I am enjoying reading 32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line, by Chef Eric Ripert. Chef Ripert is a celebrated French chef who is co-owner of Le Bernardin restaurant in New York City. A heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking memoir that takes us from Ripert’s childhood in the south of France to his experiences in the legendary Parisian chefs Joël Robuchon and Dominique Bouchet’s kitchens and eventually to his arrival in the United States at the tender age of twenty-four.
While reading this fascinating book, I wondered if, like me and hundreds of other home cooks, would a renouned chef such as Ripert have a favorite kitchen gadget. And sure enough, he does! A simply box grater. According to thekitchn.com:
This tool might not get top billing in most kitchens, as fancier appliances, like food processors, have grating attachments. But a simple box grater is easy to use, and much simpler to clean. And, they’re a favorite of Eric Ripert, the chef and co-owner at Le Bernardin and author of the new cookbook Vegetable Simple: “I like box graters because they have different applications and are very versatile. I rely on the box grater to easily pull together flavorful and vibrant dishes like a grated carrot salad and coleslaw with apple. Box graters are also very key when it comes to texture. For example, when I make zucchini pancakes, the grater helps incorporate the zucchini into the batter while ensuring the mixture remains light.”
Just so happens that one of my favorite kitchen gadgets is a box grater too. I especially like the graters with changeable blades and the mandoline slicer attachment to make super thin slices (apples for apple tarts, potatoes for scalloped potatoes or potato chips, cabbage for cole slaw) is my favorite. You can purchase a Progressive Grater on Amazon.
Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget? I’d love to hear about it.
Cheers! Becky
