Kitchen Tools Food Bloggers Love
Find out how Dennis the Prescott achieves those gorgeous pizza and burger shots
When it comes to creating dishes that look just as good as they taste, few do it better than our favorite food bloggers. And although we aren't all capable of achieving that perfectly Instagrammable hummus swoop or pasta twirl in our own kitchens, there are a few ways we can all get closer to cooking like a food blogger. So, we went straight to the source to discover their secrets.
We asked a few of our favorite food photographers, Instagrammers, authors and writers to share the one cooking or baking tool they absolutely can't live without. From slicing and chopping to grating and scraping, these useful kitchen essentials can do wonders in every home cook's kitchen, whether you're in it for the photo or not. And if the beautiful dishes these bloggers share on Instagram every day are any indication, each and every tool is worth the investment.
① Camille Styles
Author, blogger and Instagrammer at Camille Styles
"I don't know how I lived before I got my handheld mandoline. I use it for slicing tons of veggies for salads, whipping out zucchini ribbons and making quick work of potatoes au gratin. I'm a fan of this simple, inexpensive model without any fancy bells and whistles—it really gets the job done!"
② Dara Pollak
Writer, blogger and Instagrammer at The Skinny Pig
"I'm thinking the one tool I can't live without is my Microplane. For zest, Parmesan cheese and even garlic. Grating garlic on a Microplane makes it into a paste, which is so much easier than mashing it with coarse salt and a knife!"
③ Dennis Prescott
Food photographer, cook, author and blogger at Dennis the Prescott
"I'm in love with my Baking Steel and use it almost every day. From pizza to bread, fried eggs and burgers, it's an essential part of my cooking and kitchen. It's a crust ninja: perfect crispy factor every single time."
④ Kevin Masse
Food photographer, cook and director of brand partnerships at feedfeed
"I would say my favorite kitchen tool is my Miyabi eight-inch birchwood chef's knife. The balance is perfect, and the razor-sharp Damascus blade makes working with it a breeze. Plus, it just looks super sexy when using it."
⑤ Jonathan Grahm
Owner, chocolatier and Instagrammer at Compartés Chocolatier
"My handheld chocolate scraper is the kitchen tool I couldn't live without. Using only this tool, we make every single bar by hand. We pour huge chunks of ingredients, like freshly made doughnuts and homemade brownies and Rice Krispies Treats, into the chocolate, and then using this tool, we scoop it into our molds and carefully scrape and craft each one. Most companies use big machines that pump the chocolates into molds, and everything is very mechanized. But at Compartés, everything is done by hand and almost all of it with the scraper! So, this is the perfect tool for all of the DIY bakers and chocolate makers out there."