Stick Blender
This handheld, portable machine, also known as the immersion blender or Bermixer, is used to puree soups, sauces, dressings, and juices. Small versions, such as this one by Kitchenaid, are a home-friendly model of the bigger, more powerful industrial kind that chefs love. Why? Because you can stick them right into whatever vessel your ingredients are in (no need to transfer), it’s easier to control the consistency of your product than with a regular blender, the risk of an improperly fastened top blowing off and splattering hot liquid everywhere is eliminated, and it’s easier to clean.
Bowl Scraper
A necessity in the tool kit of pastry chefs everywhere, bowl scrapers are nothing more than a piece of plastic sculpted to fit perfectly around the edges of a bowl, allowing you to pick up every last drop of chocolate frosting even better than a rubber spatula.
Cherry Pitter
Like a hole puncher piercing through construction paper, this intimidating-looking instrument pops the pits right out of cherries and works great with olives too. You will be thankful for the significant reduction of prep time when faced with the work required of a few cherry pies or a large bowl of tapenade.
Microplane Zester/Grater
Cheap, efficient, and easy to use. Originally crafted for wood working, the Microplane works even better in cooking, zesting citrus fruits effortlessly and with a big yield.
Mortar & Pestle
This is the original Homo Sapien multi-purpose tool. The mortar and pestle has been used for centuries by cultures all over the word for both culinary and medicinal use. A simple tool that is convenient to have at hand when crushing and grinding is required, it can be used to press spices and herbs into powder, crush chickpeas into hummus, mush avocados into a green paste for guacamole, and more. Crafted from a variety of different materials including marble and stone, the mortar and pestle even looks nice on the counter.
Electric Spice Grinder
If you prefer grinding your own spices but don’t want to put as much muscle into it as with a mortar and pestle, the electric spice grinder, like this one by Krups, is a must-have for you. Plug in and put coffee beans or whole spices like peppercorns and coriander into the canister, and close tight to put the grinder to work on pulverizing the inner elements into a flavorful, fine consistency.
Marisa Musto is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has worked in kitchens and the food industry for several years. She is currently studying communications at New York Institute of Technology and is editor-in-chief of the college’s newspaper, The Campus Slate.