Because I am a cook, I love my pots and pans. I love my ladles and my wooden spoons and my mandoline that makes the most perfect waffled potato slices ever. Most of all, I love my knives. Big heavy Henckels, cut through anything and ask for more. I still love them all, but tonight I found a new love, a new culinary helper. I wish I could post a picture of him here, but words will have to suffice. I am talking about the Haul-Master Bigfoot Hand Truck from Harbor Freight. I love my Big Blue!



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37520



Imagine suddenly finding your weenychunk girly self transformed into a huge macho pro wrestler type person, able to life 700 pounds and transport it almost anywhere you want. Rrraawrr!



See, I just ran out of room for my cookbooks, as I was passing through downtown Carlsbad yesterday, and discovered the most wonderful little used bookstore: Fahrenheit 451, (not related to the late lamented Laguna Beach store, but a jewel box of a shop, with marvels to be found in every nook and cranny) and loaded up some new treasures. The owner is incredibly helpful, by the way. Do drop in, if you are in that neck of the continent.



Well, getting back to Big Blue. I bought him for Grumpy, and he lives out in the garage. (Blue, I mean, not Grumpy!)



Though if he doesn't behave...



Anyway, I got tired of tripping over the stacks of cookbooks, to which I had just added a big pile of great finds from Fahrenheit 451, including Vincent and Mary Price's "A Treasury of Great Recipes." Since it was too late to slap Grumpy awake and make him go to Home Depot and buy wood and build me more shelves, I was quite pleased to find some old, forgotten crapshelves in the garage. Left over from when we lived overseas, covered with dust and spiderwebs but nevertheless appearing functional, I thought that surely they would do. I tried to wrench one free from its surrounding junk, with the idea of dragging it across the yard and into the house.

Dear Zeus and Hera, but pressboard weighs a ton!

Then my eye espied Big Blue. Together, he and I made short work of the task. Yo-ee-oh! Yo-oh!

I may have bought him for Grumpy, but now he is mine.

If you had asked me yesterday to list my favorite culinary aids, I would have said my knives, my little oskar, and my cast iron frying pan. Today I would add: Big Blue.