Whether you are a chef, a daily cook or an occasional entertainer, you shouldn’t be without these handy kitchen tools and gadgets:

1. Chef’s Knife – the #1 tool you should have in your kitchen. Whether it’s a traditional chef’s knife or the popular Santoku, there’s no need to spend a lot of money. Just make sure you pick one that feels good to your grip (sizes and weights vary) and always keep it sharp!

2. Paring Knife – same rules apply as the Chef’s knife; it doesn’t have to be expensive, but make sure you like the feel of it in your hand. It’s great for small slicing jobs, peeling, pitting, etc.

3. Mis en Place bowls – French for “everything in its place”, these prep bowls can save you a lot of time. By measuring, chopping or dicing ingredients ahead of time, you can have everything you need at your fingertips to create your recipe. This means you don’t have to take your eye off that delicate sauce to chop an onion or grate cheese.

4. Mini Food Processor or Chopper – another time saver. You can use this to chop herbs, garlic, veggies or nuts; grate cheese, or even emulsify a dressing. Most are dishwasher safe and clean up in a breeze. Plus, who wants their hands smelling like garlic all day?

5. Microplane – the multi-tasker of the culinary tools. Use this long, slender grater not only for hard cheeses but for zesting citrus, or use it to add a special touch of freshly ground nutmeg or ginger. It can be used to finely grate onion too, which is super in marinades and dressings.

6. Spoonula – a cross between a spoon and a spatula. This is another versatile tool that can be used to mix, combine, stir and scrape every last yummy bit of food out of a bowl. Most are resistant to very high temperatures which means they won’t melt if you leave them resting on the edge of a pot.

7. Whisk – essential for cooking and baking. Make sure you have more than one of these in your kitchen. You can’t beat an egg or make any kind of sauce or gravy without one (unless you like lots of lumps!)

8. Medium Scoop – looks like a cross between a melon baller and an ice cream scoop. This is great for measuring batter or dough of any kind: muffins, cookies, pancakes, waffles… the list goes on and on. It ensures an even portion, which also ensures even cooking. It can also be used for dolling out mashed potatoes, grits or rice.

9. Tongs – an extension of our hands. This is another tool you should definitely have more than one of in your kitchen. They are much better for turning certain food than the flat spatula and are even great for grabbing pot handles, lids and oven racks in a pinch!

10. Vegetable Peeler - this one is self-explanatory. However, make sure you get the best you can buy. I have one made by “Good Grips”; it has stayed sharp for years and has a fabulous rubber handle.

These are just my top picks. Obviously, there are more great gadgets out there, but these are the tools we use most often because they all perform multiple functions. There are plenty of really cool gadgets that are tempting to buy, but if it only performs one task, then it’s not worth the space it takes to store it… in our opinion.

1. Take a dip – children love to “dip” their food. Serve veggies with dressing, fruit with peanut butter, yogurt or cream cheese dip, meat with ketchup or barbeque sauce or honey (do not serve honey to children < 1 year old).

2. Shape it up – cut bread, cheese or little sandwiches into fun shapes using small cookie cutters or biscuit cutters.

3. Lead by example – it’s hard to convince a child that milk is good for them or broccoli rocks when they don’t see you eating it. You don’t have to eat everything you offer them, but good habits are learned by observation.

4. Persistence is the key – don’t force food on your child, but do offer them a variety of healthy foods and don’t get discouraged if they don’t eat it at first. It takes 15 – 20 times of offering a certain food before a child will accept it.

5. Take ownership – let your child help prepare the meal (depending on age, of course). Your child will be more likely to try something that they had a hand in preparing.

6. Don’t overdo it – remember to use small portions. Not only do children generally eat less, but it looks less daunting to a child when trying something new if there is just a small amount. For example, a toddler’s portion of meat should only be about 2 ounces.

7. Have some fun – using fun utensils, plates and cups can encourage a child to eat. Hefty makes a line of plastic ware and paper products called “Zoo Pals” in fun animal designs.

8. Nothing like homemade – when possible, make your child’s food so you control the salt, spice and fat content. For example, a great homemade snack mix can be tasty and healthy when you use dried fruit, plain cereal and whole grain Goldfish crackers. This is much better than the pre-packaged snack mix and just as scrumptious.

9. Trial and error – don’t be afraid to experiment with textures and cooking methods. Just because your child doesn’t like raw carrot sticks doesn’t mean he will not like cooked carrots; or if your child doesn’t care for scrambled eggs, try a hard boiled egg and serve just the yolk or just the whites. And by all means, don’t withhold a food simply because you don’t like it (I don’t like mushrooms, but my 5 year old loves them!)

10. When all else fails, hide it – pureed sweet potato, applesauce or even vegetable juice can easily be hidden in a child’s favorite food when you cook. Spaghetti sauce, meatloaf and baked goods lend to good hiding places for healthy ingredients (my daughter loves my zucchini bread made with applesauce, and she has no idea it has a vegetable in it).