I love kitchen equipment. Having the proper, handy tool to get the job done makes cooking a breeze.

These are a few of my favorites:

Mortar and Pestle

I use this to grind and mix spices for curries, to get salt to the required consistency, really for anything that's dry and needs grinding up. It is so much more satisfying than chucking it into the Magi-mix. Baba Yaga, the witch in Russian folklore, travels in a mortar and pestle.

Image from Google

The Cheese Mill

No more bits of scraped knuckle with the parmesan cheese! You can use it right or left-handed. Imp 1 and FOTI get confused when they pick up the cheese mill after our southpaw Imp 2 has used it, the handle is on the "wrong side" and must be switched around. Aside from this minor limitation, it is a great little item. Never, ever buy pre-grated parm. It is a culinary cardinal sin.

Meat Tenderizer

There is a primitive joy to whacking the hell out of a chicken breast or slab of meat with this thing. Also good as a weapon to keep under your pillow in case of burglars.

Tonight's menu:

Pasta aglio e olio (Cheese Mill)

Chicken Marsala (Meat Tenderizer)

Fresh fruit for dessert

I'm not using the mortar and pestle for anything today. Maybe to fly around in tonight...although to be fair, the cheese mill gives better mileage and  has sportier steering.

Below is the recipe I use for the Chicken Marsala. It is from About.Com

http://southernfood.about.com/od/chickenbreastrecipes/r/bl21220e.htm

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves without skin

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 cup Marsala wine

Preparation:

Pound chicken to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and basil; mix well. Heat oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour mixture. Cook chicken until lightly browned on first side, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn chicken and add mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 minutes longer, until lightly browned; stir the mushrooms. Add Marsala wine to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve this easy chicken with hot cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.