Probably one of the most appreciated skills a person can have as an adult is being a good cook. Whether it's for a special occasion or everyday for the ones in your life, we pride ourselves on our ability to cook an appetizing, visually appealing meal. The time and effort put into just a half hour, daily event can show a lot about the person preparing it.
Owning the right kitchen tools and having them easily accessible can make cooking easier and even fun. Having the right tools for the job is important in everything else you do, why should cooking be any different? So let's have a look at ways to get what you need and what it's going to take to get you well on the road to earning the accolades you deserve for your hard work.
Like any other job, you need to clearly define your objectives. Are you building a shed or a scaled down version of the Taj Majal? The same principles apply- do you plan on cooking like that often? Are you a connoisseur of pasta or just a plain "meat and potatoes" kind of cook? Believe it or not, there are tools for both extremes. The best thing you can do is buy a cookbook with recipes you like and read it. This will give you an idea of what to stock your kitchen with. Sometimes a single grinder will do multiple jobs where a mortar and pestle are just not practical.
If establishing what type of food you are going to cook on a regular basis is the first step, the second step would be to locate where to purchase the needed tools. There are a lot of deals to be had on the internet on specialized kitchen tools. I don't think your local, big box retailer will carry that grinder, but cutting boards and wooden spatulas are generally easier to come by there. Pasta makers, revolutionary bread makers and the next big wiz-bang can be found cheaper on the internet. Provided you don't need something in 10 minutes, shopping on the net gives you more options.
There are however, several must haves in the specialty department. A good, solid peeler/corer is a great addition-especially if it has a rubber handle. You can use a universal peeler for veggies and yes fruit. Wooden spoons are preferred by most cooks because they do not conduct heat like their metal counterparts, or melt like the plastic spoons do. Use glass measuring cups and plastic measuring spoons. Plastic cutting boards are best and having more than a couple will ensure there is no cross contamination. A good set of knives of varying size is a great thing to have, but make sure to use the right size for the job! Have a mortar and pestle or grinder for spices. A cheese grater and cheese cutter are not the same things, so both are recommended.
Aside from what's on the box there are literally millions of things you can do with just a simple paring knife. Fresh radishes become crowns for garnishment and added roughage. With just a few twists of a peeler and you have a nice apple ribbon on the side of your homemade apple pancakes. The two main things are to think healthy and think fresh. Fresh black pepper from the pepper grinder is preferred for cooking. The same can be said for ginger root and especially garlic. A good food processor can help with a lot of this and really cut down on time spent mincing and dicing. Fresh will always be better.
Remember when buying your kitchen tools to make sure whether or not they are dishwasher safe. If the box doesn't say so, don't put it in the dishwasher. Some utensils with rubber handles will see a lot of wear from a hot dry cycle and you might one day end with a metal post where your nice cushy handle used to be. If it's meant to be plugged into the wall, that should be a no brainer, but just in case: do not put your electric knife, food processor, bread maker, etc into the dishwasher-ever. Keep a bottle brush on hand to get into small corners and crevasses. And for storage, consider an upright sliding shelf that can be mounted under a cabinet. This will avoid the "junk drawer" that makes it hard to find a spatula, much less a tsp measuring spoon. Plus, it will look cool to your friends.
With your new kitchen tools comes great new kitchen responsibility. Remember: fresh is better.Don't be afraid to experiment or try out a new kitchen do-dad. But most of all-have fun!
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Slicer Meat which discusses various meat slicers on the market and which one might be an option for you and your family.