Tools of the trade

The chef’s knife didn’t get its name for nothing: You’d have a hard time separating a chef from her essential kitchen tools. We asked Rebecca Reichardt, chef-proprietor of Tazzina Bistro (614 Main Street in Woodland, (530) 661-1700), which kitchen utensils she’d save in a fire.

1. “My chef’s knife.
It’s a Wüsthof that’s been modified; one of my former sous chefs cut it down for me.”

2. “My Japanese mandoline—
a little plastic portable one.”

3. “My ricer—
a big one that weighs, like, 20 pounds. I never would have been able to afford it normally, but I got it at an auction.”

4. “If I had to pick another one, it would be my rondeaus, big braising pans—
I braise a lot.”