One of the questions people ask Rachael the most is, "What are the must-have items for my kitchen?" Check 'em out below! • **[Rachael's Essential Sharp Store with East/West Knife](http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=255127).** "One of the essentials is a good quality knife that's weighted for your hand," Rachael says. "But the most important thing is that once you get a good knife, it has to be sharp or all of your work in the kitchen will be drudgery." Each time you put your knife in the Sharp Store Sheath - or take it out - you're sharpening it!
• **[Boos Block Cutting Board](http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodli.asp?Keywords=Boos+Block+Cutting+Board)**. "To this day at Food Network, I always chop on a big Boos block," Rachael shares. "If you use a big cutting board, even if you live in the tiniest of apartments, you can put the cutting board on top of the sink and turn it into countertop space!" (Storage tip: When letting the cutting board dry, stand it on its side so the wood doesn't warp or split.)
• **[Microplanes](http://www.cooking.com/products/brand.asp?b=0810)**. "I cannot remember life before Microplanes," Rachael says, who uses them to grate everything from nutmeg and ginger to garlic and cheese. "They come in every shape and size ... get 'em and you won't be able to live without them!"
• **[Rachael's 8-quart Oval Pasta Pot](http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=738737)**. Rachael says, "My mom didn't raise a rocket scientist, but she did have a daughter who invented the oval spaghetti pot! It's oval because spaghetti's long - you just drop it in and you're done!"