The one thing I've learned about cooking is that you've gotta have the right tools (as well as fresh ingredients) to make a memorable meal.

One of the best companies is Microplane, a company that makes graters and other utensils that make whatever you're doing in the kitchen a little easier.

Take the Easy Prep Series, for example.

The Pizza Cutter is awesome because no matter how thick, how deep dish, how stuffed your crust is, you can cut through your pie with ease. And because of the ergonomic handle, you can handle it, unlike the one you've using up until now. You can also remove the big stainless steel blade to clean all that cheese and sauce on it.

Nice touch.

Or save yourself the trouble and just throw it in the dishwasher. Don't worry, it's okay in there. And it'll be ready just in time for your next pizza. I'm thinking fresh rosemary and caramelized onions.

Mmmm.

The Gourmet Series offers everything you need to be a gourmand without having to sign up for cooking classes or buy an expensive food processor that takes up your whole kitchen counter!

The Ultra Course Grater is perfect for making anything you would normally spend countless hours slicing. Want to make an cheese omlette? The Ultra Course Grater allows you to freshly grate your marble cheese quickly and easily (each tooth is double the width of the next closest size). Thinking that you want rosti for dinner? Now you can have shredded potatoes in seconds, as opposed to your usual hour and a half. And thanks to non-slip rubber feet and soft-grip handle, you can make coleslaw for 10 in just a few minutes without getting a sore arm, elbow or shoulder like you would have with your old style grater!

And don't forget to get the 45000 Coarse Grater so that you can finally have fresh Parmesan at home instead of having to wait to enjoy it out at restaurants (You can use it for grating other hard cheeses as well as apples, pears, ginger, etc.). My fella was pretty excited about this one, as I have been buying that stuff in a tub for years. Now he's going to get the real thing!

Thanks Microplane - You make everything better/easier in the kitchen!