Favorite Cooking Gadget / Tool

Mouli Julienne

I will confess to having a lot of cooking tools and gadgets. I’m not talking about the basics all kitchens need like good knives and pots and pans. I am talking about an assortment of tools for very specific tasks. While I have not succumbed to buying the banana slicer yet I do have a few of the “as seen on TV” items. Some were worth the money but most end up in a cabinet somewhere almost never used or slated for donation or garage sale status. Still, there are some gadgets I could not be without. Pictured is one of them. It’s a clever device called a Mouli Julienne. Originally from France they are no longer made. My mother had one – hers was metal. By the time I was in the market for one they were made of plastic. Before food processors were around this simple device, with an assortment of different blades, made it easy to shred and grate all sorts of foods. I love it when I have a lot of hard cheeses to grate. Great for shredding veggies, too.

Why do I still use it? I have several food processors. Certainly easier to use one of them. Maybe it’s out of habit or a certain sentiment because I remember using one as a kid. But I think because, as with any good tool, it is a pleasure to use. It may have gone by the wayside and fallen victim to newer and better devices but for me it is a good tool. Simple and easy to use and I am saddened that they aren’t made anymore.  Maybe I am a dinosaur- I still prefer a non-electric can opener, too.

So what tools are your favorites? What gadget could you not be without?