Hardware That Cooks

3. Small sections of PVC pipe.

USES: Stacking layers of ice cream and sorbets, molding chocolate desserts, making salad towers and hanging pasta to dry.

WHY CHEFS LIKE THEM: Armstrong said PVC piping is "a great tool, because the pipes come in every size you ever need." Gillian Clark of Colorado Kitchen in Washington hangs pasta on suspended horizontal lengths of PVC pipe because they are easy to clean and inexpensive. (A 20-foot length of two-inch diameter PVC costs less than $5 at Home Depot.)

CARE AND CLEANING: Clark said she washes PVC in the dishwasher because the pipe can handle all water temperatures. If washing by hand, use mild soap and a bottle brush for the inside. Do not boil PVC pipes or put them in an oven or over a direct source of heat.

4. Spray-paint tools.

USES: Applying even coats of cocoa powder, powdered sugar or clarified butter; glazing desserts.

WHY CHEFS LIKE THEM: Armstrong said they give a more even coating than a sieve, the usual tool for such a task. Ouattara said glaze-loaded spray-paint guns "give a velvety look to the dessert."

CARE AND CLEANING: Be diligent, Armstrong said, in washing out a spray paint gun. "You have to keep it meticulously clean [to prevent clogging]. It gets cleaned with soapy water every time we use it."

5. Propane torch.

USES: Making creme brulee, loosening gelatin from molds, scorching bell peppers.

WHY CHEFS LIKE IT: Armstrong likes it because the torch runs at a higher temperature than the glue-gun-size "kitchen torches" sold in kitchen equipment stores, and doesn't get clogged as often. Kitchen torches, he said, "are useless in a week." Tunks suggests putting brulee ramekins on a sheet pan or aluminum foil before running them under a flame, to avoid burning countertops. (The smaller torch, shown in the photo above, is quite similar to the kitchen-store model, except it costs much less.)

6. Wooden dowels and baseboard trim.

USES: Molding puff pastry, tortillas, spring roll wrappers or nori sheets (food wraps made of dried seaweed) around dowels to hold a curved shape; supporting the layers of a wedding cake.

WHY CHEFS LIKE IT: "I'm always trying to experiment with something," said Ouattara. For those at home, Ouattara suggested dipping tortillas or spring roll wrappers (carefully!) in hot oil until flexible, then carefully wrapping the food around a piece of wood that has been covered in foil and setting aside to cool.