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Looking to up your cooking game? The first step is always making sure your kitchen is stocked with all the essential tools. New York Times food writer Melissa Clark does a whole lot of cooking—so she's sharing her top three kitchen essentials that make cooking and baking so much easier.
Mini Mandolin
Opting for a mini mandolin is a lot easier than using a full-size mandolin. "I use [it] almost every day," says Melissa. "I don't know about you, but whenever I try to slice something really thinly with a knife, I get uneven pieces. This mandolin makes the pieces super even and it goes really fast."
Melissa also suggests getting a mandolin glove to keep your fingers protected, although you can also use a dish towel—or some mandolins come with a little plastic piece to help protect your fingers. Just be careful not to cut yourself.
Mini Whisk
"Using a smaller whisk works so much better when you have a small amount of liquid. [These are perfect for] a salad dressing or a little pot of hot cocoa or if you're making yourself some oatmeal," says Melissa. "What's so great about these is I can hold them in my hand and get a lot of control and I can whisk really quickly, which is nice." Plus, they're really inexpensive and super cute!
Digital Scale
Say goodbye to dry cakes due to mis-measured flour. "This [digital scale] will guarantee you a perfect result," says Melissa. "It is so much easier for baking, because instead of using measuring cups and measuring spoons and making a big mess, I can mix everything in my baking bowl and it's a lot more precise."