as you expand your cooking horizons and get a bit more adventurous in the kitchen, you will want to invest in a few tools that help make things more efficient. as my husband says, "you need the right tool for the right job."

i love making home made potato chips, pickled cucumbers or crispy fried onions. but all three require very thin, precise cuts. and for most of my schooling (which included six years of my own trial and error, and my former prep cook husband's encouragement) i did not have the patience or skill to make the slices necessary. i probably still don't when it comes to potato chips. so one of the first tools i invested in was a mandolin. it comes with adjustable blades for different cuts (slices, julienne, french fry) as well as a handy dandy handle to protect your fingers. i actually have two sizes now. one for our kitchen and one for our catering bag. they are easy to use, easy to clean and can cut the time of a ten minute prep job to just minutes. and of course they have them on amazon. we love amazon. you can find the large on HERE and the smaller one HERE. 

mind all ten fingers when using the mandolin. i don't always use my handle now that i'm comfortable, but i highly recommend it until you are comfortable with your tool. 

you can adjust each of the three blade attachments for larger or thinner cuts. the handle is great for steady slicing. 

place these bad boys on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with an oil that has a high smoking temp and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 f. lightly salt and serve. 

if i ever need a bunch of onions or shallots sliced for fried or caramelized shallots, i bust out the mandolin. nothing faster than the swipe of the hand. watch those fingers. this is not a test!

perfect slices. every time. 

xo, a

it is no secret on this here blog or in my real life that my husband and i have every intention of opening a restaurant. it started out as a pipe dream, but six years into our relationship, the vision is really starting to take shape. don't get too exited, we still have some work to do. BUT with out a doubt it will be breakfast heavy. we love breakfast and brunch and pretty much anything with an egg on it. we've spent years in the kitchen working on (and sometimes fighting about) our eggs. but there is no argument about how to cook the perfect sunny side up egg. follow these tips and you will get a great egg every time. 

start by getting yourself a good nonstick pan. if you have one, make sure there aren't any scratches on the pan. if there are, it may be time to get a new one. THIS is the one that wes and i have and it is common in many professional kitchens.
the perfect sunny egg serves: 1 egg prep time: 5 minutes active time: 5-7 minutes total time: 10-12 minutes ingredients: 1 egg. 2 pinches of kosher salt. 1 pinch of fresh pepper. 1 tsp unsalted butter. 1 small bowl. 1 nonstick pan. 

start by setting your pan on a burner turning the heat onto a medium low setting. you want to warm your pan slowly so that it heats evenly. let it warm for 5 minutes. 

while the pan is warming, crack your egg into the bowl, careful to remove any shell pieces. 

season the egg with salt and pepper. 

when the pan is hot, add the butter. the butter should sizzle, but not brown. 

when the butter has melted, gently add in your egg. 

now step back. cook for 5-7 minutes until the white is fully set (no clear left anywhere) but the yolk is still soft. 

remove from the heat and serve. 

xo, a

the perfect sunny egg
serves: 1 egg
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 5-7 minutes
total time: 10-12 minutes
ingredients: 1 egg. 2 pinches of kosher salt. 1 pinch of fresh pepper. 1 tsp unsalted butter. 1 small bowl. 1 nonstick pan.
start by setting your pan on a burner turning the heat onto a medium low setting. you want to warm your pan slowly so that it heats evenly. let it warm for 5 minutes. while the pan is warming, crack your egg into the bowl, careful to remove any shell pieces. season the egg with salt and pepper. when the pan is hot, add the butter. the butter should sizzle, but not brown. when the butter has melted, gently add in your egg. now step back. cook for 5-7 minutes until the white is fully set (no clear left anywhere) but the yolk is still soft. remove from the heat and serve.