Which Kitchen Tools? Series topic 1 - 06/26/12 11:46 PM
There are so many gizmos and gadgets on the market to make our cooking experience "easier"; however, some of them seem very superfluous to me. Do you really need a specially shaped knife to slice tomatoes and transform them to a bowl? How about a peach pitter, an avocado cuber, or a pineapple corer/slicer??
If you were only able to have six kitchen utensils, which ones would they be? What could you not live without?
Here are my choices, and why. I invite you to share your essential six; try to choose tools that can do multiple-duty. (Knives will be covered in the next series topic.) Tell us why they're your favorites!
1) Wire whisk, full or flat. A whisk is also great for blending dry ingredients when you bake; it can also be used to whip cream, beat egg whites, blend liquids into dry ingredients, make a smooth gravy, even to combine sugar syrup with egg yolks for buttercream frosting.
2) Rubber scraper. A rubber scraper is useful for scraping batter out of a bowl, stirring when you cook, folding beaten egg whites into batter, and for getting the last bits of mayonnaise or jam out of a jar.
3) Wedge-shaped metal cheese knife. (Not the wire kind.) Works also to serve pie, or as a substitute spatula.
4) Square cheese grater. Use it to grate cheese, shred ginger or cabbage, zest an orange or lemon, and use the finest side to grate whole nutmeg.
5) Potato masher. This can also be used to puree cooked apples or other soft fruit or vegetable.
6) Long-handled wooden spoon. Not sure I could manage without one of these! No unique uses for one, just an essential.
A logical question would be, why didn't I list a rolling pin, or a strainer, or any stirring or slotted spoons? Well, of course I love those tools, and use them regularly. However, in a pinch one can roll pastry with a clean bottle; you can drain water out of a pot of pasta simply by holding the lid so it's open just a crack while you pour; and a wooden spoon or a table soup spoon can be employed to stir or serve with.
I'd love to hear from as many of you as possible!
If you were only able to have six kitchen utensils, which ones would they be? What could you not live without?
Here are my choices, and why. I invite you to share your essential six; try to choose tools that can do multiple-duty. (Knives will be covered in the next series topic.) Tell us why they're your favorites!
1) Wire whisk, full or flat. A whisk is also great for blending dry ingredients when you bake; it can also be used to whip cream, beat egg whites, blend liquids into dry ingredients, make a smooth gravy, even to combine sugar syrup with egg yolks for buttercream frosting.
2) Rubber scraper. A rubber scraper is useful for scraping batter out of a bowl, stirring when you cook, folding beaten egg whites into batter, and for getting the last bits of mayonnaise or jam out of a jar.
3) Wedge-shaped metal cheese knife. (Not the wire kind.) Works also to serve pie, or as a substitute spatula.
4) Square cheese grater. Use it to grate cheese, shred ginger or cabbage, zest an orange or lemon, and use the finest side to grate whole nutmeg.
5) Potato masher. This can also be used to puree cooked apples or other soft fruit or vegetable.
6) Long-handled wooden spoon. Not sure I could manage without one of these! No unique uses for one, just an essential.
A logical question would be, why didn't I list a rolling pin, or a strainer, or any stirring or slotted spoons? Well, of course I love those tools, and use them regularly. However, in a pinch one can roll pastry with a clean bottle; you can drain water out of a pot of pasta simply by holding the lid so it's open just a crack while you pour; and a wooden spoon or a table soup spoon can be employed to stir or serve with.
I'd love to hear from as many of you as possible!