apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

no question - silicone spoonula (what a silly word spoonula is).  I use it
every time.  seriously.

i have to throw out this stupid wooden spoon. It's a spoon with a flat edge kit a spatula. I can't use it because I'm left handed! I try to use it with my left hand and I can't because the rounded spoon part is too clunky to flip things over and it's very uncomfortable to use it in my right hand.

It's so frustating that something so simple is rendered useless by me being a lefty.

Without question - my 2 cast iron pans. More effective than a griddle: I frequently heat both on the stove & press sandwiches between them. I use them to crush garlic. To pound meat into paillards, etc. And hey, as saute pans too! Plus they're smooth as silk & virtually nonstick. Picked them up at a yard sale ages ago.

I reason the most it seems for my spatulas the most. I can't seem to have enough. I especially love my little mini ones from Williams Sonoma. They get used so often it is nearly ridiculous!

I have several flat wooden spatulas that I use all the time. I use them for stirring, flipping, testing food, etc. And it can be used in any kind of pan (and good for leftys!). The problem is that my favorite style seems to be discontinued, because I can't find another one with the same shape.

I also have a set of "pasta bowls" that I bought at Target years ago. The center is flat like a plate but it has edges like a bowl. I use them for eating meals, but also for bread crumbs or egg washes, for holding ingredients while I'm cooking, for resting a spoon or spatula - they're perfect. Of course, they're also discontinued and I live in fear of breaking them.

This is definitely a cultural thing, I think... but I use chopsticks all the time. To toss (and eat) salads, for sautes, stir fries, to beat eggs.. They're the ultimate multitaskers.

Second on the cast iron pan. The more I use it, the more awesome it becomes.

Tongs. For salads, for sauteing meats, for roasted asparagus. For everything! I have 2 pairs, and it seems like every time I look for them they're in the dishwasher!

I think my kitchen scissors are almost always in the dishwasher.

My favorite multitasker is my dough scraper (not from there but also with the measurements). I use it less for dough manipulation than I do for crushing garlic, chopping frozen butter, cutting straight lines in puff pastry and yeah, scraping bits of stuff off of my marble pastry slab. If you're in the market for one, make sure that the blade isn't bendy: the thing should withstand a lot of force!

My heat-proof spatulas - they are invaluable for releasing cakes and such from non-stick pans

dishtowels. I try to avoid paper towels whenever possible and have built up a little arsenal of dish and tea towels that I love and use all the time. Whether it is washing mushrooms with a damp towel, holding fresh and clean produce, covering something to keep it warm, impromptu pot rest, a drying spot for handwashed items like knives, cleaning up a mess, etc. I love my dishtowels.

Second chopsticks. My mother pretty much only uses chopsticks and long-handled spoons to do her cooking.

I also use my hand-held wire mesh strainer a lot. For rinsing or straining things like fruit or pasta, obviously, but also to sift flour or dry ingredients when baking.

And maybe this is too obvious, but my hands are the 'tools' I use the most when cooking.

My silicone tipped tongs and my microplane grater.

I've got to agree on the microplane but my new fave are some awesome tongs I bought at Williams Sonoma. I use tongs for many things but I've always had a problem with failed locking mechanisms (so they spring open unexpectedly). These new ones (can't remember the brand but they are German or Swiss and a bit pricey) have some supercoolio locking mechanism where they only open if they're pointing down. So if they're pointing up they lock closed. No springing open. I have always used tongs for everything and these are the absolute best. I may have to get another set (pair??) with silicone tips.

chef's knife or silicone spatula...toss up. where the knife i can do any number of cutting tasks i can also crush garlic, bruise herbs, pull out hot oven racks, check baked goods and custards, and lift pans/lids the spatula is easier to clean and stirring, mixing, et cetera is probably the majority of cooking for me.

My covered 12" cast iron skillet (inherited from Grandma) and my bamboo spatula. I actually have three bamboo spatulas because I use them so much.

Ikea silicone-tipped tongs are good for just about everything: long enough to reach in the oven, flat tops for scraping and deglazing and flipping, slotted for draining. They're probably in my hands as much as my knives.

Mandalin, silicon spoonula, kitchen shears, tongs- Technically I can cook without them.. but who would want to

I use my hand immersion blender a surprising amount. I use it to puree soups, to make salad dressings, to chop herbs, and to whizz up bread crumbs. I don't have space for a full food processor, so it's a huge help in a tiny item.

Chopsticks for me too. I can't imagine getting along in my kitchen without them.

Also, the digital scale in our house is almost in constant use. Not just for baking but for measuring out things like mayonnaise and sour cream or when recipes call for 1 lb of kale and it's coming in from the garden.

Cheap blue IKEA scissors. They make tackling a giant hugful of, say, Swiss chard so easy. Or, they allow you to get just one hand dirty while cutting up chicken breasts. They are also great for cutting snippets of fresh herbs. The list goes on and on. And, they go straight into the dishwasher!

This may sound weird, but my sandwich press. It's pretty scratched up so i don't much mind what I use it for - I'll 'grill' veggie patties on it, fry eggs, 'roast' veggies (eg pumpkin, capsicum) when I don't have the time or can't be bothered to do it properly.

Because it cooks on two sides at once, it's twice as fast as a frying pan. The only problem is sometimes it has a tendency to flatten food.

Chopsticks.

I see wunami beat me to it, but... chopsticks.

I second the wire strainer, kitchen shears and kitchen scales. I use them all the time along with my veggie/fruit peeler and microwave.

Chef's knife. I'm the happiest person since I got it and can't imagine not having it. ^^

Chef's knife. Then microplane.

Tongs and my silicone spatulas.

Chopsticks and scissors/shears. After that, a wire mesh strainer.

Tongs. I use them for everything. And aluminum foil, if that counts.

Oven Mitts, considering that I bake a lot, and a couple of my favorite pans have handles that get hot.