Making meals is a little like making magic. You toss some ingredients together and voila ... they change into muffins or a mixed vegetable medley! Some days you may wish your magic wand was speedier—that it didn't take quite so long to clean, peel, chop and mix fresh vegetables for a salad, or measure, mix, beat, blend and cook a casserole.

In search of faster kitchen magic, several Internet discussion groups of dietitians, home economists, chefs and other food professionals were asked their favorite time-saving kitchen tools. The response was overwhelming! On the University of Nebraska Home Extension site we found 30+ tools to quicken your kitchen performance. Here’s the first 10 (the rest to follow in future Cook’n issues.)

Tool 1: Garlic Peeler
The type mentioned most frequently is a rubber tube you place the garlic in, roll it a couple of times and the skin comes off. An added benefit: No more garlic smell on your hands!


Tool 2: Anything Dishwasher Safe
Check for the magic time-saving words "dishwasher safe" before purchasing any item! Don't buy anything you have to wash by hand until you check to see if there's a comparable dishwasher-safe item from another company. Using the dishwasher saves time and helps assure kitchen items are thoroughly and safely cleaned. Plus, sticking your utensils in the dishwasher gets them out of sight immediately!

Tool 3: Flexible Plastic Cutting Board
Flexible plastic cutting boards are favorites with several people. After cutting vegetables, fruits or herbs, you can lift them up and pour the contents into whatever bowl or pan you're using. They're also dishwasher safe!


Tool 4: Own More Than One Cutting Board
Avoid cross-contamination when cutting different types of foods for the same meal by owning several cutting boards. This is especially important if you're cutting raw meats, poultry or seafood and then need to cut ready-to-eat foods. With more than one cutting board you can avoid spending extra time washing your board before cutting the next item.

Plastic or other non-porous cutting boards are easier to safely clean as they can be run through the dishwasher.

Tool 5: Pump-Spray or Mist-Spray Bottle for Oil
Fill this nonaerosol sprayer with your favorite oil and use for flavoring vegetables, coating pans and grills or spraying directly on bread. NOTE: Buy a container specifically advertised for use with oil.

Tool 6: A Good Quality, Sharp Chef's Knife
This tool is a must in many cooks' kitchens. Use a chef's knife to quickly chop, cut, slice, dice and mince fresh produce. You can do some procedures faster with a chef's knife than with your food processor. It's important to keep your knife sharp. Check what type of sharpening procedure or device the manufacturer of your knives recommends.

Tool 7: Food Processor and Blender
A food processor can make quick work of slicing, dicing, shredding, grating and chopping -- especially for large quantities of food. For smaller quantities, hand-held kitchen tools such as a chef's knife or a grater sometimes are faster.

A blender makes quick work of pureeing ingredients, such as for soups, and is terrific for making smoothies! Buy a heavy-duty blender if you want to crush ice. Some people like an immersion blender for pureeing soups in the pot or frothing hot chocolate.

Tool 8: Lots of Colanders
If you tend to wash and/or drain a lot of foods for meals, an extra colander or two may save you time and help prevent cross-contamination.

Tool 9: Kitchen Shears
Sturdy, sharp kitchen shears can perform many tasks, from cutting herbs, bacon and pizza to trimming dough to deboning chicken and cutting poultry joints. Many are labeled dishwasher safe and will separate for more thorough cleaning. As with any sharp item, use caution. If you wash shears in your dishwasher, place them in a location where they won't bump against other items or cut someone on removal.

Tool 10: Apple Corer/Wedger
Use this tool to quickly core and separate apples and pears into wedges. You also can buy just an apple corer.

And here’s a recipe using fresh apples cut by your wonderful apple corer/wedger!


Apple-Beet Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
3 medium beets, steamed, peeled, and julienned
1 small lemon
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
2 apples, cut into wedges
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 head romaine or leaf lettuce
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Salt and pepper

Drizzle vinegar over cooked beets; refrigerate overnight. Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, and dill in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside. Squeeze lemon juice over apple slices. Place greens on platter. Arrange apple slices and julienned beets over the greens; top with toasted walnuts. Drizzle salad with dressing and serve. Serves 4.