Equipment

Open your kitchen's gadget drawer and rummage around for the vegetable peeler. Odds are, you've had the same metal swivel-bladed little number ever since - well, it's been so long, you can't remember. It's flimsy and dull, and every time you tackle a mountain of spuds for mashed potatoes or potato salad, you end up nursing a sore finger and a grudge.

Time for an upgrade.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A VEGETABLE PEELER

You'll be stunned at the assortment peelers you'll find in a kitchenware shop or online. Don't panic or over-think. The first choice - are you a vertical swivel-bladed peeler sort of person or a Y-shaped "harp-style" sort of person - really isn't that big a deal. It all depends on what you are used to! In general, if you are going to use a peeler mainly for big round things like potatoes or apples, then you will find a Y-blade, the hands-down favorite of professional chefs, more efficient. If you peel lots of carrots or asparagus, then a narrower, swivel-bladed peeler might make more sense. What the heck, get both. In terms of expense, a peeler is one of a cook's most inexpensive indispensables.

SWIVEL PEELERS

The OXO Good Grips i-Series Swivel Peeler ($11.99 at amazon.com) is big and clunky-looking, but, like its less-expensive older cousin, the Good Grips Swivel Peeler (around $8 at amazon.com), its sharp-but-not-scary blade hits a vegetable at the perfect angle, removing just the skin without taking any flesh with it. No matter which model you choose, OXO's reliably comfy, grippy handle is a boon to paws large and small. The Rosle Swivel Peeler (about $25 from amazon.com) is the Rolls Royce of this category. Beautifully crafted from satin-finish stainless steel, it comes in universal, left-handed, or right-handed versions. Be aware that the European style is to peel toward yourself, which makes flicking out potato eyes fast and fluid. It sounds counter-intuitive, I know, but if you peel away from yourself, righties will want a left-handed peeler and southpaws will want the opposite.

Y-SHAPED PEELERS

As far as Y-shaped peelers go, there are a number of smart choices out there. You could buy OXO's i-Series model (available from amazon.com) , but at about $11it's expensive when compared to the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler (about $3.50 from amazon.com; available in various colors). Made of cheery colored plastic, the Kuhn Ricon is small, weighs about as much as it costs (which is next to nothing), and it enables you to peel anything, even a butternut squash, with dexterity and speed. Built along the same lines is the Swissmar Swiss Trio ($15 at Williams-Sonoma), a non-gimmicky three-pack of peelers that includes a basic one for hard fruits and vegetables (it also makes thin, delicate curls of Parmigiano-Reggiano); another comes with a julienne blade that creates very thin matchsticks when used on carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini; and the third has a serrated blade for softer items like tomatoes and mangoes. If you find a mandoline or other handheld slicer too lethal, too pricey, or too bulky for a miniscule workspace, then the Swissmar Trio is just the thing for you: Less volume, but more control. And last but not least in the lotsa-bang-for-the-buck division is the ergonomic red-and-black FirmGrip "Y" Peeler by Tablecraft ($3.98 at cooking.com).

One last note: All of the models discussed above have a cunning little tip to dig out the potato eyes. They all have stainless-steel, rather than ceramic, blades. Ceramic-bladed peelers have their fans, but the blade seems to easily get stuck in the flesh of hard vegetables. Stainless is way more more painless.

The knife department at any good kitchenware store has its own fierce, gleaming beauty. You might find it a bit overwhelming, but, in the end, selecting the right knife is one of the easiest choices you'll ever have to make. It's so personal, in fact, you could argue that a knife, like a puppy at the pound, chooses you, instead of the other way around. You'll have that same moment of recognition, and, in both cases, will go home with something that will change your life.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CHEF'S KNIFE

My first piece of advice? Don't let a salesperson coax you into buying a set of knives. Odds are you'll never use half of them, and you may find you prefer different brands for different kitchen jobs. For now, let's keep things simple and take a look at eight-inch chef's knives. If you can only afford one good knife, this is the size you want; it can handle a great variety of slicing and chopping tasks. Two things to keep in mind are how comfortable the handle is (imagine what it will feel like when your hands are greasy) and how deep the belly (the widest part of the blade) is. On some knives it's relatively narrow, and you'll rap your knuckles while chopping.

EUROPEAN-STYLE HIGH-CARBON STAINLESS STEEL KNIVES

Lots of people love the heft and balance of a European high-carbon stainless-steel eight-inch knife. The blade, which seems to do all the work for you, imparts the confidence to tackle a hard, dense butternut squash as well as garden-variety soup-pot vegetables. Two power players are Wüsthof ($99 at amazon.com) and Victorinox's Forged Chef's Knife ($99.99 at swissknifeshop.com) The eight-inch "Twin Cuisine" knife by Henckels ($129.95 at cooking.com) is heavier than the Wüsthof or the Vixtorinox, but larger hands tend to find the grip extremely comfortable. The American-made knife in this category is from Anolon's"Advanced Collection," and at around $50 (available from amazon.com), it's a terrific value.

