The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 73

generousgirthof3.9inchesatthefront,andaheftyweight
of 7.76 ounces. It’s a size that can’t be beat—just large
enoughtosmashaballofbeefintoa4-inchpattyorflipa
couple portions’ worth of browning home fries, without
being so large that it doesn’t fit into a small skillet. I’ve
pickedupawholepizzaoffahotstonewiththisthing.I’d
liketoseeyourwimpyplasticspatuladothat!
The blade and tang are formed out of a single piece of
cast stainless steel, which clocks in at a thickness of 0.04
inch(1mm,orapproximately18gauge).Thisisimportant:
itallowsyoutoliftawholeturkeyorribroastwithreckless
abandon. If you flip the spatula over, its keen and sturdy
frontedge substitutes handily for a paint scraper, allowing
youtoensurethateverylastbitofflavorful,crispcruststays
firmlyattachedtoyourburgerorsteak,insteadofremaining
in the pan. The handle is made from tough, durable
polycarbonate and features a full tang, for optimal strength
andbalance.Thisbaby’sgonnalastalifetime.
And there’s a musical bonus : When struck daintily
against the cutting board, the spatula vibrates at precisely
587.33 hertz (really!), with an outstanding overtone series.
Even Stradivarius would be proud to apply his famous
varnishtoit.It’stheverythingduringthatall-too-common
situationwhenIdesperatelyneedtotunethefourthstringof
myguitarwhileapplyingcheesetomyburgers.
You’dbehard-pressedtofindabetterstiffspatula.
12.Japanese-StyleMandoline
Sure, you can train for years and spend hours a day
sharpeningandhoningyourknivestogettothepointwhere

youcanwhipoutfennelwispssothinyoucanreadthrough
them or slice through your prep work at a hundred onions
per hour. And I’ll be the first one to tell you that you’re
really,reallycool.Butfortherestofus,amandolinemakes
quickworkofrepetitiveslicingandjulienningtasks.Atone
pointinmylife,Iownedafancy-pants$150Frenchmodel.
Butyouknowwhat?Itwasheavy,bulky,andapaininthe
butttoclean.And,withitsstraightblade,itdidn’treallydo
a great job.The Benriner Mandoline Plus ($49.95), on the
other hand, features a sharp angled blade that cuts much
more efficiently than those awkward straight blades or
clumsyV-shapedcutters.Walkintothekitchenofanyfourstarrestaurantinthecity,andIguaranteeyou’llfindatleast
a couple Bennies (as they are affectionately called by line
cooks)occupyingaprominentplace.
Randomtrivia: “Benriner” means “Oh, how handy!” in
Japanese (despite the fact that the Japanglish on the box
frontproclaims“DrycutradishesalsoOK.”)
13.Spider
A spider/skimmer accomplishes almost everything a slotted
spoondoes,andbetter,atafractionofthecost.Itexcelsat
fishing dumplings, vegetables, or ravioli out of a pot of
boilingwater.Anditswireconstructionandrelativelyopen
mesh creates less turbulence in the liquid than a standard
slottedspoon,makingitmucheasiertofishoutfood.
Asforthetaskitwasdesignedfor—dunkingandstirring
foodsfordeep-frying—theonlythingthatevencomesclose
in terms of agility and control is a long pair of chopsticks,
and even Mr. Miyagi would have trouble picking up peas