• ThermometersThermometers
  Thermometers are an essential tool for cooking. The things that I measure are meat and fish during cooking to check doneness and cooking progress. I also like to measure the oven temperature at the surface of the dish, which can vary 10º or so even with a good oven. I measure oil before frying - something that maybe I won't have to do after I get better at more subjective measures. I also sometimes monitor the insides of sous vide bags to let me know when things like [[Tuna-Confit]] are done....
• WhetstonesWhetstones
  Whetstones are stones used in the [[Sharpening and Honing]] of knives, tools and razors. There are synthetic whetstones created by compressing some abrasive material. There are also "natural" whetstones that are mined. Whetstones are often sorted by "grit" which measures the abrasiveness of the stone. Sometimes people refer to the size of the particles in μ or other measures. Natural stones do not have "grit" in the same way as synthetic stones because the partic...
• MolcajeteMolcajete
  A molcajete is a Mexican mortar and pestle. There is an extensive Wikipedia article about molcajete. It's typically made from volcanic stone and is used for grinding things and is great for guacamole. It requires seasoning, much like cast iron skillets. There were a bunch of different sites with a whole range of methods for seasoning, but I mashed a few together and ended up with this process: Grind down dried corn Grind down dried beans Grind down 2 batches of dried white rice Grind down soa...