This is not about my Napoleon complex. I really mean it -we little people work better with a bigger knife. Actually, mostly, big people chop more efficiently with a bigger knife too. Why? Well, Here are two chef’s knives, side by side, an 8-inch and a 10-inch: The 10-inch knife…
My Vitamix Blender: For years I have wondered about the vitamix blender and whether it was really as fantastic as advertised. It appeared from the all the hype that the machine was so tough, so virile, you could throw a moose in there with a few ice cubes and make…
I cannot cook without putting on an apron first. It is almost like my hands don’t work unless I do. I don’t understand how someone can cook a whole meal just wearing their regular clothes without protection. My apron has the same effect on me as my glasses, it helps…
I have no idea why I have chosen this last week to rediscover my slow cooker. It is 70 degrees outside and I have my bastardized version of Italian Sunday “gravy” (aka tomato sauce with meat) cooking on low in the slow cooker on my kitchen counter. I had to…
You already know that my very favorite shoes for the kitchen are Converse hi-tops (they’ve been in the Sara’s Pick’s archive ever since this site launched.) So you can imagine how excited I was when Bill Nichols, a viewer who is also a Converse fan, e-mailed me that the company…
My favorite tool for making smooth gravy is a flat whisk. Unlike the usual balloon whisk, it fits easily into the edge of the pan and allows you to loosen the flour and thickened gravy that collects there. The 8 sturdy stainless steel wires are strong enough to deglaze a…
Several years ago, I rediscovered these easy-to-use, color-coded lemon, lime, and orange squeezers. Made of sturdy die-cast aluminum with an optional baked-on finish these squeezers turn citrus halves inside out to give you an incredible amount of juice without the seeds. They can be stored in a kitchen drawer, are…
The skewers I use on the show, which are my favorites, were invented by my friend Elizabeth Karmel, who has a wonderful website called www.Girlsatthegrill.com. She used to work for a company that manufactures grills and is my go to person about everything related to grilling. You can find them…
You’ve seen them in Mexican restaurants. Made of volcanic rock, this Mexican version of a mortar and pestle can be used for grinding all sorts of ingredients but is most often used for preparing and serving guacamole. Available in many gourmet kitchen equipment shops, they are available by mail from…
With the arrival of harvest time, I have started getting e-mails about the clever little containers I use for freezing measured amounts of stock and other leftover foods. They are perfect for freezing measured amounts of fruits and vegetables from your garden or the farmers’ market. While you can put…