I love food, and you do, too. You love how it melds, simmers, puffs, steams, wiggles, and transforms itself into a tasty marvel on your tongue. A gift of nature, physics, art, chemistry, and love.

The quality and quantity of food blogs (see the Blog Honor Roll to your right for a sampling) in cyberspace is enough to satiate even the hungriest reader. We’ve pored over them, looking for inspiration, procrastinating, drooling, or just fantasizing. Inspired by this passion for food and cooking, I decided to try a different angle with this blog, to write about the tried and true tools we use to make the food we love.

In my years of experimentation – from soggy pasta to sublime pie crust – I have found that the right equipment can make a real difference in the products that come out of our kitchens. Certainly, adaptability is the mark of a true cook, and the machine does not make the manicotti marvelous. But an arsenal of proper cookware can be an indispensable partner in creating culinary excellence, and here I will explore that cache, and connect online food lovers with the best cookware, utensils, dishes, and gadgets that the Internet can provide.

So here’s to the cast iron skillet. To grandma’s rolling pin and the waffle iron. To the citrus juicer and the garlic press. To the noble stand mixer. I salute the tools of our trade – nay, of our passion – and look forward to you sharing your feedback, suggestions, kudos, thumbs-downs, and hints.