I use a variety of tools to experiment with food. I like to “wing it” most of the time due to my innate dislike of tons of tools. Your hands are your best weapons in the kitchen, but there are some cooking utensils that I just can’t do without though. I swear it. Trying to put together a nice international dinner without them could be catastrophic. Unless of course, you are like my sister Michelle and only eat Germanic and Americana staples.

• Tiger rice cooker - not only can you make regular rice, but you can throw all sorts of ingredients (nuts, stock, miso, powders) in their to give the rice any flavor you want. I throw herbs in the rice to give it a really nice smell and flavor.
• While I like many different knives, the Global fluted knife and the Henckels plastic chefs knife just seems to fit right into my sausage fingers. (that’s my wife’s name for them) It is a one piece knife which seems to be like a miracle to me. Either way, you need a one-stop knife - one that feels great and will never rust.
• A nice mid range Cuisinart. I have bought the crap, “As Seen on TV” and I have also gone with all sorts of little gadgets (which i gave away), but hands-down a solid cuisin art can do so much. Blender, chop, mix dough, shakes, sauces, etc.
• You must have a trusty Stock Pot. A Caphalon commercial hard-anodized pot is by far my favorite. It simmers slowly over steady, low heat and has cooked a ton of stocks, literally a “ton”.
• Cooking twine. Lordy, you need something to tie up all the meat and such with.
• Cheese cloth
• Nice, solid, sustainable wood cutting block
• Mortar and pestle for grinding up herbs and spices
• Toothpicks, skewers or iron skewers
• Herb bag, no not the 4:20 type, but the bags that house your spice bouquet in. You know, the ones for stocks, Indian food, Chinese soups, etc.
• Sriracha hot sauce
• Kosher salt
• Water safe scale

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