My laptop battery is almost to zero but I was wondering what you would consider must-have kitchen gadgets. I just bought one I think now is indispensable (and I'll post about it soon) but I'm looking for things that would make things look more restaurant-like, not just something like fancy egg-beaters.
So go to it, my fellow wannabe chefs . . . eBay is waiting impatiently (and so is the new restaurant supply place I found).
Do you mean for LOOKS or for actual USE?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I shun most of the nifty gadgets that fill the shelves of kitchen stores. I prefer having fewer tools but being broadly skilled with them. Highly specialized tools are for the birds.
For example, I don't have a garlic press. (OK, I have one, but I don't use it.) I much prefer using a knife to smash and mince. You won't find chefs in restaurants using garlic presses!
Ditto silly things like egg slicers and avocado knives. The more specialized a tool, the less interested I am. (There are probably a few exceptions, but I can't think of any.)
Personally, my fetish is cutting boards and stainless steel prep bowls. (I have at least 15 steel bowls.) Then it's graters (I have two Microplane graters and a big box grater that I'd like to upgrade.)
After that it's all about the pots and pans. They don't have to be fancy and expensive, just correct for the task. I have four non-stick sauté pans (in three sizes), a stainless steel sauté pan, five cast iron pans (one of which is enameled), one honking big pan that I rarely use because it overhangs the burner, three "cocottes" (what's that; a casserole dish? Slow cooker dish?), and an array of various deep pots (about seven or eight I think).
Let's not even start on the knives!
Oh, and tongs. I have at least five sets of tongs. The simpler the better; no annoying rubberized grips, no silicon parts that take extra time to wash, etc. When it comes to locking tongs, the more "advanced" the locking mechanism, the more annoying it is (and more likely to engage when you don't want it to). The best ones are the simple Chinese made stainless tongs with a simple squared ring that you slide forward when you want them to lock.
ReplyDeleteThe wost are the ones with the gravity slider; the tiny mechanism in the spring that locks the tongs when you point them upward. ARRRRGGGHHH!
I do like my George Foreman Grill--the kind you can take the plates off and wash separately. Great for bacon, grilled veggies, sandwiches...
ReplyDeleteBlork,
ReplyDeleteYes, I have about six tongs. I recently suffered the poor design of one of them when I was trying to lift a mason jar that was being boiled for pickling and the hot water ran down the metal channel of the handle and onto my hand. Ouch.
Hmm, George Foreman grill . . . I'll check into it!