Advanced' Photography Forums

You may have some of these and definitely wont use all of them for a shot. Depending what you shooting, you may find a tool in this list that will make you styling easier. Kitchenware shops arent the only places to look. The hardware store is a stylists paradise.

• Sharp knives: serrated and straight edge blades for making the perfect cut.
  
• Tweezers: used to remove distracting bits of food; to place small items such as herbs, tiny cubes of tomatoes, etc.
  
• Peelers, melon ballers, citrus zesters, graters of all sizes.
  
• Metal and Bamboo Skewers and Toothpicks: Heat metal skewers to make grill marks. Use bamboo skewers rearrange bits of food, reconstruct if necessary, Toothpicks to hold things together out of view.
  
• Crazy Glue: Use with uncooperative food that keeps moving.
  
• PVC Pipe in various lengths and widths and Small Moulds: Use to mould food into a particular shape.
  
• Kitchen Blow Torch: Use to caramelize sugar, to brown or scorch in specific places, (roasted peppers, barbecued chicken, etc.)
  
• Paintbrushes, various sizes: Use to paint soy sauce, marinades, oil on to food to create desired color or sheen.
  
• Spray bottle of water: Use to create water droplets.
  
• Glycerine, diluted with water, in spray bottle: Use to create perfect long-lasting, water droplets.
  
• Cooking oil: Use sparingly to create sheen.
  
• Artist palette knives and Spatulas: Use to smooth food, create texture.
  
• X-Acto or Matte Knife: Use for trimming for a perfect clean edge.
  
• Heat gun to melt cheese.
  
• Squeeze bottles: Use to make squiggles and droplets of sauces.
  
• Decorating Tubes and Pastry Bags: Use for piping chocolate, thick sauces, making decorative borders, etc. If you dont have a pastry bag, you can use a heavy weight plastic bag -- cut off one corner at the bottom and place the pastry tube through the hole; partially fill the bag and use.
  
• Cookie or Biscuit Cutters: Use for making cookies or making decorations.
  
• Ice Pick: Use for sculpting.
  
• Sieves or strainers: Use for dusting plates with cocoa or powdered or icing sugar or spices such as cinnamon.
  
• Eye dropper: Use to make perfect liquid droplets
  
• Scissors (straight and curved): Use to cut curves and straight edges.
  
• Baking Trays: Freeze tray and place food that will be shot frozen on the tray and refreeze. For ice cream, scoop several individual scoops on a tray lightly sprayed with cooking or baking spray.
  
• Tongs and Spatulas: Use for moving and arranging food.
  
• USAs Kitchen Bouquet or Soy Sauce, watered down, for giving poultry and meat a browned look.
  
• Q-Tips or Ear Buds: Use to clean up unwanted marks and spills on props.
  
• Glass-Cleaning Spray: Use to clean plates and props to be used.
  
• Paper Towels: Use for cleaning props with glass-cleaning spray.
  
• Press-Stick (white reusable adhesive) -- Use to hold food in various positions.
  
• Lucite or Clear Plastic Blocks: Use to prop up food in various configurations.
  
• Tape: Always handy.
  
• Fake Ice: A life-saver for professionals.