Whether you love cooking, or view it as a chore, we’ve got some kitchen gear every tomato should have in her kitchen. Check out this kitchen gear roundup with products that will take the “chore” out cooking.

Joseph Joseph Colander Scoop Strainer/Colander/Slotted Spoon

Real Simple magazine raves about this slotted spoon, and no wonder – you scoop and drain right from a hot pan.  Perfect for straining and serving vegetables, pasta, and fried or roasted foods.  Amazon. $7.99.

The Joys of a Mandolin

If don’t have a mandolin, or it’s been stuck in the back of your pantry for years, now is the time to bring it on out.  Seriously, it will save so much prep time, and its fun.  You can slice zucchini ribbons and shred Brussel sprouts with ease.   Good Housekeeping recommends the Zyliss Easy Slice 2 Folding Mandoline.  Yep it folds up easily so it doesn’t take up much room. Amazon. $49.99.

OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner

Nothing is worse than soggy salad, which is why every kitchen needs a salad spinner, but they’re not all created equally.  Epicurious and Good Housekeeping both give high marks to the Oxo.  Amazon. $30.

OXO Food Scale

Whether you’re counting calories, or like precise measurements for your recipes, a food scale is a great device.  Cooks Illustrated (one of our favorite magazines btw) gives top ratings to the OXO Food Scale. They say it is exceptionally intuitive, with a super-clear display, and the tray can be pulled out and is washable.  Amazon. $49.95.

Immersion Blender

If you don’t have this handy kitchen gadget that makes it does easy to blend and whip you don’t know what you’ve been missing.  Cooks Illustrated recommends the Kitchen Aid. Amazon. $35.99

Slow Cookers

You may well have owned a cooker in the ‘70s when they were all the range and sold it like we did at a garage sale years ago. Well they’re back, and much more sophisticated these days.  They are a great convenience –  throw everything in a pot in the morning and viola! dinner at night. And they also make tough meats tender and there are tons of recipes.  Here are two favorites from the Tasting Table.   The Cuisinart 7- quart is at the high end of the spectrum and truly is state of the art.  It’s on sale at Amazon for $290 (reg. $400.)  But they also gave high marks to the Hamilton Beach 6-quart slow cooker – Amazon $60.

Now that you’ve got your kitchen gear, check out these recipes from our partners.