L-R Microplane flat zester, Cuisinart zester, Microplane curved zester. Photo: The Skinny Chef

I'm a zesting queen and I've tried every gadget on the market. But kitchen space is tight in my small apartment so I've donated extras to friends and kids I'm teaching to cook and have narrowed it down to three essentials.

I use Microplanes the most and maintain that the flat zester, one of the cheapest, is an absolute must for any kitchen. Both that and the rounded model work equally well for grating whole spices like nutmeg and cinnamon sticks or for making fluffy mounds of shredded Parmesan cheese as soft as eyelashes.

Get more of Jennifer's zesting secrets after the jump.

Once you start cooking multiple dishes, space always becomes an issue. Unless you're lucky enough to have a gargantuan kitchen, there never seems to be enough counter space, appropriately sized burners, or room in the oven. Now at least, the latter is getting some solid help -- and it's not in the form of toaster ovens!

The Kitchn has blogged about a new gadget available at Sur La Table -- the $22 Multi-Tier Oven Rack that you see above. Of course, this is perfect for those Thanksgiving rushes when you have a million dishes that all need to be ready at the same time. As The Kitchn points out, it's also good for a space-saving cooling rack. But I'd argue that it's also good for a lot of everyday cooking issues.

Have you ever opted not to make a side because you didn't have space in the oven beyond the main dish? Have you ever had just a few extra cookies that couldn't make the first batch? Have you ever fussed with heating a few different appetizers at the same time? As long as cooking temperatures don't stop you, this rack looks like it's ideal for making the most of your cooking time. And for a collapsable rack that's only $22? That's not bad at all.

Last summer, a reader took the opportunity to excoriate me for my perceived show-offery when a sorbet recipe I posted mentioned the use of an ice cream maker. Well, for one, a goodly percentage of ice cream, sherbet and sorbet recipes conclude with the mandate to "freeze according to ice cream maker's directions" and for another, it was a goshdarned wedding gift!

Perhaps some small accord could be struck, or perhaps even kicked with the use of the UCO Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker. Ice and rock salt are added to one chamber and edible ingredients to another. The whole unit is then hand-tightened together and the merrymaking/ice cream churning commences. The ball can be tossed, shaken, passed and generally frolicked about with, then opened and stirred, resealed and agitated again until the mixture reaches a pleasing consistency, and co-churners have worn out all "Have a ball!" related puns.

Still, should the $16.50 expenditure (via Amazon) still seem a tad schmancy, I included a coffee can agitation method in a post on Soul-Saving Sweet Tea Sherbet a while back.

UCO's Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker

Speaking of Dean & Deluca...lately I've been on a bit of a kitchen spending spree. Not only have I been going to the regular grocery store to buy basic things like eggs and milk to force myself to cook and eat at home, but I have been shopping for gourmet food stuff as well as kitchen utensils, gadgets, and equipment.

For the most part I have been loyal to...no one! Because I do a lot of the shopping online, I skip from Crate and Barrel for ice cream bowls to Dean & Deluca for pretty little things like spice tins to Williams-Sonoma for a pepper mill. I even found myself hoarding all those 20% and $5 off coupons to Bed, Bath and Beyond and getting Brita filters there. In other words, I have no favorite.

However, I know that many people do. At the very least, people have favorites for certain types of things, and might include small local stores. Where are your favorite places to shop?

Ah, memories of peeling potatoes.

Two memories come to mind: the endless hours of peeling and chopping potatoes at my job at a breakfast/lunch place. I must have cut 10 tons of potatoes over those years. The other memory is my mother peeling potatoes on holidays. She would pull the peeler towards her, instead of away like you're supposed to, but she never cut herself.

I thought of those times when looking at this: Tater Mitts (audio/video will start when you click). They're glove with a rough edge that peel potatoes easily. You just rub the potatoes with your gloves under running water and it takes the skin off. Extra bonus: your hands will look like an alien from Star Trek.

When I separate eggs, I do it manually in a way what most people would say is slightly risky - I crack the egg into two halves over a bowl, and pass the yolk back and forth while letting the whites drip into the bowl. The better way to do it manually, of course, is to sanitize your hands, crack the whole egg into a bowl, and lift the yolk out with your hand. To me, that's a little too messy.

I guess you could use -- uh -- technology, and give this ceramic egg separator a try. You crack the egg into the head, tilt to 45 degrees, and let the whites slip out of his nose. For some reason, if I used this thing, I don't think I'd ever eat an egg white omelet again.

The Egg Separator is $6.95 at LTD Commodities.

So you dreamt about what you'd like to see in the kitchen of the future, right? Well, if it included being able to tell a machine to cook something without having to get up from in front of the tv, you don't have to wait for the future. You can do it now! I said now!

Daewoo's new microwave oven can hear me loud and clear. The countertop microwave oven has a brushed aluminum finish, and though it has a full keypad, it doesn't need it because this baby is voice-activated. It stores 40 commands and responds to anyone who speaks to it. Not only is it voice-activated, but it also has the ability to automatically determine the cooking time with 95% accuracy. Just hope that it's not popcorn in there the other 5% of the time (unless you're like me, who kind of likes the smell of burnt popcorn).

