Find really, really good and sharp knives. Spend as much as you can afford. I frequent discount stores like Homegoods, T.J Maxx and Marshall's searching for good deals on professional knives.
Never, never, ever put them in the dishwasher and as I have recently learned, don't let them lay around in a drawer, beating each other up. A restaurant supply store sells magnetic knife holders. I got mine for Christmas and still wonder how I ever survived without it! I love it SO much, I bought one for the church kitchen, as well.
Isn't it nifty?
A microplane can do the duty of several gadgets. It can zest citrus, grate nutmeg, fresh garlic and hard cheeses, such as Parmesan.
Silicone spatulas can scrape cake batter out of a bowl and also be used in a non-stick pan to make an omelet. They generally withstand heat up to 500 degrees without melting.
I will not go back to the old, melty plastic ones.
A nice rolling pin. Get one that is a solid piece of wood. It can be used to roll out various types of dough, biscuits or shortbread and pie crusts, but also used to pound out a chicken breast or piece of veal (wrapped in plastic) to make a scallopini. If you are the owner of a refrigerator sans ice maker, it can also be used to crush ice by placing cubes in a gallon zipper bag and beating them with the pin.
I found a couple at our local Homegoods for around four dollars.
A nonstick skillet or saute pan is indispensable for everything from breakfast pancakes to midnight fritattas and everything in between with a minimum amount of clean-up. You could cook almost anything in it, if you had to.
I love flexible cutting boards. I have several wooden ones including one made of bamboo and an old one my dad made out of a scrap of wood from an old church pew. These bendy boards work well for saving your countertops, and for moving cut food from counter to stove or dish.
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