Every year I host a traditional Slovak feast, and there’s one dish that requires a lot of grated potato. A lot. I used to find it crippling—until I discovered the Microplane, that is. It makes grating a dream, and it’s quickly become the top tool in my kitchen—not just for potatoes, but for grating ginger, garlic, citrus rind, cheese, chocolate (and I’m sure a lot of other things I’m forgetting right now). (It turns out it was a Canadian woman who’s credited for bringing the traditional woodworking tool into the kitchen—she grabbed her husband’s Microplane to grate an orange, and the rest is history.) They’ve just launched a new Elite Zester that will soon be in my baking rotation: it includes a transparent cover that doubles as a measurement tool for when I’m zesting limes and oranges for my favourite cream-cheese icing recipe. And nothing says spring (it’s coming, right?) like confetti-coloured icing atop a coconut cake.
Elite Zester, $19.95, available in Vancouver and Calgary at London Drugs, londondrugs.com
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