Resourceful chefs find exceptional kitchen tools in unorthodox places (like hardware stores) and unlikely shapes (including a peeler shaped like a monkey).
Seamus Mullen of NYC’s Boqueria prefers to use a 2-inch wide Hyde putty knife in place of spatulas, a trick he learned while cooking in Spain. “The blade is thinner on a putty knife, so I can use it to lift delicate items like fish,” he says. $3; amazon.com.
20 Lessons from the Pros
- Lesson 1: Perfect Sangria
- Lesson 2: Best Wines for Barbecue
- Lesson 3: Lemon Confit
- Lesson 4: Japanese Yuzu Paste
- Lesson 5: Smoked Salt
- Lesson 6: Dried Seaweed Mix
- Lesson 7: Pickling Liquid
- Lesson 8: Speedy Chicken Cutlets
- Lesson 9: Baked Eggs
- Lesson 10: Luxe Hors D’Oeuvres
- Lesson 11: Ten-Minute Dishes
- Lesson 12: Induction Burners
- Lesson 13: Double-Duty Vases
- Lesson 14: Cheap Gadgets: Potato Masher
- Lesson 15: Cheap Gadgets: Peeler
- Lesson 16: Cheap Gadgets: Putty Knife
- Lesson 17: Exceptional Pork
- Lesson 18: Instant Oats
- Lesson 19: Ultrafresh Fish
- Lesson 20: Potato Flakes
More Equipment Tips
Best Small Appliances
Kitchen Tools Guide 
Chefs’ Go-To Gadget Guy
