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Stocking Stuffer Kitchen Tools

© Lindsay W. McSweeney

Since the holidays are approaching, I thought it would be fun to mention some kitchen tools that would make great gifts for anyone who finds himself or herself in a kitchen. I decided on three criteria for my choices. First, they had to be in the stocking stuffer category. Second, these tools had to have multiple uses since no one has enough kitchen storage. Finally, they had to be easily purchased on the WEB; all of these items can be found for comparable prices at either "http://www.cookswares.com" or "http://www.kingarthurflour.com". And the four winners are:

Tongs: (Under $10.00) I don't know why it took me so long to find out how incredibly versatile kitchen tongs are. We all use tongs for the grill, but grill tongs tend to be expensive, and they don't fit very well in drawers. Then I discovered simple, spring loaded, locking tongs made from heavy duty stainless steel. As they lock and range from 8" to 16" long, they fit into drawers or tool canisters quite easily. Unlocked, they spread widely, making them much more versatile than tongs that only separate a few inches. They have become an extension of my hand, not only to pick up meat (as they don't pierce the meat, the juices stay inside), but to grab almost anything out of pots, the oven, the microwave. They can toss salad quickly and stir sauteing onions. The only problem I've ever had is in lifting pasta from a pot, as the hot water ran down to my hand. OXO does make locking tongs that purportedly do not have this problem.

Scoops, ($20.00) Scoops are for ice cream, true, but once you realize they come in different sizes they become far more multitalented. When you're making cookies and the recipe says to use a "rounded teaspoon" or "rounded tablespoon", without a scoop your cookies can be all different sizes. With appropriately sized scoops, your cookies will be uniform and cook evenly. The ice cream scoops are great for putting muffin batter in muffin tins. And these scoops make great presentation plates. Instead of ladling curry or a stir fry over rice, put a scoop of rice on the plate and surround it with the sauce. Sprinkle the rice with parsley, and it looks like you did a lot of work.

Nonstick "Silpat" Pads, ($16.00 - $35.00) "Silpat" is becoming a little like "Kleenex", a brand name that stands for all makes of the fiberglass and silicone coated pads which were designed in Europe to replace parchment paper in baking. They are environmentally friendly, as they are reusable (reputedly up to at least 2,000 times). They're time saving as you do not grease and flour them. They're a joy to clean as I have yet to find anything that sticks to them. They also take extreme temperatures, ranging from -40 to 480 degrees F. They are great to use beyond baking cookies or cakes. Examples include baking coated chicken breasts, the candy recipe given below, or pre-scooping ice cream in individual servings to freeze before a dinner party. They're easy to store, once I learned to keep them directly in a jelly roll pan.