Kitchen Blogging - New Toy

When I had the time (and space) for woodworking, I was quite fond of the witty and anonymous observation that "every new project is an excuse to buy a new tool." Now that I'm a city dweller, the wood shop has been scattered to the four winds and I have to feed my tool fetish with kitchen gadgets.

Sometimes I can still resort to the old formula, as when I bought a truffle, and simply had to have a truffle shaver regardless of the fact that it was likely to be a one use item. (Though I have loaned it out... good circle of friends, eh?) But some times, I find a gadget that is simply a great idea and which I might use constantly. Such is the case with the fine mesh skimmer pictured at the right.

If you are making a stock, you will have been told that "a hallmark of good stocks and broths is clarity; never boil and always skim." The normal tool for this is a small ladle. There are even specialized ladles with curved lips that is supposed to make this process easier. Forget it. The ultimate tool for this job is an ultra-fine mesh skimmer.

This thing makes it super easy to skim the gunk off of simmering stock. It so fine-meshed that I suspect there are examples of grease and oil that wouldn't flow through. I found this one in Chinatown for $2, but if you don't have a Chinese 5-and-10 nearby, you can get a much fancier Calphalon version from Amazon.com. You may not think you need one of these, but you are wrong.