COOKING SCHOOL

Kitchen Tools That Rule

With the right kitchen tools on hand, any job is easier. Equip your kitchen with the best-quality tools your budget will allow. You’ll use them nearly every day to get kitchen tasks done easily and efficiently.

• Blender A blender is excellent for pureeing soups, blending cold drinks, making pesto, and whirling up bread crumbs. Choose a model with a heavy metal base and a powerful motor.
• Box grater A box grater has a sturdy handle on top and four sides to finely or coarsely grate or shred vegetables, cheese, and citrus zest.
• Citrus reamer A citrus reamer is ideal when all you need is a small amount of juice. It is a small cone-shaped tool with a pointed end and deep furrows. To use, hold the halved fruit over a bowl and insert the pointed end of the reamer into the center of the fruit. Twist the reamer to extract the juice.
• Colander A colander separates liquids from solids. Use it for draining cooked pasta, beans, grains, and vegetables and for rinsing and draining fresh berries.
• Cooling racks Wire cooling racks allow air to circulate around baked goods while they cool so they don’t get soggy. Round racks are good for round or square cakes, while large rectangular racks are perfect for cookies and larger cakes.
• Cutting boards Choose a cutting board made of wood, plastic, or bamboo. It is good to have a small one and a larger one and one dedicated to cutting raw meat.
• Electric mixers There are two types of electric mixers: stand and portable. Stand mixers are best when working with large amounts or heavy batters. Light and portable handheld mixers are fine for most batters and soft doughs and make quick work of mashing potatoes.
• Food processor Efficient and powerful, a food processor performs a variety of functions, including slicing, julienning, shredding, chopping, pureeing, mincing, grinding, and mixing, as well as making pastry dough, cookie dough, pasta dough, and bread dough in record time.
• Instant-read thermometer An instant-read thermometer gives a digital temperature reading of foods in a matter of seconds.
• Kitchen shears Kitchen shears are ideal for cutting up raw and cooked poultry, deveining shrimp, and snipping fresh herbs.
• Knives Three knives are essential: a 3- to 4-inch-long paring knife for peeling and slicing small foods; an 8- or 9-inch chef’s knife for basic chopping, dicing, and slicing; and a serrated knife for slicing bread and tomatoes and for peeling pineapple.
• Ladle A ladle is essential for serving soups or stews and for adding a measured amount of broth to risotto.
• Measuring cups To measure dry ingredients accurately, use a standard set of nesting measuring cups of ¼-, ⅓-, ½-, and 1-cup sizes. To measure wet ingredients, use glass or plastic spouted measuring cups.
• Measuring spoons Measuring spoons come in nesting sets of ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon.
• Mixing bowls Nesting glass or stainless steel mixing bowls are the workhorses of any kitchen. Plastic bowls are not recommended, as they absorb flavors and odors.
• Pastry blender The curved wires (or blades) of a pastry blender easily cut butter into dry ingredients.
• Pastry brush Use a pastry brush for glazing breads and pastries, for brushing syrup over warm cakes and muffins, and for basting meats and poultry.
• Potato masher This has either a perforated flat mashing head or a turned wire head; either makes it a snap to mash potatoes and other root vegetables.
• Rasp grater A rasp grater, also known by its brand name Microplane, efficiently grates citrus zest, nutmeg, fresh ginger, and hard cheeses.
• Rolling pin Rolling pins come in various lengths, with and without handles; which you choose is a matter of personal preference.
• Salad spinner A salad spinner uses centrifugal force to remove most of the water from washed greens or herbs.
• Sieve Use a coarse-mesh sieve (strainer) for sifting flour, cocoa, and confectioners’ sugar and a fine-mesh sieve for straining stocks and separating pureed fruit from its seeds and pulp.
• Slotted spoon A slotted spoon makes it easy to lift pasta or vegetables from boiling water to check for doneness and for serving.
• Spatulas A flat, wide metal spatula is good for turning fish, while a narrow metal spatula is good for spreading frosting. Rubber spatulas are good for mixing batter, and heatproof silicone spatulas are great for stirring foods as they cook.
• Spring-loaded tongs Tongs are the best tool for lifting and moving food and can be locked shut for easy storage.
• Vegetable peeler A swivel-bladed vegetable peeler makes quick work of peeling fruits and vegetables without removing too much flesh.
• Wire whisk A medium wire whisk is ideal for making salad dressings, gravies, and sauces, while a balloon whisk is perfect for whipping egg whites and cream.
• Wooden spoons Have a few wooden spoons in your kitchen. They don’t transfer heat, so your hand stays cools while stirring.

Also Nice to Have

• Food mill A food mill resembles a saucepan with a perforated bottom, along with a paddle-shaped blade and a crank handle. It usually comes with interchangeable disks with holes that range from fine to coarse and is ideal for pureeing soups, sauces, vegetables, and potatoes.
• Immersion blender An immersion blender, also called a stick blender, consists of a small covered blade that is attached to a long shaft with an on-off switch. It is used right in the pot to puree soups and sauces.
• Julienne peeler A julienne peeler resembles a vegetable peeler but has super-sharp teeth for making very thin strips of vegetables, such as carrots and zucchini.
• Metal steamer basket A collapsible metal steamer basket can turn any pot, pan, or skillet into a steamer. It has feet that keep it above the boiling water and a ring for lifting it out of a pan.
• Probe thermometer A probe thermometer enables you to keep track of the internal temperature of a roast or bird without having to open the oven door. The probe end of the thermometer is inserted into the food, while a thin wire links it to a digital display that sits on the counter. When the food reaches the desired temperature, a beep sends out an alert.
• Vegetable slicer Also called a mandoline, a vegetable slicer is a sharp-bladed countertop tool that slices and juliennes fruits and vegetables.