Essential Utensils
Here's one that's been frementing in my "starred items" list forever...
Essential Utensils via The Cook's Kitchen
They say:
I say:
They say: One 8-inch chef’s knife–for chopping.
I say: check
One 10-inch slicing knife–for slicing meat and poultry.
check
Two 3/4-inch paring knives–(one for you and one to share).
Share with whom? The Pampered Chef's "$1" paring knives are great. I wish they were still just a buck.
One serrated bread knife–for bread and tomatoes.
check
One boning knife–for deboning meat, poultry and fish.
Nope - I leave deboning to the butcher.
Knife sharpener (electric or stone)–to keep your knives very sharp.
I leave knife sharpening to the guy at the hardware store.
Knife block–to store your knives safely.
check, although I'd love to have those magnetic strips mounted to my kitchen wall to free up counter space.
One or two vegetable peelers–for potatoes, carrots and apples.
...and for slicing things really thin.
Three to five different sized rubber spatulas–for cleaning out bowls, folding ingredients or getting the last little bit out of jars.
Get silicone instead of rubber - it stands up better to heat (including the dishwasher).
Three to four metal whisks of different sizes–for mixing batters or sauces.
check
One to two plastic or wooden whisks–for whisking in non-stick pans.
None of my sauce pans are non-stick.
One ladle–for soups and gravies.
check
Three to four wooden spoons of different sizes–for use in your non-stick pans and for beating thick mixtures.
More like 5 (spoons and paddles), and bamboo is so much better than wood.
One metal spatula–for scraping roast pans and using on the grill.
...and scraping the cooktop.
One hard plastic spatula–for using in your non-stick pans.
Nope - use the bamboo paddles.
One slotted spoon–for removing items from water or oil.
check
One meat fork with a long handle–for the oven and barbecue.
check
One set of kitchen tongs–for moving around awkward or hot items.
I have two sets - one like this and one like this
Bulb baster–for basting and removing fat.
check
Meat thermometer–essential for making sure meat is cooked.
check
Kitchen timer–very helpful when you are busy.
check
Four-sided grater–for potatoes, cheese, etc.
check
Ricer or potato masher–for potatoes, squash, etc.
I say get both - I have a masher and really would like a ricer too.
Corkscrew–wine just wouldn’t be the same without it.
Get a vacuum pump too, unless you're going to finish every bottle you open within the next 24 hours. If so, call me!
Bottle opener–essential kitchen accessory.
Get the kind that doubles as a can puncturer (like for pouring broth or tomato juice).
Can opener–electric or hand is indispensable.
There's no need to get an electric one; they take up a lot of space and you can't throw them in the dishwasher. Most of the hand held ones today require little effort to turn.
Rotary egg beater–for beating eggs and batters.
Nah - Between whisks, my electric mixer and my Kitchen-Aid, I'm covered.
Rolling pin–for rolling out doughs, breaking ice and candy.
I use the wooden dowel from my paper towel holder - just wrap it in waxed paper or parchment first.
Flour sifter–for sifting flour and other dry ingredients.
I just use a wire mesh sieve.
One large metal or plastic colander–for straining or draining.
check
One small colander–for straining or scooping items out of pots.
I use a wire mesh sieve for this too.
One wire mesh sieve–for pressing solid or lumpy food through to get a smooth sauce.
I have a set of three - one's about the size of 2 tablespoons, one's about a cup, and the third is about 2 cups. I use them a LOT. The big one is great for rinsing that goo off of canned beans.
Two wooden cutting boards–for chopping food. (Wood is safer than plastic or glass because of its natural bacteria killing properties. It may be easier to clean plastic or glass cutting boards, but bacteria is killed in under five minutes on a wooden cutting board. Wooden boards are also better for your knives.)
I've switched to bamboo for these too.
Fire extinguisher–the most important kitchen utensil of all.
check
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I also have to add:
parchment paper:
I rarely bake anything on my pizza stone or a baking sheet without first lining the sheet or stone with parchment paper. And I wouldn't dream of baking fish unless it's in a parchment packet.
kitchen snips:
These are great for cutting raw chicken into small pieces. It's a lot easier to cut up your chicken with snips before you cook it and add to a pot pie or other dish than to try to cut it with a knife when it's still steaming hot (Of course, I could just buy the precooked frozen chicken chunks and not have to worry about when to cut and how to cook, but that's something I reserve for dinner emergencies).
food chopper:
I've used the same Pampered Chef one for over 10 years now - it's the version they had before they had their own branded one. This is wonderful for chopping onions, mushrooms (I always chop up the mushrooms so they're not identifiable when I add them to a meal when the Bear is eating with us), carrots, garlic (before I started buying the minced garlic in a jar), and to make our meals bite-sized for J.J.
rubber grip for jar lids:
One of the best give-aways you can grab at the Southern Women's Show or other convention/trade show. I got a really neat Smucker's one at a booth at the Country Music Marathon this year. These have proven indenspensible to remove bottle and sippy cup lids. Who would have throught that juice transforms into superglue when it's stuck between a sippy cup and the lid?
What can you NOT live without?
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