Lusting

For melting chocolate or making hollandaise sauce, you won't find a better pan than this classic French double boiler. The tin-lined copper pan quickly brings water to a gentle simmer beneath the heavy porcelain insert, which maintains its contents at a steady, low temperature. Williams Sonoma $280 CAD.

Invented over 60 years ago by a German chemist, this handblown glass coffeemaker is a triumph of form and function. Its classic design has earned it a place in the collections of numerous contemporary museums, such as New York City’s MOMA. Williams Sonoma $105 CAD. Set of 100 Coffee filters $12 CAD.

This stainless steel roasting pan has integrated handles for easy lifting and moving of heavy roasts and turkeys. A removable, perfect-fitting rack provides even heating and keeps food away from fat and grease. Set of 3: roasting pan, rack, and spatula. Golda's Kitchen $63 CAD.

Homemade pasta is easy to make with this old-fashioned machine—the same kind used in home kitchens throughout Italy. Roll the dough into flat sheets for lasagna or ravioli. Williams Sonoma $70 CAD. Ravioli attachment: $65 CAD. Spaghetti attchment: $45 CAD.

This kitchen scale as eye-catching as it is accurate -- the white dial has easy-to-read black numbers that display weight in pounds, ounces, grams, and kilograms. Although its light weight allows for easy storage, I would want to keep it on display. Martha Stewart Catalogue $39. USD. Available in Canada through Caban.

This cookie press makes cookies in 10 different shapes and its pump-action design allows you to press dozens of cookies quickly and comfortably. An easy push down on the handle dispenses perfectly-shaped cookies without straining your hands. Golda's Kitchen $40.75 CAD.

Use this French-made pan for baking savory or sweet tarts. Constructed of tin-lined steel, the pan conducts heat evenly, producing perfectly browned pastry. The removable bottom ensures easy release of a delicate pastry shell. 13 3/4" x 4 1/4" x 1" high. Set of two. From Williams-Sonoma $24 USD.

The Mauviel Copper Beating Bowl - this unlined copper 5 quart bowl from France is ideal for whipping egg whites because the copper reacts with the whites, making them more stable. The bowl has a rounded bottom that helps you mix the contents thoroughly plus a brass handle for gripping or hanging. The chromed-iron stand is handcrafted in France. Williams-Sonoma Bowl: $115 CAD, Stand: $65 CAD.

Originally developed as a rasp for shaving wood, the Microplane zester is the best tool available for zesting citrus fruit with minimal effort. It also grates Parmesan, fresh nutmeg, garlic and ginger easily. May be hand held or set across the top of a bowl.
Unlike most, in which the cutting edges are formed by punching holes in metal, the Microplane zester's tiny razor-like edges are formed through a process of photo-etching (holes are dissolved with a chemical), leaving edges that finely slice instead of tearing or shredding. Approx. $20 - $30 CAD. [GOLDA'S KITCHEN and others]

This heavy cast round French Oven is the ideal vessel for braising meats and vegetables or cooking them in a long-simmering stew. The tight fitting lid provides a blanket of heat which gently and evenly cooks food, sealing in moisture and flavour, whether on the stove top or in the oven. 11" Diameter, 7 quart capacity. Colour: Cherry Red. Golda's Kitchen $284 CAD.

This powerful food processor has both an 11-cup work bowl for processing large quantities, and a mini bowl for smaller jobs. The mini bowl fits into the large work bowl annd is perfect for finely chopping herbs, nuts and onions, mincing garlic and making breadcrumbs. Golda's Kitchen. $300 CAD