I’m fortunate and spoiled to work in a commercial kitchen. I’m Ben Vaughn the chef at River Oaks Restaurant. It’s a small but well equipped stainless steel space, from the stand point of a kitchen gadget I would have to say it’s most certainly my candy thermometer that keeps me from ruining pans and burning sugar. But the workhorse is the Kitchen Aid mixer, with it’s speedy wire whisk to the meat grinder, it’s the gadget I use most, and thank god it’s also so, so quiet.

Whats the deal with those flat wisk ? Dont get it ?

My Kitchen Aid and food processor go without saying. Other than that, my coffee maker and coffee grinder. Can’t start the say without them.

My favorite gadget is my immersion blender. Makes sauces velvety, emusifies sauces and purees vegetables. don’t have to transfer from one vessel to another either.

I’ve got too many gadgets … however …

My 4-inch paring knife, microplane, tongs(!) and Japanese chef’s knife all get daily workouts.

However, I think I would only cry if I ever lost my steel wok with 10 years of patina on it or my 30 pound end-on-end maple chopping block.

… oh … and my peppermill!

M

Oh, I also love my fish griller thing. I don’t know what it’s called but it’s a little metal basket for cooking fish on a grill. Instead of trying to get a spatula under the fish you just turn the whole basket.

My crock pot. I’ve had it for 18 years and use it at least twice a week.

I couldn’t do without my universal double-boiler, my cast iron skillet, and the biscuit bowl that my great-grandmother used to make her biscuits.

Oh dear, I forgot my beloved cast-iron skillets. I hope my grandmother’s spirit forgives me

I go off to California and I start forgetting about the single most important weapon in my arsenal!

My kitchen is pretty basic, but I live by my George Foreman grill and oval plastic cutting board.

enameled iron dutch oven
kitchenaid stand mixer
chinese cleavers (good for cutting and moving)
cheap wusthof knife sharpener
kitchenaid immersion blender (detachable blade)
heavy mixing bowls with rubber base
boos block
cast iron skillet
mortise and pestle
salt grinder
stainless spice shakers
tongs
battery operated pepper grinder

Cast Iron cookware. Enameled or not. Nothing better.

Go to Lit and get a couple of sizes of commercial kitchen quality, non-stick skillets (in addition to your cast iron). They’re good quality and downright inexpensive to boot.

Go ahead and get a real peppermill. Peugeot invented them, they’re easy to find, and are not the most expensive.

Probe thermometer with alarm. An absolute *must have*. When you want the center of that beef tenderloin to be 125-130 degrees, there’s no substitute.

Large enough cutting board. It should be big enough to be longer than the knife you’re using when the knife is laid in the center pointing from one corner to the other corner on a diagonal.