Hello and thanks for reading my article.
Here we go my ten favorite kitchen tools that I think every cook should have!
1. A cake tester: When I’m cooking, I always have a cake tester and use it almost as much as my knife. You can use a cake tester to find out if a fillet or piece of fish is undercooked or undercooked, you can also use it to find out if something is hot inside, like a meatball or crab cake. I explain exactly how this is done on my website.
2. Tongs – Cooking without tongs and a towel in hand is for me like being on a battlefield without a weapon. The obvious use of tongs is great, you can’t grill without tongs! With a strong pair of tongs, you can slide the baking sheets closer to you so you don’t stick your arms in the oven. You can stick your hand in the oven to look for something that has fallen out, and one of my favorite things about the tongs is that you can gently dip a piece of chicken into the frying oil without splashing it with hot oil.
3. Knives: My chef’s knife is by far the knife I use the most. I always say don’t go buy a full set of knives, but invest in a good chef’s knife that will last you. You can use the top edge to break lobster or crab, you can use the flat side to crush garlic or scoop up what you’ve minced., And unless you’re filleting fish or cutting meat, a bread knife and paring knife would be everything. you need. There is no need to spend a lot of money on a bread knife, in fact my favorite bread knife that I use solely (dexter-russel) is a $ 20 knife. It has teeth, it is sharp, it has a good grip and it is solid, what more could you ask for? A kitchen knife will cost no more than $ 10, which is more likely to pay for a name or get ripped off.
4. Peeler – My favorite and only peeler I use is a Kuhn Rikon. They are made of plastic and cost $ 2, I usually pick up 2 or 3 of them. They are inexpensive to make, but they are sharp and work well. Peelers work great not only for peeling, but also for shaving very fine things like parmesan, chocolate, carrots, or cucumbers.
5. Microplane: A microplane can grate hard cheese, chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, and even grate citrus fruits for all kinds of uses. The microplane creates beautiful grated parmigianno regianno on top of a Caesar salad, pasta or risotto. Citrus zest is also very presentable for a nice topping on a cheesecake or angel food cake. One of the other benefits of a microplane is that it grates much finer than a regular grater, it can also be used to grate garlic, ginger, wasabi, or onions.
6. Fish spatula: A fish spatula is a specially designed spatula to allow you to get under the skin of the fish and allow excess oil to drain through the slots in the spatula. You can use this design to your advantage in a number of ways. Use it to be able to pick up a piece of cheesecake or cake and tuck under it so as not to damage the visible part. You can also use it for something like a chocolate cake where you can drip chocolate and the grooves will prevent it from slipping.
7. Rubber spatula – Although it is called a spatula, I never use it to pick up or turn anything. However, I use it for pretty much everything else on the planet. Fold the whites to perfection so they don’t deflate, mix mashed potatoes, work with chocolate, make eggs, cook in a non-stick pan, risotto, scrape the bowl to make sure you get every last bit out of the bowl. The best part is that they clean in 2 seconds!
8. Japanese mandolin: a dangerous but extremely useful tool. This is what all professionals use to create perfect brunoise, or little cubes every time. The blade is very sharp and can shave or cut fine things. Makes a beautiful shaved Parmesan, you can shave garlic, carrots, ginger, cucumber, etc. for a good presentation.
9. Food mill – A food mill is a tool designed to puree like mashed potatoes, but it can also be used for other things. The handle that forces the product (potatoes, carrots, beets, etc … into holes of different sizes is turned. This is how restaurants get super smooth mashed potatoes every time. I also love using it to make ground black pepper, for steak or mignonette for oysters.
10. Spice Grinder: A small spice grinder is something I can’t live without when I cook. When you roast and grind spices, it really brings out the flavor and is very simple to make. Just take your spice mix, be it cumin, cinnamon, or sesame seeds, and place them in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Mix continuously to avoid burning, which will create a bitter taste. The spice will finish roasting when it is golden brown and / or the scent is more vibrant. Then put in the spice grinder and grind until fine. You can also use a spice grinder to grind spices with salt and use the spiced salts to flavor fried foods when they just come out of the fryer (sesame salt, black pepper salt, cumin salt, the list is endless).