With a little parcel from Rome arriving earlier this year (thanks to my dear friend Hande) came a perhaps inconspicuous but nevertheless very useful tool, it has become indispensable in my kitchen and I use it - I kid you not - almost once every week. Know it? Have it? Use it? What for?

Munich readers may be able to guess where I spent all Sunday morning...

...picking up some beautiful kitchenware.

... a suicidal one decided to explode in our oven with a major BANG!

Any oven cleaning tips you want to share?

...straight from the pan.

I love potatoes. I love them cooked, baked, mashed, fried, actually I can't think of a way I wouldn't devour these yellow darlings. I even ate them raw when I was a child - despite my grandma telling me, that this wasn't particularly healthy. Stubborn? Me? What?!

The only times when I can care less about potatoes is when they taste bland, void of any flavor, more white and sweet than anything. I do like to try new sorts, but more often than not they suck and I remorsefully return to the known, good ones. Favorites of mine would include Bamberger Hörnchen, La Ratte (with just butter and coarse sea salt), Sieglinde (salads), a good Bintje (gnocchi) and the purple Vitelotte (potato chips). What are your favorites and what do you use them for?