Top 5 Essential Kitchen Tools

Whether grilling skewers of souvlaki, biftekia (burgers), or just slices of bread to top with tomatoes, feta cheese, and herbs for riganatha, a small grill is the perfect tool to make a quick meal or snack. Look for a grill that has removable plates for easy cleaning.

This is a kitchen basic in Greek homes. While your cookbooks may not measure liquids by weight (as some Greek cookbooks do), a food scale is always useful!

Large mixers are a treat to own, but I find I use my hand mixer every day in some way, and I take out the big mixer once a month. Look for a mixer with dough hooks and whisks, as well as regular beaters, to make every mixing job easier.

Like my big mixer, I keep my big processor covered most of the time. The mini-processor is the perfect tool for chopping and pureeing. So many Greek recipes call for chopped nuts, chopped or grated tomatoes (use the mini-processor to pulp them instead), and this tool covers it all. I confess I even use mine on occasion to make frappe coffee.

Making phyllo dough crusts - whether thin or thick - for pastries and pan pies is easy; and rolling it out can also be easy with a pasta machine. The double benefit, of course, is that you can also make your own pasta!