If you haven't already seen your local market transform into a haunted castle and pumpkins falling all over themselves in giant displays, well, you must not be living in the US. Halloween is upon us, and technically, it's still September.

Nonetheless, I fell in love with these adorable pumpkin-shaped cakes, which are turned out of a mini pumpkin pan from Williams-Sonoma, and had a burning desire to bake pumpkin bread this instant. Whatever cake or bread batter you put in there comes out looking like the top (or bottom) half of a pumpkin. You can decorate and serve just the halves, or put two together to make a whole pumpkin.

However, I did realize, of course, that if you were to buy this pan just to make mini pumpkins, that would be a waste of $32. Why not get the mini brownie bundt pan instead and use it every season? They are the exact same product.

Oh, those tricky product marketers at Williams-Sonoma! They almost had us!

You probably don't think much about what you use to peel your vegetables, but the Seattle Times puts vegetable peelers to the test, taking into account the lumps and bumps of different vegetabless surfaces. The recipes are for fruits and vegetables that will put your peeler to use: Fall Galette, Winter Mash, Seedy Potatoes, and Roasted Carrots with Citrus.

We've already mentioned that resaurants are pulling spinach from their menus, but the Times also answers some questions from readers about E.coli and other leafy greens.

With Rosh Hashana starting at sundown on Friday, the staff digs into their archives and offers a recipe for a honey confection caled Teyglakh.

In drinks, the Wine Adviser could rattle off names of Washington Wineries for Merlot, but the one that sets the standard is Abeja Winery. Fremont Oktoberfest kicks off this weekend, offering over 70 microbrews on tap.

Obviously, we have the refrigerator to keep our foods nicely stored at a chilly 42 degrees or so. However, if you're a grazer like me, you might be opening that refrigerator every hour throughout the day just to grab a nectarine.

Industrial designer Klara Zavadilova has Coool, a food cover which keep fruits and pastry fresh, protected, and easily accessible during the day. The base plate contains a mild cooling system that sets the temperature inside the domed cover from a control. According to the product description, "The cooling system is CFC-free and free from polluting cooling liquids. An additional ventilator inside the cooling chamber ensures that the cold is distributed optimally inside the cover."

[via: Yanko Design]

In a tiny apartment kitchen, space is almost as valuable as the ingredients and cooking tool themselves. A good way to save space is by investing in contraptions that fold or collapse for easy storage.

This folding colander isn't a novel idea, as we've seen collapsible kitchenware in the form of measuring cups and funnels before. The one pictured is from Sbarro. Yes, that Sbarro, the one that peddles stale-by-heat-lamp pizza to you in mall food courts. Rather than a round colander that collapses like an accordion, this one opens and closes like a book. It costs $14.95, but I found another source that sells what looks to be the exact same thing for half the price.

Or rather, sing to your supper?

David Gu has designed the Cooking Audio Player, which is sort of misnomer since it doesn't cook anything, but is a storage container for garlic, onions, lemons, ginger, etc. However, it is audio, since it plays digital music that is streamed from any PC, home media centers, and portable media players set up with wireless transmission technology. It may seem somewhat frivolous, but let us turn to our hero and mentor Alton Brown, who pooh-poohs kitchen unitaskers. Storage and music? That's definitely a multi-tasker in my book.

[via: BornRich]

Hey, we don't doubt that you are the consummate host or hostess at your party - greeting guests at the door with a cocktail, cooking, serving, clearing plates, chatting, and all done with utter grace. However, there might be times when you want to kick back for one second (just one, mind you), and let someone else do the work. Or some thing, that is.

These Rolling Serving Dishes from Fines' Makers (out of Israel) might help for that one second you have to retreat to the powder room. Sure, they don't serve themselves, but they sure will keep your guests entertained as they "take on and pass ti on." Besides, they're so adorably sleek and chic.

Full Belly doesn't ask the all important question regarding this kitchen gadget - WHY? Why on earth would anyone want to make hard boiled eggs square? Or at least 'edged' as results as displayed via this flickr set do not seem that successful.

It is a Chinese invention by the look of the packet but Full Belly has tracked down an online stockist. The Gadget Source has it listed for for $2.99.

With quite a few food blogging events coming up that focus on cold things (sweets in particular), an ice cream maker is a great thing to have in the kitchen. (Unless, of course, you want to do a rainbow jell-o mold). However, if you've got more than one person in your household, or heck, your tastebuds have a double-personality, you might need to do more than just one flavor. Enter, the double ice cream maker.

The Koolatron Double Ice Cream Maker makes two flavors at once in your freezer. It's available from Targat, and you'd think that a double ice cream maker would cost twice as much, but this one is only $16.99. Target also has a model made by a different manufacturer, the DuoTreat Ice Cream Maker, which is a few dollars more at $19.99.

Two great tastes that taste great together!