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sides; I could cook just about anything in one, or invert it for a griddle); I’d need a flat-edged wooden spoon, a whisk, a fine-mesh sieve for straining, and an off-set slotted spatula, usually called a fish spatula (or Peltex). I could cook forever with these few tools; they’re common to all chefs more or less. But there are a few other tools that I couldn’t do without and because they’re a little more idiosyncratic, I think they are meaningful to discuss.

Microplane

The Microplane grater changed my life. It altered forever the finishing of my dishes. Suddenly citrus zest became available à la minute. In a restaurant situation, on the line, I’ve got a lot of plates going out. I’m not going to have a box grater taking up space on my station during a busy service. I’m not going to be slicing the skin off a lemon, removing the pith, and chopping it during service. One, I don’t have time, and two, in that process the lemon loses all the oils that make it such an amazing seasoning. But the Microplane, a slender handheld rasp that slices off just the zest at just the right depth so you don’t get any of the pith, changed my seasoning strategy. Suddenly I began using tons of zest and realized what a transformative ingredient it is. With its volatile oils and flavor, citrus zest is one of the most powerful seasonings there is—it’s more flavorful than the juice—and one of the most underutilized, especially in the home kitchen. What doesn’t taste better with some lemon zest on it? Fish, meat, pasta, braised meats, shellfish, salads—even ice cream and sweets. And then there’s orange and lime and grapefruit zest. These are common fruits from which we too often take the fruit and throw away the best part.

A Microplane is also the perfect tool for grating and shaving many foods. I use it to grate cinnamon and nutmeg over savory food (cinnamon is amazing with shellfish and gives extraordinary depth to braised meats), as well as to grate or shave Parmesan cheese and chocolate. They’re available with different size grates—I prefer a fine one for zest and a coarse one for cheese.

Bench Scraper

When I don’t have a bench scraper it’s like not being able to find a pen when I need it—I simply always have one around. This four-by-six-inch piece of plastic, which costs a buck or two, is a simple utilitarian device that makes every job easier and cleaner. I use it to move food from one place to another, which I do all day long when I’m cooking: diced onion into a hot pan, scraps into the bin. Please don’t ever drag the sharp edge of your knife over your board to do this! The plastic bench scraper is an appendage. I use it to mix things and my hands stay dry, which is more efficient. It cuts dough and separates food. For the home cook and for the restaurant cook alike, the bench scraper helps you work cleaner and more efficiently.

Peppermill for Spices

Spices make a huge difference in food, and I use them everywhere. They’re one of the secrets to flavors that pop; they make food complex and intriguing. Spices are best purchased whole and cracked, crushed, chopped, ground, or pulverized as needed. They should almost always be toasted before being ground because that doubles or triples their flavor. Thanks to Derek Clayton, Lola’s chef de cuisine, I use a Peugeot peppermill for my spices, the BMW of grinders. It’s not crazy expensive but it’s solid—and it performs perfectly. You need a grinder that grinds fine enough; so that the seasoning is evenly distributed and won’t get stuck between your teeth.

Food Mill

A stainless-steel food mill should be a part of every home kitchen. At the restaurants we have all kinds of devices to pulverize or blend food and strain food, but the food mill is an all-purpose device that does many tasks, from puréeing to straining. Potatoes are easily riced and don’t become gluey when passed through a food mill. Tomatoes turn immediately into sauce, the seeds strained out. Puréed soups are a breeze. When you’re finished, just put the food mill parts in the dishwasher for easy cleanup.

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