Soup Chick®

Tools of the soup maker's trade: wooden spoons

For every soup pot, there's a perfect spoon, one that fits into the curve between the bottom and sides of the pot, with a handle that's just the right length. I could tell you that I have more than forty soup pots, and that's why I need forty long-handled wooden stirring spoons, but you wouldn't believe me, would you?

Tools of the soup maker's trade: Microplane® graters

Sometimes, it's one final flourish that takes a soup from good to great. A bit of chopped cilantro or parsley, a few pepitas, a dollop of creme fraiche -- all make an ordinary soup extraordinary. One indispensable tool for creating the wow comes from the hardware store: a Microplane® grater. Or, in my kitchen, two graters, one for each of my favorite soup finishers: lemon zest, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Tools of the soup maker's trade: Dutch ovens

Every week, I make soup in this five-quart round Dutch oven that I found on super-sale last year at TJ Maxx, a discount clothing store that often has the most amazing deals on overstock or slightly hurt cookware. Made by Cuisinart, this beauty sold for less than half the price of the big-name enameled cast iron pots, and the slight ding in the finish on one handle brought the price down even more. The inside was in perfect condition, and, well, it's red.