

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We are happy to welcome Melissa Peterman as our newest contributor to the Foodista Blog!

My mother-in-law is one of the biggest kitchen gadget fans that I know of. So much so that she became a kitchen rep for a highly respected brand of cooking gadgets.

For years she would drive all over town and demonstrate to groups of giggling women the “must have” cooking gadgets of the season. She would demonstrate how the Pineapple Wedge-er is essential when slicing a pineapple or how the Egg Slicer is actually an Egg Slicer “Plus,” and how these kitchen gadgets would greatly help out in the kitchen and make their lives easier.

Before I was married, I just expected to receive kitchen gadgets for Christmas and birthdays from my mother-in-law’s increasingly expanding kitchen tools catalog. Everyone would look at my reaction as I opened the Crinkle Cutter, or the Avocado Peeler, “Oh how perfect for you!” Someone would say or “I bet you are going to use those a lot in the restaurant.”

Ironically, I don’t ever use them. Not because they are not useful, it’s just that when you learn how to use a knife, most kitchen gadgets get demoted to the “er” drawer.  The “er” drawer is something we all have in our kitchens. The place for the pizza cutt-er, the mash-er, the melon ball-er, you get the idea.  My personal favorite the “Bamboo Tong Toast Grabber,” which I actually did use for grabbing a small piece of toast that was stuck in my toaster- thankfully I had my Toast Grabber to help me out! Depending on the type of cook you are will determine what your “er” drawer contains.

I’m not saying all anyone ever needs is a knife to cook with- hardly! I’m just talking about some of the crazier kitchen gadgets that perhaps you will try out once and then demote to “er” drawer, or the garage sale box or pass off as a cool bath tub toy for your nieces and nephews.

In all seriousness, there are several cooking tools that I cannot live without. Ask any chef and they will admit the same. Better yet, ask to see their knife bag or tool box- you might just be amazed at what chefs carry around with them.

My list of must have small cooking tools:

• Chef knife, pairing knife, serrated knife, boning knife
• Fine grater
• Peeler
• Reamer
• Thermometer
• Kitchen shears
• Tongs, spatula

It’s not a whole lot- more like the necessities. When it comes to special luxury tools that truly make my life easier, there are more than a couple that I would spend the money on, like my cherry/olive pitter or my mandolin slicer. The beauty of kitchen gadgets is that everyone cooks differently, thank goodness, and everyone uses different tools. My mother uses her garlic press on a weekly basis, and my father uses an apple corer/slicer everyday and my husband swears by this hand chopper gizmo that we have.

To my mother-in-law’s defense, she told me the real reason she started selling kitchen gadgets was to get people interested in cooking for their families. She felt there were just too many people that didn’t sit down at the table together for meals anymore.

If she was able to get people excited about a nifty little garlic press or an avocado peeler, then she had reached out to a couple people who might be inspired to cook with it that night for their families or at the very least, add it to their “er” drawers.

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There is nothing worse than trying to prepare a meal in a kitchen other than your own and finding all their knives duller than dull. I’m talking suitable-for-preschooler-to-take-out-in-the-yard-and-play-with dull. You try and slice a tomato and it smashes to pulp. Cutting that nice pork loin into beautiful 1/4 inch medallions? Forget it. Slicing your perfect sushi roll in bite-size pieces? Dream on!

Sharpen those knives, people! Especially if you’ve spent money on good quality knives. And if you’ve shelled out some serious green for high-end knives, or got them as a gift, pleeeeeease, do them justice and keep the blade!

OK, I’ve said my say. Now I want to share with you, my now-sharp-knife-owner friends, my favorite knife: Shun. Sure, there probably are better knives out there, but these are darn good. Excellent, in fact. And here’s why:

1. They are made from a 700-year tradition of Japanese Samurai sword making, which is then blended with modern technology,
2. They have an ergonomic handle of PakkaWood which is strong, durable and resistant to moisture,
3. The blades are made of 16 layers of high-carbon stainless steel on both sides, giving them a beautiful rust-free Damascus-style finish that resists food from sticking,
4. The steel (VG-10) holds its edge longer so they’re easier to maintain (less sharpening required, folks!)

We recently acquired a new Shun bird’s beak knife (also known as a tournée knife for the cut it makes, tourné): good for slicing, paring and peeling. The thing was so darn sharp (and I am exceptionally careful) that it nearly sliced off my index finger when cleaning. Actually, it didn’t slice as much as stab. Right between my knuckles, and it kinda stayed there until I pulled it out. Yowza! You’d think I’d hate the thing, but I was impressed! In pain, yes, but highly impressed. It barely touch me and yet it stuck! I wear the scar proudly.

Just like a good shoe can pull together an outfit, a good knife will make your food look impeccable too.

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