Among the items I’d expect to find in Ina Garten’s kitchen? Le Creuset cookware, certainly. A Lodge cast iron skillet? For sure. But one tool I didn’t have on my Barefoot Contessa bingo card? A humble ruler. That said, an 18-inch ruler is one of Garten’s must-have tools, and it makes sense — as a former professional baker, I know firsthand the importance of accurate measurements. My recommendation: the Westcott Acrylic Clear Ruler, a kitchen-friendly option that’ll set you back a mere $4 at Amazon.
Amazon
Rulers: They’re not just for elementary school anymore.
$4 at Amazon
“There are two items that people don’t usually have in their kitchen that I use all the time,” Garten says in an interview with Glamour. “The first is an 18-inch ruler. A lot of people don’t have a ruler in their kitchen, so they don’t know whether a pan is 8 or 9 or 12 inches. And I always have a kitchen scale for measuring and weighing things. They’re both inexpensive, and I use them all the time.”
Rulers come in handy for more than measuring pans. As a baker, I’m always measuring dough once I’ve rolled it out to ensure it’s the correct length and thickness. Plus, some recipes call for meats and vegetables to be sliced into pieces of a certain thickness, and simply eyeballing it can affect cooking times.
What makes the Westcott Acrylic Clear Ruler ideal for kitchen use? It’s easy to clean, and it features both inch and centimeter measurements. Plus, it’s transparent, allowing you to see any markings you might have made. That said, the brand also makes a metal version with nonslip cork backing, though it’s a bit more difficult to clean. Both have holes, so you can hang them from a hook for easy access.
More than 1,000 five-star Amazon customers say this multitasker rules, indeed.
“I use this for baking (measuring rolled-out dough),” shared one shopper. “I like it because it does not have a cork backing, and it is easier to clean with just soap and water (no food particles stuck in the cork!). I think that makes it more sanitary.”
“Exactly what I needed,” wrote another. “Sturdy. Clear. Easy to read. [It’s] not just flat, which I like a lot. Easy to pick up off the paper. That sounds ridiculous, but easily moving it around is important.”
“The item is heavy enough so it does not fly around and get lost,” said a third. “It has metric and U.S. units and is clear, so you can see through this. I use this in painting, so I need the see-through feature.”
“Overall, I like it,” wrote a generally satisfied reviewer. “It’s bendy by a bit, but I’m sometimes scared it will snap and it scratches me easily.”
Several buyers shared this user’s complaint: “One thing I didn’t like is the ridiculous amount of packaging it came in — an enormous box.” (Er, remember to recycle!)
Amazon
You’ll get so much use out of this tool, from baking to crafting and more.
$4 at Amazon
Oh, and about that kitchen sale — this is the one Garten uses:
Amazon
More accurate cooking and portioning? As the Barefoot Contessa always says, “How bad can that be?” In a New York Times video, Garten gives viewers a peek into her kitchen, pointing out her food-prep essentials — including this Oxo scale. “I use it all the time,” she says. “If something says ‘5 ounces,’ and you want it to be really 5 ounces, it’s really helpful to have a kitchen scale.”
While many recipes include both volume and weight measurements, the latter keep things more accurate. For example, measuring something like flour using a cup can yield wildly different results depending on how loosely or tightly packed it is; not so with a scale. What sets this one apart is the pull-out display, which means you’ll be able to place large bowls and cookware vessels on it without them blocking the reading.
$54 at Amazon
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
