When I was making breakfast this morning, I was grateful yet again for the wonder that is my digital meat thermometer. And it's not just for meat; I used it for baked eggs this morning (See today's featured recipe).I bought the thermometer for about 10 bucks at Superstore and it has saved me numerous times (particularly when making things like pork tenderloin or chicken thighs). It has a guide on the cover that tells you temperatures for meat and chicken and reads in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. Best 10 bucks I've spent.
I love my Betty Crocker Cookbook. I am listing it as a tool because I don't use it so much for the recipes as for the tips and hints and cooking charts. It tells you everything you need to know to cook anything. It has charts for cooking meat (every type and cut of meat you can think of) and eggs (where that meat thermometer comes in handy), shows you the difference between perfectly cooked cookies and undercooked and overcooked cookies (complete with pictures), step by step picture instructions for making pastry, pictures of different kinds of vegetables and grains, how to properly measure flour for baking, and everything in between. The recipes are pretty good too. If you only ever buy one cookbook, buy this one.
Ok, last but certainly not least, my cast iron pot. I bought it at Ikea about 5 years ago and it makes the best pasta sauce. The secret to a cast iron pot is to clean it without soap. I know that sounds kind of disgusting, but trust me. Cast iron is porous and it absorbs all the flavours of what you put in it. So, when you clean it with soap, it absorbs that taste. On the flip side, the more you cook in it, the more the flavours of everything you've cooked in it get infused into whatever you're making; tomato based pasta sauce gets better every time. Plus, you can put it in the oven (but not the lid as it is aluminum). I have a recipe for bread that you cook right in the pot, but have yet to make it.There is a bit of maintenance required - after you've cleaned it, you have to oil it on the inside so it doesn't rust. And you need to use it on a regular basis, particularly if you live in a humid climate, like I do on Vancouver Island,so it doesn't get mildew-y. Worth the $50 investment.
