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[Zalbar]

I'm talking about the one kitchen tool you cherish above all others. I'm not talking about the stove, the oven, or other large appliance. Excluding our chef's knives as well, as...well...no, not allowed. Some other specialty knife sure, but not our chef's knives.

For me, it would have to be my bench scraper. It's really just a flat piece of metal rounded at the top, but damn. I love it. Not just for using on dough and flour, but on clean up it's the bomb. Flick of the wrist and all those ends of veg prep, peels, get shoved off and into the garbage. I unfortunately haven't gotten the landlord to let me buy a composter.

Anyone else have a favorite doo-hickey kitchen gadget they love above everything else?

[Wisconsin Limey]

Good question.  So I took a look around my kitchen at home to see what I use:

Kitchen Aid - saves time but not essential.
Cuisinart - again, a great time saver but not essential.
Mr Coffee spice grinder - I guess I could pulverize with a chef knife.
Garlic press - again, chef knife can do the job.
Egg Slicer - chef knife.
Bench Scraper - chef knife (upside down.)
Gram Scale - OK I could just do the math and use measuring cups.
Measuring cups - OK a palmfull of this a fistfull of that, a pinch here an eyeball there.
Offset Spatula - chef knife (again!  Dang this knife is useful!)
Microplane Grater - dare I say it again...chef knife
Box Grater - chef knife.
Beer Bottle Opener (Church Key) - piece of paper, ball point pen...Chef Knife!
Can Opener - No, not my chef knife.  I don't know, I guess I can't live without it. 

Living where it is below freezing for most of winter, canned tomatoes are essential. 

CAN OPENER!

[mommycook]

Good one Limey...

Although if you're baking...a scale or measuring cups for sure.

I also thought of a cutting board or a blender/food mill.

[Smurfe]

Limey made the same list I ran through my head. I actually thought Church Key myself. I can open bottles of beer (of course I can use the edge of the counter if I wanted to be single) and use it as a can opener in a pinch. It is a toss up though with my Japanese water stones to sharpen and hone my knives. I have this sharp fetish. I take my knives to the stone at least once a week. I can cut my garlic as thin with my 240 mm Gyuto as Paulie could on Goodfellas with his razor blade. Another would be my cutting boards. Yeah, I don't NEED them but I couldn't bring myself to let my knives touch another surface other than my maple or cherry board.

[Finntheirish]

Well seeing as I am Currently a college kid with out a kitchen the piece of equipment I use the most is my microwave steamer dohicky. Let me tell you what that little steamer set up can do anything in the microwave! I made Salmon a few nights ago... I'm going to try some form of steamed chicken next... (we'll see how that goes- any ideas on how to cook chicken in the nuke?) But for now that is my can't live with out.

[Edouard]

Hmm let me see the kitchen tomorrow coz im already in bed when i read this post but i think if the frying pan counts it would be in my list as most of our foods are sauted.