The 10 Things a Cook’s Country Editor Always Has in Her Kitchen

Who: Eva Katz of Cook’s Country and My Front Burner
Where: Jamaica Plain neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts
See her kitchen: Cook’s Country Editor Eva Katz’s Homey, Hardworking Kitchen

One of the best parts about visiting people’s kitchens for our Kitchen Tours is the chance to peek at their favorite tools and learn their tricks and tips. We’re always looking for good ideas to steal!

So what does longtime Cook’s Country editor Eva Katz rely on? Here are the 10 tools and helpers she can’t live without.

“I often have several recipes going at once, so I have multiple timers available.”

“I label everything. Nothing fancy. I use a Sharpie on masking tape to label and date everything.”

“When I’m working on recipes for the magazine or my blog, I measure everything out before I start cooking. I have a drawer overflowing with small bowls for mise en place and another drawer for stacks of bigger bowls.

Even when I’m cooking for my family, I find myself lining up my little bowls filled with measured ingredients. They look like good little soldiers getting ready for battle at the stove. (You can take the test cook out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the test kitchen out of the cook.)”

“I have a paper stand for holding my recipes as I work. It’s a pretty handy-dandy thing to have when you print out recipes from the internet.”

“I use it all the time when I’m testing recipes.”

“Accuracy is important on several fronts. Cutting and shaping pieces of food into a uniform size ensures even cooking and professional-looking results. [A ruler] helps me ensure that my evaluation of the recipes I’m testing are accurate. If I don’t take the time to measure and replicate exactly as instructed, then I can’t accurately assess the results.

For example, if I cut pieces of vegetables smaller than specified they will cook quicker. I also use the ruler to measure pan sizes and rolling out pastry doughs.”

“I purchase a lot of my storage containers, cooking utensils, rimmed baking sheets and handy commercial-sized plastic wrap from a local restaurant supply store that is open to the public. They are a great resource for professionals and home cooks alike.”

“I buy oil in bulk and put them in squeeze bottles and keep them on my counter top.”

Eva stores her Microplane grater on her magnetic knife rack. How smart is that?

Eva has not one, but two Thermapen instant-read thermometers. (In case you don’t know, here’s why the Thermapen is so awesome.)

Thanks for sharing, Eva!