Being that I was ruminating over my dream kitchen yesterday, I thought it would be wholly appropriate to delve into the various gadgetry that I find essential for any well equipped kitchen. I tend to subscribe to the Alton Brown school of thought; meaning I try not to clutter my kitchen with single-use tools, because in most cases, less is more.
However, that philosophy hasn’t stopped me from the occasional impulse buy (really, who needs an ice cream scoop in the shape of a cow, anyway?)
So, without further adieu…
1 – Tongs – Ah, tongs. Tongs are like the duct tape of the kitchen world; exceptionally versatile and always innovative in their usage. I can use tongs to cook (clearly), but they also make great tools for holding oily pieces of paper towel when wiping down a BBQ grill, they’re key for retrieving foods from narrow-mouthed jars, and if you place half a lemon between the arms, the lever action makes a pretty bitchin’ impromptu juicer.
2 – A Santoku or other really sharp chef’s knife – My preference leans toward an Asian-style knife, and Santoku’s are notable for their comfort, reliability and precision. A Santoku is a Japanese knife that is typically shorter, stouter and easier to handle in my dainty hand than a traditional 8 or 10 inch chef’s knife. They occasionally have scalloped “divets” on the sides of the blade to prevent food from sticking to the knife, but Wikipedia informs me that these might not be entirely traditional. As a rule of thumb, every kitchen should have one really solid, sturdy knife, and for my money, the Santoku does it in my kitchen.
3 – Salad Spinner – Even if you only occasionally eat your greens, it makes good sense to have one of these around because nothing deflates a salad faster than limp, water-logged leaves. The internal bowl in the spinner can also double as a colander, and the whole thing can also be used (gently) for washing cherry tomatoes or delicate summer berries.
4 – Microplane or Ceramic Rasp – A microplane or rasp is a wonderful, multi-purpose trinket for the space-constrained kitchen. Either makes short work of grating hard cheese, garlic cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, and are sleeker and easier to store than larger box-style graters.
5 – Mortar and Pestle -A heavy stone mortar and pestle and a little elbow grease are all you need to turn out crushed spices, rustic guacamole, and even emulsified sauces (see last week’s post about allioli for details). They also work well for roughing up garlic cloves or leafy herbs, and the pestle can double as a cocktail muddler.
6 – Dutch Oven - One of the few Dutch things (aside from cocoa powder and the Everyman) that I’ve come to appreciate (I kid, I kid!), the dutch oven is a staple for any serious cook. Enamelled varieties like those from Le Creuset come in pretty, vibrant colours and varied shapes, but my good old red oval Kitchenaid version works just as well, and I’m not paranoid about ruining it every time I use it, like I would be with a Le Creuset. Dutch ovens are the workhorses of the kitchen, springing into action when meat needs to be browned, stews need to be made, or French onion soups are required. Their heavy bottoms and even heat retention make them ideal for numerous tasks, and are my first choice whenever I want to poach chicken breasts for salad.
7 – The Griddler – I usually don’t get sucked in by branded kitchen appliances with silly names (Nicer Dicer, anyone?), but I make an exception for The Griddler. It’s interchangeable plates and expandable hinges make this ridiculously-monikered apparatus a gem. It makes grilled cheese, allows cooking of half a dozen flapjacks at a time, grills indoors in the middle of winter, not to mention rustles up a half decently-pressed panini. The only thing it doesn’t do is wash the dishes when I’m done!
8 – Mandoline - Mandolines are the elegant kitchen tool; minimalist in appearance but also deceptively dangerous. Don’t be fooled by their simplicity either, I almost took half a finger off once, so there is a reason they all come with those plastic finger shields. Useful for creating uniform slices for everything from ratatouille to potato chips, slender matchsticks perfect for nibbling or stirfrying, and even shreds destined for coleslaw, the mandoline can do it all. In a pinch it can also messily shred semi-soft cheese and make breadcrumbs out of stale or toasted bread, though you’ll definitely want the hand guard for that.
9 – Skillet or Sauté Pan – By making a decent investment in a quality skillet or sauté pan, and then properly storing and caring for it over the years, either of these beauties will be able to take you wherever you want to go, culinarily speaking. A good sauté pan can be used to make crepes, brown meat, braise, poach, etc, etc, etc. If you get one that has an all-metal construction (a wise idea) it can go from stovetop to oven in a flash, just like the professionals do!
10 – Baking Stone – A nice to have if you cook the occasional pizza (even if it’s just from frozen) but where these really come in handy is if you do any bread baking. Baking stones are large, flat and heavy, but make excellent conductors of heat and are usually thin enough to be left in the oven at all times. Dough baked on a stone has a chewy, crisp, heavenly browned crust that cannot be duplicated by any other method.
11 – Silpat or Silicone Bakeware – For years I brushed these off as nothing more than a fad, stubbornly refusing to purchase one. Then my mother in-law bought me one for Christmas, and all of a sudden I was a convert. Silpats are awesome for just about any kind of baking, allowing you to stop relying on parchment paper and greased pans as your safety net. The bonus is they also work wonders on pastry, for caramel or toffee-making, and generally anywhere that you don’t want something to stick. I’ve been a fan of silicone muffin liners for years now too, though there is something whimsical about pulling off paper liners that isn’t quite the same with a synthetic. Sucking cooked batter off a silicone liner just doesn’t seem to appeal to me as much, I guess.
12 – Slow Cooker – Many people assume that slow cookers are nothing more than a tacky 70’s holdover that serves no purpose in a modern abode. Those people would be wrong. Slow cookers, while old fashioned, are extremely useful. They’re great for long-cooked stews and braises, but they’re also a lifesaver in the dog days of summer, when the idea of heating the house up more with an oven just won’t fly. You can use them to rehydrate beans, put on a pot of oatmeal before bed that will be creamy and soothing come morning, or even make jam in it. I’ve heard you can also bake in them too, though I’ve never tried.
13 – Offset Spatula – An offset spatula is as welcome in the kitchen as a third hand. You can use them to shimmy and slide underneath delicate items that are stuck to a pan (like fish or tuiles), they work well in a pinch to serve pie or cake, they can easily flip a pancake or omelet in one smooth motion, their edge smooths out icing quick as a wink, and if you’re stuck for cutlery they can also spread condiments like pb or jam. They take up next to no space, and come in a variety of sizes to suit any need.
So there you have the list of the 13 kitchen items I couldn’t imagine living without. Of course, what’s essential in the kitchen is a personal thing to a cook, defined by your style of cooking, skill level, culinary influences, etc. In the Everyman’s childhood household, I’m sure this list wouldn’t have been complete without the addition of a wooden spoon, while my mother’s kitchen wouldn’t be the same without a place to griddle rotis.
Are there any kitchen implements that you can’t live without?
Until next time…
Tags: Alton Brown, baking stone, ceramic rasp, dutch oven, gadgets, griddler, kitchen, Kitchenaid, Le Creuset, Lists, mandoline, microplane, mortar and pestle, offset spatula, salad spinner, santoku, saute pan, Silpat, skillet, slow cooker, The Foodie 13, tongs
