Yeah, to some of us that decorate constantly they make perfect sense but you should see the looks of others when they look in my "Tackle Box" and see this is what I am using in my kitchen to make food.
So, quickly just gonna name everything and why I use it.
1. Vodka - No, not for drinking but there are some days I really want to. I use it mixed in luster dust to paint edible metallics onto food. Like you have seen with the Lego C3PO I did or even the Robot Unicorn Head. I also use it to attach sugar sheets onto dried royal icing. It dries faster and tends to run less than extracts. Also, dries with no flavor.
2. Dowel Rods - I honestly use these because I am lazy. Instead of spending time digging out my rolling pin rings or trying to get everything flat for cookie cutting, I just throw one of these on each side of my dough or fondant and roll. Makes everything perfectly even and usually the perfect thickness for cookies or fondant backings that need to dry to stand up.
3. Paint Brush - This gets used from painting with food coloring to clean up. Lot of time I get going to fast drawing lines with icing and it ends up hanging off the end of my cookie looking ragged. A damp brush over the nasty edge smooths it over quickly and with pin point precision.
4. Rubber Bands - Other than using them to fling at my kids to get them out of the kitchen while I cook I just use them to keep my icing bags closed.
5. Razor Blade - I don't think I would work without this one. Not only does it keep me safe and cookie thief's at-bay I use it for cutting the tips off disposable icing bags, rubber bands off them when I am done, popping "seals" off food colorings, cutting out sugar sheets and more. It is my all purpose tool. Some guys carry a Swiss Army Knife, I have my hot pink razor blade.
6. Toothpicks - I love these little babies. I use them to pop bubbles in icing, smooth icing on cookies that is bumpy, create texture in leaves and wood styled items, getting food coloring gel out and into the icing and my personal favorite - I stick them in the end of my tips to keep things from drying out. LOL (Got tired of washing dish clothes that were stained in food coloring.)
7. Shower Caps - This is my newest love thanks to the hubby. I put these over my icing bowls to keep things from drying out. Before I was using plastic wrap and the like. It was just such a pain to pull it off the icing, get what I need, put back on the icing and so forth. Now I use shower caps. 1 over the top of the bowl, a damp cloth on that and then another one over it. I wouldn't trust it overnight but I will say this - It is awesome during the day.
8. Tackle Box - Not pictured but I do love mine. It holds all my tips and such neatly and costs a crap ton less than the decorator boxes.
