The Kitchen Tool Ina Garten Thinks You Should Replace Every Few Years

Cookbook author Ina Garten is an expert on whipping up comforting meals and hosting fabulous dinner parties at home. Better yet, she's generous with sharing plenty of practical gems when it comes to helping newbie cooks figure out where to begin. For instance, the kitchen tool Ina Garten says every beginner cook needs is a zester. This specialized utensil makes light work of grating almost anything, but, according to the Food Network host, it shouldn't be kept forever. In an episode of the podcast Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Garten said, "You can't sharpen [a zester] like a knife! After a couple of years, get a new one."

Rasp zesters (also known as microplanes) are long and narrow tools made of stainless steel that feature several tiny but sharp teeth running across their surface. Perfect for shaving fine curls of citrus zest, the extended length and handle of these kitchen utensils allow you to remove the peel of an entire lemon in one continuous motion without disturbing the bitter pith beneath it. However, unlike the tip of a cook's knife, which you can hone on a whetstone or blade sharpener, the tines of a rasp grater can't be sharpened at home as easily. You can maximize the life of your zester by putting it back in its protective cover after every use, which prevents the fine blades from becoming damaged or dented in a drawer, but over time even the best-kept zesters will become blunt and dull and require replacement.

Rasp zesters may be intended for zesting citrus, but they're also incredible for grating whole spices, like nutmeg, into a béchamel or mincing single cloves of garlic for use in sauces and stir-fries. Due to their practical and slimline design, you can easily grate chunks of ginger straight over a pan of Thai curry or shred hard cheese into a bubbling fondue instead of using a bulkier box grater that's trickier to clean and takes up more space in a utensil drawer. While it's true that Ina Garten slices Parmesan with a paring knife to create rough, textured shards, you can just as easily use a microplane zester to create fine curls of cheese that melt quickly into a serving of hot spaghetti Bolognese.

The best way to clean a microplane zester is to tap it over a bowl to remove any food particles before washing it in hot water. Alternatively, soak it for a few minutes if any stubborn bits of ginger or garlic aren't coming away easily. You can employ a metal scrubber or scouring pad to clean obstinate particles, but be mindful that these tougher tools will dull the sharp tines of a zester over time.