JAPANESE-STYLE "SUPERSTEEL" KNIVES

Most American home cooks saw their first Japanese knives on the Food Network. Made of harder stainless "supersteel,"-the result of a centuries-old process used for samurai blades-the knives are lighter, thinner, sharper and more precise; their reduced surface drag allows them to cut through food with very little effort. The Global eight-inch chef's knife (around $99; available from amazon.com), with its characteristic dimpled handle, is readily available and deserves its popularity: It cuts through meat, fish and vegetables (even slippery-skinned tomatoes) with ease. The Kershaw Shun ($119.95 at amazon.com) has a superbly balanced handle that allows you to chop, slice and dice with the speed and agility of-well, a samurai warrior. The heavier Australian-made Furi "FX" (about $92 at amazon.com) is Japanese in style, although it's made with German high-carbon stainless steel.

PROPER CARE AND HANDLING OF CHEF'S KNIVES

No matter what knife you choose, store it safely in a wood block or tray or on a magnetic knife rack, and never put it in the dishwasher; a sharp knife can nick the plastic-coated wire racks or, worse, whoever is emptying the dishwasher, and the force of the water can dull the blade by pushing it against other utensils. When it comes time to sharpen your knife, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

More from KitchenDaily: Knives 101 with The Culinary Institute of America

The word "brisket" conjures ultratender meat bathed in a rich, brothy sauce that miraculously made itself. For many, its flavor, texture and aroma are deeply intertwined with the observance of Passover; for others, it's simply an easy, economical meal that banishes the chill from winter and early-springtime evenings.

Whatever the case may be for you, the key to successful braising is the perfect pot. (It's fitting that the so-called pot roast isn't really a roast but the most popular braise of all time.) If you are fortunate enough to have an old generic pot that's been battered and bashed around the kitchen for years, yet still does the job brilliantly, don't you dare change a thing. If, however, you are in the market for what will become a family heirloom, then here's a quick look at some favorites. A good braiser -- also called a dutch oven, braising pan, braising pot or casserole -- can be expensive but, trust me, you will get your money's worth.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A DUTCH OVEN

The technique of braising involves putting a tough piece of meat snugly into a pot and then transforming it into something extraordinary by cooking it long and slow in a little liquid. Because a braise is sometimes browned on the stovetop before being transferred to the oven, indirect heat of the oven, it's crucial that the pot you choose have a heavy bottom that conducts heat efficiently as well as a tight-fitting lid that allows the top of the piece of meat to be cloaked in steam. (A domed lid gives you more room inside the pot.) The pot should be wide, so there's plenty of room for browning and for enabling the liquid reduce at a steady pace.

INEXPENSIVE DUTCH OVENS

The Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 5-quart Dutch Oven is, at $29.99 (amazon.com), a great value. Cast iron is hard to beat in many respects (you'll want to fry chicken in this baby, too.) The underside of the lid is smartly outfitted with "self-basting" spikes, which condense the steam and return the liquid to that already in the pot. The lid is relatively loose-fitting, though, so you'll probably need to add more liquid at some point during cooking. Although meat caramelizes really well during browning, the dark interior makes all those crisp, crunchy bits of flavor difficult to see. Another terrific buy is the Anolon stainless-steel 5 1/2-quart "Chef Clad" Round Casserole ($99.95 at cooking.com). There's not a huge surface area for browning, but it's very versatile; it practically begs you to make big batches of polenta, grits or applesauce.

PRICIER DUTCH OVENS

Brand names like Staub, All-Clad and Le Creuset push you into another, more expensive, category. Staub's 5-quart La Cocotte (around $200; available in various colors from amazon.com) was thoughtfully designed for ease of grasping with oven-mitts. Like the Lodge, it has self-basting spikes on the underside of the lid. It, too, encourages great caramelization but again, a dark interior makes it difficult to see what you're cooking. The All-Clad stainless-steel 5 1/2-quart Dutch Oven (in the $250 range from amazon.com) has less surface area for browning, but its alluring curvy shape makes you want to go cook something in it immediately. The Le Creuset 7 1/4-quart Round Dutch Oven (around $275; available in various colors from amazon.com), made of enameled cast iron, will become the workhorse of your kitchen. The pale-colored enamel inside the pot means excellent visibility; there's generous surface area for browning; and clean-up is a breeze. Le Creuset also makes a 5-quart "Braiser" (in the $200 to $250 range; various colors available from williams-sonoma.com), which is shallower than all the other pots discussed here. It's fantastic for smaller things such as short ribs or a chicken fricassee; it doesn't take up the whole oven; and, as it easily moves from kitchen to table, it's terrific for entertaining.