Kitchen utensils you coud do without but why should you?

Yesterday, I went out for a last round of Christmas shopping. Our Christmas tree has lots of wonderful gifts awaiting their recipients. And then I thought, “Doesn’t our kitchen deserve a gift?” It sure does! So, I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond, my most favorite store on earth, and got a bunch of  utensils that you could do without but why should you?

a) Bain marie pots.

For the longest time, I have been melting chocolate in the microwave and it works. But you have to be sure that the microwave is not set to high, check often to be sure the chocolate is not burning and, in general, be on the look out. Not to mention, that gourmet cooks will look down on you for using the microwave instead of bain marie. Well, bye-bye microwave. I have bain marie pots now to met chocolate over hot steam.

b) Confectioner sugar sprinkler.

No, you don’t really need it. The regular tea leaves sift works just as well. But, hey, for couple of dollars you get the appropriate tool and you won’t have to refill it very often.

c) Fat separator tool.

Oh boy, I was dreaming about that. I almost always avoided making gravy, because I hated trying to separate the fat from the pan drippings by trying to spoon the top layer of fat. I really dislike that.  I have the right utensil now and it’s pretty cool. You pour the pan drippings in it. When the fat rests on top, you pull the red handle and a small opening is released at the bottom to let the juices run. You stop when you get to the fat.  Nice!

c) Onion chopper.

It’s no big deal to chop onion on a board but I pretty much do that for every meal I prepare. Don’t I deserve to have a chopper that will do that for me faster? That’s the white gadget on the left side of the picture.

d) Squeeze bottle.

I was looking for one of these for some time. Don’t you need one to decorate cookies with some reasonable precision, store your home-made creamy vinaigrette and sprinkle with a pattern,  decorate cakes and so many other uses? It was $1.99 I think.

This season, buy something you’ve always wanted to make your cooking easier. These small and inexpensive luxuries are fun and sure to be put in good use.

Here’s to many more wonderful dinners and other gatherings with your friends and family.

Update 2012-12-25

The onion chopper turned out pretty useless. I’m returning it tomorrow. It’s very clumsy to put together and it doesn’t do a good  job cutting onion. It’s a vote down.  The bain marie pots are awesome, though, and the chocolate melts beautifully!