A friend of mine was given a knife by a real-life Navy Seal. The model was a favorite of one of America’s strongest and bravest warriors on missions to exotic locals that probably won’t be declassified for decades. Truly, this blade is built to hold up to life or death circumstances.

And what did my friend do with it? He’s a CEO, not a soldier. So he cut open some bags of grass seed. Chopped up some roots to rip a sapling or two out of the ground. Which begs the question, is it a waste to have such a fine tool riding around in the console of an F150? To the contrary, my buddy said he’d never enjoyed yard work more than when his fingers were wrapped around the tool of a modern-day Spartan.

An adequate tool gets the job done. A great tool changes the way you see your task.

When it comes to the kitchen, it’s no surprise that many of us just aren’t that excited about food prep. If you’re under 40, you probably attended a school where gen eds like Shop Class and Home Ec had been erased from the course list. Most of us grew up in the era of fast food and drive thrus, where your daily sustenance came wrapped in brown paper, with the occasional seasonal “McLottery” ticket attached to the top in season. Seeing if you won a free shake (or convertible!) captured as much attention as the actual meal.

Of course, everyone loves the experience of a fine steak house (except vegans, pray for them!), but most of us aren’t going to just stop in for a $150 meal on a Tuesday night. Meaning the standard American diet all too often consistent of takeout, drive up window food, and the occasional microwaved meal.

Sure, home cooked meals are so much better, but also intimidating. If you’ve never been a home chef, how do you know where to even begin? YouTube views like How to Cook like a Gent on YouTube and Tim Ferris’ excellent book, The Four Hour Chef, are great places to start.

Then, ditch those dull kitchen knives and upgrade, upgrade, upgrade! You’re never going to do any real work in an environment you hate. So clear out whatever unused junk is cluttering your cabinets and make sure you have a decent Bluetooth speaker handy (music and cooking just go hand in hand). Stock up on the upgrades you need (and want!) and discover one of life’s most rewarding pleasures: providing delicious sustenance to yourself and the people you love thanks to CampcoShop.

Here’s a list to get started.

Shoot Your Shot in .50 Cal: Whether it’s a best buddy or a dream date, don’t spoil the moment of a pre-dinner drink in cheap glassware. Serve up that liquor in a glass that says “I’m a boss,” not “Look, I go yard sale-ing!

Add some Bang to the Backyard BBQ: As a party host, it’s easy to worry a lot about the drinks being on ice and the burgers not getting dried out on the open flame. But here’s another consideration you need to take into account when serving as cook AND party host: most of us are a little nervous about meeting new people. You can’t jump into every conversation to make sure your neighbor isn’t saying something awkward to the new girl from accounting, but you can provide moments for spontaneous small talk. For instance, when two people don’t know what to say, how can they not talk about the fact that the pepper is being poured from a grenade?

Stay Organized with the Swiss Army Knife of Cookouts: There’s nothing worse than seeing a steak go from medium rare to well done as you rush around looking for something to pull it off the grill with. Prevent bad burns on good meat by keeping your tools together. From marinating to cracking a cold one, you won’t be searching high and low when all your tools are connected, Swiss Army Knife style.

Breakfast Tastes Better When it’s Politically Incorrect: Does a tree make a sound when it falls in the forest if there’s no one there to hear it? What is the meaning of suffering? Do eggs and pancakes taste better when shaped like revolvers Clint Eastwood would carry?

The first two are classic philosophical tomes which have been debated for the ages, so they’re not likely to be solved in a single blog post. But the third? Yes, pancakes and eggs DEFINITELY taste better when shaped like old school shooting irons. Plus, they’re great at surprising your breakfast guest with a unique spin on an otherwise standard breakfast fare.

But hey, not everyone is ok with a little non-PC fun. You for sure don’t want to serve these up to your nephew’s troop of Boy Scouts—you know what, never mind.