The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 72

asparagustothebiggestbone-inporkroastarethequalities
tolookforinagoodsetoftongs.TheOXOGoodGrips9inch Stainless Steel LockingTongs ($11.95) set the bar for
quality.
8.MicroplaneZesterGrater
When you’re talking fine-toothed graters, pretty much only
one brand comes to mind: the Microplane Zester Grater
($14.95). It is more than just a useful gadget—it’s the only
onetoget.
Myfavoritethingtodowithazesteristogototownwith
it on an orange and watch as the little mountain of zest
effortlessly grows on my cutting board.Wait—my favorite
thing to do is grate delicate wisps of Parmigiano-Reggiano
overmyBolognese.No,Itakethatback.Myfavoritething
is to grate fresh nutmeg on top of my gin flip. Or is it to
sprinkle chocolate shavings over my soufflé? Oh, but I do
dearly love the lovely little mound of ginger that smells oh
solovelyasitfallsoffthezesterintomybowl.No,I’vegot
it, and this time I’m sure: it’s being able to throw out my
confounded single-tasking garlic press and using my
Microplanetogrategarlicintotiny,evenmince.
Somanythingstograte,solittletime!
9.Whisks
They’re essential for mixing quick-bread batters or
emulsifying hollandaise. Use one in a large pot of soup to
incorporate seasoning much more quickly than a wooden
spoon can.And a whisk is the best tool to whip cream or
foam egg whites into frothy meringue. Models with stiff


wires require much more movement and hard work from
yourwrist.TheOXOGoodGrips9-inchWhisk($8.95)has

thin, flexible wires, which make whipping vinaigrettes into
shapeaneffortlesslyenjoyableendeavor.
10.SaladSpinner
Yes, it will get your greens dry, and we all know that dry
greens are better at holding dressing (right?), but the salad
spinner is actually one of the truly great multitaskers in the
kitchen.Ifillminewithwaterandpickherbleavesdirectly
intothebowl.Oncethey’repicked,Iswishthemaround,lift
themupinthebasket,dumpthesandywater,andspindry.
You can wash delicate items like berries and then dry
them in a salad spinner lined with a few layers of paper
towels to extend their shelf life by a few days. Or take
choppedtomatoesforaspinforeasyseeding(theseedsslip
through the basket while the flesh stays put). Washed
mushrooms, sliced peppers, broccoli florets—anything you
couldthinkofstir-fryingorsautéing—willcookbetterafter
a thorough drying in the spinner. Use the power of
centrifugal force to whip away excess marinade from
shrimp,chicken,orkebabmeat.Andifyou’vegotasturdy
one with small slots, like the OXO’s Good Grips Salad
Spinner (about $30), there’s no need to own a colander—
justdrainbeans,pasta,andvegetablesinthespinnerbasket.
11.StiffSpatula
My Due Buoi Wide Spatula (about $35) is exceedingly
sexy, in that mostly platonic inanimate metallic object kind
of way. It’s got a business end that’s 5 inches long, a