Seven Tools I Can't Live Without - Kitchen Edition

Remember how I work in pastry? That means I'm in a kitchen all day.  I use my hands constantly but I hate how people call them the best tools in their arsenal.  I have real tools in my arsenal.  Tools that make my job easier, tools that make my job possible!

I love shopping for new tools too. So much so that I could probably throw together 3 sets of my favorite tools.  Yeah yeah yeah.  I have a problem.  I have too much stuff.  I tell myself its for work.  I have extra just in case.  I am prepared for anything.  A regular kitchen boy scout?

Seven Tools I Can't Live Without - Kitchen Edition

• Rubber Spatula.  In the 'biz we call them "spats".  As in, "pass me my rubber spat".  They do everything.  You can stir things, scoop things, spread stuff, scrape things and encourage  good behavior(if you know what I mean).  I have a couple sizes and they are irreplaceable.  I have often wondered if I could find a surgeon to replace one of my hands with a hub that I can attach a rubber spatula attachment too.
• Offset Spatula.  Basically a bent piece of metal with a handle.  It makes the magic happen.  Perfectly smoothed icings, level layers of fillings and picking up the perfect slice of cake, this is what this bad boy excels at.  I often use spatula hands, one of these in each hand and use them to move 4x as many desserts at a time.  Just ask my coworkers, they think I'm nuts.
• Razor.  Box cutter, blade, shiv, whatever you want to call it, it is always in my pocket and I use it for anything I need.  Opening boxes, cutting paper, cutting desserts, precision tasks on wedding cakes, threats, self defense, splinter removal, you name it I've done it with my razor.  Trusty little thing.  Thanks PD for starting this addiction.
• Immersion Blender.  A stick blender.  That thing in your cabinet you don't use.  I have one I never use at home.  At work, however, we have two and they are indispensable.  They can fix any problems and they can combine or stir ingredients faster than I ever could by hand and with less wear and tear on my muscles you know? Its fun to write recipes that have this as a procedure too "buzz until combined", everyone in my field knows what that means.  Sort of like a secret code(that I just un-secretized)
• Stand Mixer.  I have one that was a gift to me when I was sixteen, its a workhorse and I love it.  He's red and his name is Marvin.  True Story.  At work we have that same size, plus one 4x bigger, one 12x bigger, and one 20x bigger.  I can make any size batch of ANYTHING.  The big one, an average size human can fit in the bowl.  Can you imagine that as a form of torture?  Pastry professionals can, have and often think about that when people piss them off.  Fair warning. 
• Sharp Serrated Knife.  I actually have 3 different serrated knives in my tools at work.  A small one to cut the tops off strawberries and peel kiwis and stuff.  A medium angled one that is perfect for just about every job I have given it.  Lastly I have a 12" one that is all purpose too.  A must have for this girl.
• Sharp Chef's Knife.  This is just your average knife.  Sharp.  Real Sharp.  To cut everything, to do anything you need.  I once knew a guy who only had his chef's knife with him at a wedding where the cake didn't make it to the venue.  He put together a new one with only that knife.  We're talking iced a cake with a knife here, people.  Those are some MacGyver skills.

So, what is a tool you can't live without in your kitchen?  Do you have kitchen MacGyver skills?