by Kimberly H.

Created on: January 29, 2008   Last Updated: May 25, 2009

Whether you are cooking professionally or cooking for your family, there are some kitchen gadgets out there that make life way easier. As a professional cook, I can say that there are many little kitchen treasures that look great, do amazing things, but when the job is done - you don't need it anymore. I am talking about those little gadgets that are only useful for one or two purposes, and than find their way deep into the back of your cupboard, or buried in your "utility drawer" for a few years.

I am providing a list of my top ten favorite kitchen gadgets, ranging from big investments to cheap amusements - ones that can be used almost all of the time, and will make your life easier in the kitchen.

I created this list assuming that you already had a few staple items in your kitchen, and that is a decent set of knives, a sharpening steel, and a good nylon cutting board. There are only four knives that you will ever really need, and that is a good French (or chef) knife, a boning knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife. Choose knives that fit well in your hands, are comfortable, and that aren't cheaply made. A cheap set of knives will do the trick for a little while, but after awhile they will become useless. I have myself a very nice set of Henckles knives, and they haven't let me down yet. In this case, go for quality if you cook up a storm frequently.

But what happens when your knives get dull? They need to be sharpened, of course! Some cooks will tell you that if you have a good set of knives, that you shouldn't use them unless you know how to sharpen them. Without the proper guidance, sharpening a knife on your own can sometimes lead to an even more dull knife - if you don't want to take your chances on giving it a try, just get a professional to do it. In Canada, you can take your knives to a Home Hardware centre or local knife sharpener or grinder. If you have yourself a sharpening steel, this can be used to keep your knife in tip-top shape in between sharpenings. If you learn to use a sharpening steel, you won't have to get your knives sharpened very often.

Another way to decrease the amount of sharpenings on your knives is to get yourself a plastic nylon cutting board. Never subject your knives to the harsh surface of your counter or glass cutting boards. Nylon cutting boards wash up easily, don't house bacteria like a porous wood cutting board, and will not dull your knives. Now, assuming that you have a good set of knives, a sharpening

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