Must-Have Kitchen Tools
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 1:00AM 
My “must have kitchen gadgets” are centered on citrus, which is my favorite ingredient. I love lemons, limes and oranges, and all their variations like Meyer lemons, key limes and blood oranges. The nuances in both the zest and the juice are delicious. The flavor of the zest is floral, while the juice is acidic. As most of us are trying to watch or reduce our weight, citrus is an ideal way to enhance flavor without added calories, fat or sodium.
Handheld Juicer:
Juicers come in lots of shapes and sizes; some are electric with bells and whistles and pretty expensive. My favorite, though, is a simple handheld one that I discovered watching a bartender making a fresh lime Margarita. Cut any citrus in half crosswise and squeeze with this gadget that looks a bit like a pair of pliers. This juicer will cost about 10 bucks and can be found in the kitchen section of most hardware stores. Of course you can pay more if you want by going to a fancy kitchen store.
Microplane Grater:
Zest is the outermost layer of skin of citrus fruit. There’s a little gadget called a Microplane that makes it really easy to remove the bright zest while leaving the bitter white pith behind. Simply rub any citrus fruit across the Microplane. Zest the fruit while it’s whole, then cut it in half and use the juice for salad dressing.
Here’s a recipe that uses both citrus juice and zest. Try it and you’ll be hard pressed to buy store-bought salad dressing again.
Most people like a balance of three parts oil to one part acid in a vinaigrette. The acid can be any kind of fresh citrus juice. When using citrus juice, keep in mind that lime juice is stronger than orange juice. Try the 3-to-1 ratio first and adjust to your taste. It’s easier to add more acid to the mix than it is to cover it with more oil. A pinch of citrus zest, sugar or salt will brighten flavors in any dish, as will herbs and spices.
Just in time for holiday cooking, Special Fork is featuring Tool Week. For the entire week Special Fork Bloggers will be blogging about their favorite kitchen tools.
Those of you who are our fans on Facebook will be eligible for a drawing of some cool kitchen tools especially selected by Special Fork (value: $75). And don't forget to tell us about your favorite tools.
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Reader Comments (1)
Hi,
I was so thrilled to read that you had mentioned the microplaner on your website. You may remember that I suggested it. Yes it is marvellous for lemon zest too and I find it excellent and quick for grating parmesan cheese. Thank you, love reading your website and recipes.