Behind the Knife - tools, food, and the secret lives of chefs

Desert Island Toolbox: What's The One Tool You Can't Live Without?

courtesy FreeFoto.com

My recent travels to some pretty remote places have created a whole new question when interviewing chefs:

What would be in your desert island toolbox?

In fact, in many cases, many of these chefs have long experience dealing with this topic. Not only with tools, but with food supplies. From a chef on the tiny island of Barbuda to a chef in an established restaurant in the bustling metropolis of Grand Cayman, these professionals deal with logistics and shipping issues that mainland chefs rarely have to deal with.

For example, way back in the early days of BehindTheKnife.com, chef Hans Gruber Executive Chef at the Hotel Velas Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, addressed this very topic.

When asked about the most unusual tool he ever used, he said it was a power drill and sander to make ice stands and displays. “When you’re catering in a remote location like St. Lucia or the Dominican Republic, you have to get creative. You’re not only a chef,” he said. He’s found some of his best tools in the onsite building maintenance shops at resorts where he’s worked. “Everyone assumes when you’re working in some famous hotel that you have everything you need and at your beck and call. But behind the scenes is a real eye opener. Sometimes the timeframe is wrong or something doesn’t arrive, and you still have to produce.”

So what’s your desert island tool? In other words, what’s the one kitchen tool that you couldn’t live without? Leave a comment below!

And if you have suggestions for a few chefs who you think would make a good profile for our new Desert Island Toolbox feature, send their name along.