Here's just a few of my favorite tools in the kitchen:

• Iron pans
• Heavy-bottomed saucepans
• Stainless steel pots
• Pressure cooker
• Cleaver

Iron frying pans are awesome. I cook everything I can in them. The iron heats uniformly, it retains heat well, and is thick enough to not let foods burn easily. I even roast chickens in the oven in my frying pan, as other roasting pans are much harder to clean up. You can begin seasoning a brand new pan by rubbing olive oil on it, leaving it in the oven on extra low heat for a day or so. But it's when you starting to cook with it that it will get truly seasoned. But by seasoning it, it will clean up most effortlessly.

Another tool is a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. I've seen and tried many of the "latest" in cookware over the years, but I'm not impressed. On occasions where a saucepan is needed, a heavy-bottomed pan is invaluable. Look for stainless steel, with a thick bottom, layered with extra metal (such as copper). If you're preparing something time consuming, you don't want to waste more time throwing something burnt away, having to clean up the pan besides. A good saucepan is worth the investment.

When cooking pasta, potatoes, beans, etc., a stainless steel pot is great. With all the water in the pot, burning is not a concern, so you don't really need a fancy-bottomed pot. A basic stainless steel pot will do the job and will clean up much better than aluminum.

A pressure cooker is also handy. Stainless steel will be a bit pricier than aluminum, but it is worth it. There is some health concern when using aluminum; it's been suggested that a trace exposure to aluminum might occur. But, stainless steel or aluminum, bottom line is: A pressure cooker cooks foods quickly and efficiently at a lower heat. The pressure keeps the heat in, allowing extra hot temperatures to be reached. Ideal for making chicken stock or for cooking brown rice or beans, the pressure cooker is a wonderful tool to have.

A good knife works wonders. If you have a favorite knife, you know what I mean. Most everyone at the deli has concurred that a cleaver is most invaluable in any vegetable-prep situation and in slicing meats thinly after cooking. Such knives are found for a very reasonable price in many Asian grocery stores. Look for one with a thin, stainless steel blade, sized right for your grip. (If the knife is too large in your hand, using it could prove awkward.) Safety is another feature. You can learn to guide the knife with one hand, chopping with the other, curling the fingers of your guiding hand, keeping them clear of the knife. Keep your knife sharp with a sharpening blade and it will serve you well.

A Few More Tools

I love my Cuisinart food processor. You can make all kinds of soups, plus things like Pesto, and you can chop or slice large quantities of veggies with it. We use the machine to slice our pickles with, at The New Deli. We use a lot of pickles, and prefer to use real, kosher dills, so we have to slice them ourselves. Otherwise, we'd have to resort to the vinegary, pre-sliced pickles... They just don't cut the mustard!

I also love my Kitchen-aid mixer, although other "free-standing" mixers work. The point is: I can whip up desserts without standing there holding the beater the whole time. The mixers cost more, but... time is money. The free-standing mixer will save you time, which will translate to: Money!

And A New Tool

The competition has finally come up with something that's the best of both worlds, and it even saves you cupboard space by being two machines in one: The Oster brand blender with food processor attachment can be the answer for many cooks looking for one machine that can do it all. Or at least, can do more than an old-fashioned blender. I highly recommend the combo-blender/food processor (available in other brands as well), for friends who like to cook, but don't want to invest in the pricier processors.