I once watched a friend, very good cook, sauté Dover sole fillets for dinner. Gorgeous, delicate pieces of fish these were—sliced from sole straight off the boat, totally worth the premium he paid. He took care to cook them quickly so they wouldn’t dry out. But when he went to turn them in the pan, he reached for a grill spatula. Which is like bringing a bazooka to a squirrel hunt. And so in the course of flipping these thin fillets, he mangled and maimed them. I turned away in horror.

Point is, even a good cook needs the right tools to be successful. In this case, a fish spatula would’ve done the trick. Fish spatulas—known to some as fish slices—are thin, slightly flexible, and slotted, making them perfect for turning fragile items like fish fillets. But they’re not relegated to fish alone. Use them to lift items out of a pan while keeping liquid inside—when handling meats in this way, they’re easier to wield than a slotted spoon and won’t damage the meat like tongs can. The fish spatula’s practicality makes it a staple piece of equipment in restaurant kitchens, but the well-equipped home cook needs one on hand, too.

Reusable shopping bags are probably old news to many of you. In fact, over on the bulletin boards, our online community members regularly stage bag swaps. But I've been trying for some time, with limited success, to use them on a regular basis. More often than I would like to admit, I forget them at home, because I prefer not to have my hodgepodge of loose cloth sacks sliding around in the back of my hatchback at all times.

When I read about the Olive Smart Sack over at Cool Mom Picks, I thought: now I have no more excuses. Their brilliantly simple idea? A set of six large cloth bags that compress into a small stuff sack. When neatly stuffed, the kit is just the right size to sit in the cupholder of my car (or my glove box, or my satchel). Since the bags are quite large, a set of six is ample enough to cover most of my weekly grocery shopping trips.

At $39, the 6-bag Smart Sack is a small investment that will make a huge difference in reducing waste over the course of a year. If you're on a budget, they also make a 3-bag Half Sack for $24. I also like the $5 ChicoBag Original bag, which packs down into a palm-sized stuff sack that fits in a purse or clips to a bag with a tiny carabiner. Buy 4 of these, and the fifth one's free.

In a culinary world flooded with gear and gadgets (many of which are not essential for good home cooks), I often get asked this question:

"If you could have just one great knife in your collection, what would it be?"

Ask any chef and the answer will be different.

My answer is a Global 7" Santoku. I find the moderate length and light weight to be perfect for my not-so-strong wrists. And rather than switching between a paring knife and a chef's knife all day, I can perform almost all the tasks I need to do with this mid-sized knife (with the exception of slicing bread, for which I need a serrated knife).

I have used Global knives since my culinary school days in 2002. In fact, I continue to use that same set of knives today. They have held up well under more wear and tear than most knives endure in a lifetime. Granted, great knives are a great investment (the one pictured here runs about $97 on Amazon), but they're well worth the price. One great knife will last you much longer than an entire set of lesser-quality knives.

"What are the essential pots and pans?"

This is a question I get asked a lot, especially by friends who are getting married and registering for gifts. I've been cooking in the Test Kitchen for 8 years and have made thousands of meals. In that time, I've whittled my must-have cookware list down to these 5 basic pots and pans:

1.  Stainless 3-quart saucepan

2.  Stainless Dutch oven (preferably about 8 quarts)

3.  Stainless 12-inch skillet

4.  10 to 12-inch cast-iron skillet

5.  12-inch nonstick skillet

Kitchen Tip: Your nonstick skillet does NOT have to be expensive. These must be replaced more frequently than just about anything else in your kitchen because the non-stick surface will wear down over time.

If you want other opinions about kitchen essentials, check out this story, where fellow TK staffers weighed in with some tips on choosing pots and pans.

Have you ever prepared to cook with your beloved cast-iron skillet and seen this?

OH THE HORROR!!! 

First, calm down. Don't  take it out on the dishwasher who unwittingly washed your cast-iron skillet with soap and water, which can wreak havoc on an otherwise well-seasoned pan. Here's a quick remedy.

1. Remove the Rust
Grab a dry dishcloth. Apply a small amount of canola oil and rub it into the rust-covered spots. The rust should disappear. If this doesn't do the trick, grab a dry plastic textured sponge (like a Brill) and rub briskly. If this fails you, go for the steel wool and rub until the rust is removed.

2. Re-Season the Pan
Now that you have successfully removed the rust, if the raw cast iron is showing (you'll see a dull silver color) you must re-season your pan. Seasoning is a curing process through which the pores of the iron are sealed  with oil, which is why cast iron functions a bit like a non-stick pan. In order to season, you must coat the pan with a thin layer of oil and bake it in. I usually bake mine at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the pan (larger pans require more time).

3. Clean it properly
Once your cast iron is seasoned and you have cooked your meal, how do you properly clean it?
Rule # 1: DO NOT use soap. Soap breaks down oil, which will ruin your great job of seasoning.
Rule # 2: DO NOT soak your pan. Water and oil don't mix. Soaking for long periods can un-do seasoning. Simply wash your pan with warm water and a textured sponge and wipe with a dry towel. To ensure no rust will come to your treasured pan, a quick heated dry in the oven will do. 

For more tips on how to properly clean and care for your cast iron visit the experts at Lodge.

If you’re like me, you cooked nonstop over the holidays. And while I’m none the worse for wear and tear, my knives sure are, making now a great time to sharpen them.

Keep in mind that running your dull post-holiday blades along a honing steel might not do the trick at this point. (Also remember that some honing steels may permanently damage single-bevel Japanese-made knifes—read the manufacturer’s care instructions carefully.) To test sharpness, hold a piece of paper in one hand and draw the blade down through the top edge of the sheet. If the knife won’t slice the paper or tears it raggedly, run it along a honing steel a few times and try again. If it still won’t slice the paper cleanly and effortlessly, it requires sharpening.

At the edge of a knife blade are microscopic teeth. Over time, the teeth bend back, rendering the knife less effective. The honing steel straightens the teeth, which is fine for tune-ups, but what you need is to reform these fine teeth and renew the cutting edge with a full sharpening. If you don’t have a whetstone, look for a knife sharpening service in your area; sometimes butchers, fabric stores, and local markets may sharpen them as well for a few dollars per inch of blade.

Whether you do it yourself or have it done professionally, sharpening your knives after extensive—or intensive—use is critical maintenance that will save you headaches and possibly even a finger or two; knives too blunt to slice through butter always somehow manage to penetrate skin.