Gourmand Alison Cayne is the founder of Haven’s Kitchen cooking school in Chelsea and a mother of five — so she’s constantly feeding a crowd.

Below, she reveals five of the top kitchen gadgets she uses in her epic Greenwich Village townhouse [link to main cover story on Cayne]— and the unexpected ways she puts them to use.

“A great investment for making smoothies, soups, sauces and salad dressings. To get super-creamy purees without adding cream, drizzle a bit of extra-virgin olive oil at the end of the blending process.”

$600 at Williams-Sonoma

“A Dutch oven is not only beautiful but also the best pot for making stews, chilis and hearty soups — or to bake bread and do deep frying. Make sure to use a wooden spoon to avoid scratches.”

$370 at Le Creuset

“A solid, sharp knife is a home cook’s best friend. All the fingers should be wrapped around it — that thing some people do where they extend their pointer fingers out toward the blade? Not a good idea because it gives you less control.”

$160 at Amazon

“Because it goes over two burners, this pan can grill steaks, lamb chops, burgers and cutlets for eight comfortably. When my kids have sleepover guests, I can make eight to 10 pancakes at a time, a definite bonus.”

$225 at Le Creuset

“One of my favorite chef secrets is zesting a lemon over pretty much everything I make right as I’m about to serve it. Lemon zest acts a bit like salt — it doesn’t overwhelm if you use it right. You can also use this for grating cheese, garlic and ginger for tea.”

$13 at Microplane