Kitchen Deals -> Kitchen tools

We recommend 2 strainers for every kitchen. The first is a solid stainless steel colander (one big enough to wash a lot of lettuce at once). The second strainer is a fine mesh conical strainer (called a chinois) which is a must for any serious sauce or stock making. A chinois is an expensive purchase, but with care it will last many years.

There seems to be little difference between hard wood and plastic cutting boards from a safety standpoint, as long as they are properly washed and sanitized after each use. Personally, I like the feel of solid wood. One piece of advice--buy large cutting boards. Don't bother with these tiny boards that everyone seems to have in his or her kitchen. They are not user friendly. Once you get down to serious cutting or chopping, the small boards are always woefully inadequate and downright maddening!

Very few people buying a new kitchen do so today without the offer of a water filter system as part of the deal. Water filters are taking by storm as the man and woman in the street discover that they can have the luxury of pure, clean tasting water in their kitchens for far less than the cost of a pint of milk a day! The water filter systems knock the costs associated with bottled water for six. Especially when you have virtually unlimited quantities of the stuff, pouring from a tap in your kitchen!