December 2005

Café Mozu pastry chef James Satterwhite says Flexipan muffin and cake molds ($79.70 from jbprince.com) have "revolutionized pastry."

IndeBleu's Vikram Garg uses a granite mortar and pestle ($24.95 at Sur la Table in DC and Virginia; surlatable.com) to grind spices.

Janis McLean, executive chef at Red Dog Cafe, likes double-sided silicon spatulas ($7.95 at Sur la Table)--good for getting into mustard jars and mixing bowls alike. And she swears by Victorinox serrated paring knives ($4.99 at amazon.com).

Jamie Leeds of Hank's Oyster Bar loves her KitchenAid immersion blender ($49.99 at Target; six area stores; target.com) for fast soups and sauces.