can't live without: my serrated peeler

this was another fantastic christmas gift from my parents. i always just thought a peeler was a peeler, until i used this. it's amazing. i am always peeling yams or carrots or apples, and this makes things SO much quicker and smoother. i highly recommend it! (oh, but if you are clutzy and hurt yourself in every task that you do—like me—i would just say, be careful and don't get too carried away or you'll end up with serrated thumbs.)

can't live without: my bosch

i truly adore my bosch. my good friend abe helped me get a good deal on this beloved machine last year and it's been so dreamy to make bread ever since. when i first started making bread, i used my kitchen aid. which is fine, but the motor just can't deal like the bosch. it's such a smooth process now. i can knead the bread in there for 10 minutes without that gear smell that happened before with the smaller motor in the kitchen aid. and it has a 16 CUP CAPACITY. yes, 16 cups. so i can make huge batches of other tasty delights (i also sort of hate the word tasty thanks to one of julia's ex boyfriends, but whatever). some people think it's crazy to have both a kitchen aid and a bosch. but those people don't have both and cannot concieve how wonderful life can be with this kind of kitchen excess.

all my love,
caroline

can't live without: my silpat baking mats

see that little mat under my snickerdoodle cookie ball? i never, ever make cookies without these anymore. i LOVE my silpat mats. not only are they the best thing to line your cookie sheets with to bake cookies, you can put caramel corn or anything sticky without having to grease and cleanup is a cinch. i even have a roul-pat for rolling out biscuits, pie shells, bread and dough of any kind.

here is the maintenance instructions found online:

Maintenance and Care
Wipe the Silpat® with a damp sponge after each use to remove crumbs or particles. If washing is required, lay the Silpat® in the sink and run warm water over surface. Use a Demarle approved detergent or a mild soap with a soft sponge to clean the surface. Do not use any scrapers or hard brushes to clean the Silpat®. Shake off excess water and hang or lay flat on surface to dry.

**i never use any special detergent, just mild soap**

Storing
Store the Silpat® flat on a tray, hang them with a clothing pin, or roll them up (do not fold or place heavy objects on top of rolled Silpat®).

Precautions
- Never cut or use sharp objects on the surface.
- Do not fold or store in a folded position.
- Do not grease.

pretty easy right? seriously, one of the best things that has ever happened to me in the kitchen.

can't live without: my microplane grater

i got this for christmas (most of my christmas presents these days involve kitchen accoutrements at this point in my life-much to my delight) a while ago and i use it all the time. it's great for hard cheeses (gruyere, i love you), citrus zest and things of that nature. there is also an extra course version, which i use from time to time as well. i love this thing and i recommend it highly. i kept the cover it came with cause it's pretty sharp and with clutzyness like mine, you can never be too careful.