Investments

If you cook at least 3-4 nights a week, there are a few items for your kitchen that I suggest you invest in.  These three items are not necessarily things that you will use everyday, but when you need them, you will be glad they are there.  They can also get kind of expensive, so they make great gifts to ask for when birthdays and holidays come around!

A Good Knife

Everyone should have at least one really great knife.  I recommend choosing either a Santoku, or chef style knife because both are nice for chopping.  The better quality your knife is, the sharper it will be and the longer it will last.  A great knife will be designed in a way that does not allow food to stick to the blade when slicing.  Mine is a Santoku style Wüsthof and was a gift from my brother.  The Santoku is one of my favorite styles because it was designed for cutting sushi, so it is excellent for anything you need to slice super thin.  I use mine for things like slicing steaks for braciole, partially frozen beef for cheesesteaks, or anytime I need something with a perfectly clean cut. 

A Pizza Stone

A few years ago, my parents gave me a pizza stone as a Christmas gift and I absolutely love having it - it never leaves my oven.  If you are not familiar with this item, a pizza stone is a flat piece of stone or ceramic that is used for baking.  They are usually square or round, but come in many sizes and generally range in price from $20-$50 and up.  Like I said, I never take mine out of the oven as I use it fairly often and having it on the lowest rack of my oven also helps keep the heat evenly distributed along the bottom of the oven.  When I bake pizza, or bread I usually do so directly on the pizza stone for at least half of the cooking time, if not the entire time.  Baking directly on the pizza stone will create a delicious and evenly cooked quality in your food, and give it an amazing crispy texture that you will absolutely love!

A French or Dutch Oven

I am so happy I have one of these; if you don't know much about these ovens , they are essentially a heavy multi-purpose pot.  Dutch ovens are generally cheaper than the French version, but are equally useful.  Mine is a Le Creuset 3.5 quart French oven that was my grandfathers.  I most often use it for slow cooking things like roasts, ham balls, Italian beef, etc., and the reason I prefer this cast iron pot to the crock pot, is because I can use it on the stove to give the meat a nice quick sear before putting it straight into the oven on very low heat for the next few hours.  Depending on the size, type and brand, they typically cost anywhere from $50-$300 or more... as I suggested earlier, this is a good one to ask for as a gift and if you do much slow cooking, I promise you will get good use out of it!