Favorite Kitchen Tool

(Photo courtesy of Amazon.com)

If someone were to ask me, or any member of my immediate family, for that matter, what my favorite kitchen tool was, I would immediately respond with, "tongs." As my parents gave me more and more freedom in the kitchen and indulged my desires to prepare the family dinner every once in a while, I would always find a way to use our tongs -- which were nothing like the OXO tongs pictured above -- during the preparation of the meal. Most of the time I cooked dinner for the family, I made breaded chicken breasts, either marinated in Italian dressing or orange juice, so the tongs came in quite handy for turning the chicken during cooking.

Of course, if you were to ask any member of my immediate family what my favorite kitchen tool was, they'd not only tell you "tongs," but they'd also go on to tell you the story of how I managed to use them while making Jell-O. This is a favorite family story and gets told at least once a year, usually around the holidays. In my own defense, I had attempted to make Jell-O Jigglers, and I couldn't get them off the tray no matter how hard I pressed into the Jell-O with our cookie cutters, and I thought the tongs would help. They didn't. Many years after the Jell-O incident, I was surprised with a lovely pair of OXO Good Grip 9" tongs in my Christmas stocking (thanks, Santa!), and, to this day, those tongs are one of my most cherished items in the kitchen.

So, what's your favorite kitchen tool or gadget? Is there a story behind your choice? I'd love to hear your answers!

Happy Monday!