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the best inexpensive model, which is slower and more difficult to use but still perfectly serviceable, check out the CDN Pro Accurate Quick-Read Thermometer ($16.95) Digital Kitchen Scale If you’re on the fence about whether or not you need a kitchen scale, jump to here, “Weight Versus Volume,” and read that section Got it? See why you want a digital scale? Once I got one, I’ve used it almost every single day A good digital scale will make inaccuracies and inconsistencies a thing of the past And if you’re the obsessive type, a scale can also help you figure out how much moisture your chicken lost during roasting, or exactly how far you’ve reduced that stock Hooray! Things to look for in a good scale: at least 1-gram (⅛ounce) accuracy; a capacity of at least pounds; a tare (zero) function; measurements in both metric and imperial units; a large, easy-to-read display; and a fold-flat design for storage The OXO Good Grips Food Scale with Pull-out Display ($45.95) has got all of that, plus a neat pull-out display that allows you to read measurements with ease, even when weighing large, bulky items that would otherwise obscure the screen The only problem? Annoying fractions in the display instead of decimal places Who the heck wants to measure ⅜ ounce? The Aquatronic Kitchen Scale by Salter ($49.95) lacks the pull-out-display feature, but it uses easyto-read decimals, which makes both math and looking cool in front of Europeans much easier If you don’t mind fractions or intend to go all metric, then stick with the OXO (that’s what I use) Otherwise, the Salter Aquatronic wins Digital Timer/Stopwatch Did you know that in restaurant kitchens, croutons are the number-one item most burnt by line cooks?§ I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve popped a tray of sliced bread in the oven for crostini only to pull it out thirty minutes later after it sets off the smoke alarm At least I used to These days, I keep a Polder in Timer, Clock, and Stopwatch ($13.95) around my neck at all times It’s got an easy-to-read display, an unobtrusive size, intuitive buttons, a loud alarm, a magnet for sticking it to the fridge, and a nylon lanyard for keeping it around your neck, so there’s no way you can forget about your roasting peppers, even if you leave the kitchen With both count-up and count-down functions, what more could you want in a kitchen timer? Immersion Blender Really? some of you might be saying You’d really say that your immersion blender is more important than your food processor or mixer? Well, if you rate importance by frequency of use, then absolutely I use my immersion blender so frequently that I have it mounted on a holster on the wall right next to my stove and cutting board, ready at a moment’s notice to emulsify a sauce, whip up a batch of mayonnaise, roughly puree some whole canned tomatoes directly in the pot, blend a cheese sauce, puree soup, whip cream in no time flat you get the picture It’s a versatile ...stick with the OXO (that’s what I use) Otherwise, the Salter Aquatronic wins Digital Timer/Stopwatch Did you know that in restaurant kitchens, croutons are the number-one item most burnt by line cooks?§ I can’t tell you... number-one item most burnt by line cooks?§ I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve popped a tray of sliced bread in the oven for crostini only to pull it out thirty minutes later after it sets off the smoke alarm At least I used to These days,... than your food processor or mixer? Well, if you rate importance by frequency of use, then absolutely I use my immersion blender so frequently that I have it mounted on a holster on the wall right next to my stove and cutting board, ready at a