This Is Frankie Celenza's Favorite Kitchen Tool

Whether you are just starting your cooking adventure or have been at it for a while, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the tools and gadgets on the market. It's comparable to when you find out you're having a baby, register for all that baby gear, and discover you really don't need much of it all. However, there are some must-have kitchen tools, and celebrity chef Frankie Celenza's favorite is definitely among them.

Celenza hosts Tastemade's "Struggle Meals," where he teaches viewers how to make the most of what they have already stocked their kitchen, or how to stretch their wallet to make affordable, healthy meals. As Fast Company notes, the shows mantra is "creative, nutritious, and inventive dishes that won't break the bank." To this end, most dishes Celenza whips up are less than $2 a serving. The show is so popular that one million people, using all the various platforms the show is aired on, tune in to see what pearls of wisdom Celenza will be cooking up. So, what's the one kitchen tool Celenza would probably tell you is a must have? 

Celenza told Beyondish that his favorite kitchen tool is one that keeps him sharp — his knife. Celenza said, "I enjoy the act of cutting and maintaining its edge." Celenza went on further to explain that he always noticed macho-looking men using tools on their vehicles to solve problems, and he imagines that he feels the same way about his knife as those men felt about their tools. He said, "As a city kid, I always looked at the cowboy types fiddling with their trucks, working on them, diagnosing problems and solving said problems. I feel the same relationship to the tool that is my knife. It would look super weird if I were under a truck wrenching in the middle of Flatbush Ave, so this is how I fulfill that desire to have a relationship with a tool."

According to HuffPost, a chef's knife is the "single most important tool" for anyone who cooks, and there are plenty of experts out there who would second this claim. A good knife gives you more "control," and when coupled with the knowledge and skill of how to use it properly, your job in the kitchen becomes much easier to execute. The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts echoes this sentiment explaining that, with all the different types of cuts a chef must make to meats, fruits, and vegetables, a good knife is key to precision.