I've been a fan of David Lebovitz ever since I was a college student in Paris, where I studiously ate my way throughall the bakeries and restaurants he blogged about. (I tried a new pastry almost daily and gained 10 pounds. It was bliss.)
After prancing around France for a year, I returned to the States and resumed a diet minimal in cheese and butter. But I still live vicariously through Lebovitz'sInstagram, blog, and—most recently—L'Appart,his latest memoir of being an expat in Paris. The next step in living vicariously through him? Finding out what he can't live without, which is why we asked Lebovitz to write up this list of all things he must—must!—have in the kitchen.
1. Oxo Scale
"I've been through a lot of kitchen scales and this is the only one that never went wonky on me when I was in the midst of a baking project. One especially great feature is the lighted display, which I use when I'm doing early morning baking and don't want to wake up anyone else. Until, that is, I've got a platter of freshly baked morning pastries to greet them with."
Buy it:OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale, $50 on Amazon
2. Victorinox Bread Knife
"This was the bread knife that lasted me decades when I worked in professional kitchens. When I started my life as a cook, the chef told me that I'd need to get three knives: A chef's knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife. This was one of the cheapest out there (I think I paid $16 for it way back when) but it's still a great knife, even if we've both aged a little (and I'd like to think for the better) since then."
Buy it:Victorinox Bread Knife, $43 on Amazon
3. Breville Espresso Machine
"I need coffee. I stopped drinking it all day long like I used to because I now feel the effects throughout the night. Still, after lunch, when I need a little boost for the afternoon, I do a short shot of espresso. I've been through a few different machines but the Breville (which is marketed under a different name in France) has become my favorite machine for a caffeine-fueled fix."
Buy it:Breville Infuser Espresso Machine, $495 on Amazon
4. KitchenAid Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer
"I tried living without a stand mixer when I first moved to Paris, not wanting to give up one-third of my then-miniscule kitchen counter space to an appliance. Turns out that I couldn't do without and succumbed. Now that I have a bigger kitchen, I have a couple of mixers (as back-ups) but the one I use most is the KitchenAid 5-quart model. I never got used to the tilt-head models—I like the ones with the up-and-down motion, something I used when baking professionally. My mixer is now 15 years old, and it's still going strong."
Buy it:KitchenAid Professional 500 Series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, $379 on Amazon
5. Professional Whisk
"My whisks really take a beating in my kitchen. So after a few, um, incidents, I insist on professional quality ones. I like the Matfer professional models and have them in various sizes."
Buy it:Mafter Professional Whisk, $20 at Meilleur du Chef
6. Mortar & Pestle
"When I moved to France, my dream was to own one of those generous marble mortars and pestles, which cost a fortune at antique stores… that is, if you can find one. After searching for a while, I settled on a Thai granite model, which I lugged home from Chinatown on the Métro. And while I eventually found a beautiful marble specimen at a flea market, which I bargained hard for—and won!—I still use my Thai model for grinding spices, pounding out a batch of tapenade, breaking down black peppercorns to perfect size granules (especially useful if I'm doing a lot of holiday cooking), or treating French guests to abatch of guacamole, which they pronounce in France without the final 'e.'"
(At some point, I should probably add atortilla pressto mybatterie de cuisine, since the tortilla factory near me in Paris recently closed their doors and the owners went back to Mexico, leaving me, and the rest of Paris, sans tortillas.)
Buy it:Thai Granite Mortar and Pestle, $47 on Amazon
7. Kitchen Timer
"The CDN Extra Big digit timer does what a timer is supposed to do: lets you know when something is done, which is exactly what I want. It has three buttons—minutes, seconds, and start/stop—so you don't need to pull out the instruction manual to figure out how to set it for 12 minutes."
Buy it:CDN Extra Big Digit Timer, $12 on Amazon
8. Glass-bottom Springform Pan
"I'm not a super OCD baker, and I don't mind crumbs and crumbles here and there, but I do insist on unbroken slices of tarts, tortes, and cheesecakes. If you've ever tried to coax a cake off the bottom of the springform pan and ended up in tears when you've torn your cheesecake in half, a glass-bottom springform that you can serve right off of ensures that your guests will get a nice piece of cake, and you won't have a breakdown while serving it."
Buy it:9" Glass Bottom and Non-Stick Springform Pan, $35 on Amazon
