Blueberry Soup

June 2013

Best Kitchen Tools

Ask experienced cooks to name the kitchen tools they can’t do without and they’ll probably mention knives and cutting boards. But most of us rely on dozens of other gadgets and utensils to help make mealtime prep easier.

Which ones are the most important?

Whether you are a newbie going solo in your own place for the first time or newly-married and setting up your kitchen, here’s our list of the tools we think most worthy and valuable to buy or list on your wedding registry. All are designed to help you accomplish the tasks most of us will face as we prepare meals.

1. xe "utensils:measuring"xe "measuring:devices"Knives. The pros are correct. You’ll probably use a knife every time you prepare food, which means that good, well-designed knives are among your most important kitchen investments. There are two tips to consider. First, shop with safety and function in mind, not beauty. Choose the knives that feel comfortable and well-balanced in your hand; avoid the ones that are too heavy or seem to fall forward when you hold them. Second, buy knives that fit your cooking needs. Why spend money on an entire set that includes a boning knife if you’ll never be boning a chicken?

The best knives have a forged handle (made from a single sheet of metal that is hammered into shape), a full “tang” (an extension of the blade that continues through the handle) and a bolster (separates the blade from the handle). They are better balanced than “stamped knives,” (cut from the metal) especially those without a tang to secure the blade to the handle.

Knife handles can be made of wood, plastic, rubber or metal and all are fine. The handles are either riveted onto the tang or molded around it. Blades come in a variety of materials but the most versatile are made of high carbon-stainless steel, which don’t discolor or rust and keeps a sharp edge fairly well.

You will probably collect more knives as the years go by but for starters, the essentials include: 1) Chef’s knife, for general cutting, chopping and slicing. It tapers from the bolster to the tip of the blade. 2) Utility knife, (a smaller Chef’s knife), for xe "utility:knives"xe "knives:utility"chopping and slicing small vegetables and herbs. 3) Paring knife, for xe "paring:knives"xe "knives:paring"trimming vegetables, peeling fruit, and crafting garnishes. 4) Slicing knife (with a thinner, more flexible blade), for slicing cooked meat and poultry and 5) Serrated knives: a large one for bread, smaller one for tomatoes.

2. Electric Knife Sharpener. No knife stays sharp forever, so forget what you’ve heard in the ads. Dull knives can be frustrating to use but more important, they can be dangerous because they force you to push down hard when you’re chopping or slicing, increasing the risk that your hand will slip. Knives that are already sharp can be honed with a “knife steel,” but a steel won’t sharpen a dull knife.

3. Cutting Boards. You’ll need at least two, one for meat and other proteins, one for fruits and vegetables. They come in a variety of materials including wood, plastic, glass and bamboo. Glass is easy to clean but can damage knife blades; plastic is durable and dishwasher safe; wood is more knife-friendly but can harbor bacteria and can’t go in the dishwasher (probably best to use only for non-protein foods such as fruits and vegetables); bamboo is harder than wood so won’t become porous as quickly, but most must be washed by hand. As for size and shape – consider your storage space and what foods you’ll most likely be preparing.

4. Thermometers: regular and instant-read. Certain recipes depend on accurate temperature readings to be safe and/or successful – chicken to 165 degrees or rare roast beef to 120 degrees, for example. Do you really want to slice into a chicken thigh to see if the juices are red? Do you have the know-how to press a steak to feel whether it’s rare or medium? Why guess? A regular food thermometer lets you continuously monitor the internal temperature of the food (good for large items such as roast beef); to use the instant-read type you must remove the item from the heat, place the thermometer probe in the center and wait a few seconds for a reading (best for smaller foods such as steak or chicken breasts).

5. Digital scale. Measuring by weight is more accurate than measuring by volume or number. Some recipes require a pound of this ingredient or 6 ounces of that ingredient. Would you know how many cups of chopped meat you’d need for a recipe that called for 12 ounces? Let a good scale do the work for you. The most versatile models let you convert from pounds to kilograms, ounces to grams.

6. Microplanes. You can try an old fashioned grater (and do your best to keep from shredding your knuckles along with the carrots or cheese), but microplanes are safer and more efficient. Several types are available for different kinds of shredding: ribbon grater (for chocolate, coconut and salad vegetables such as zucchini); extra coarse grater (for onions, carrots and other root vegetables as well as soft cheeses such as Mozzarella), coarse grater (for firm cheese such as cheddar and fruits/vegetables such as apples, pears and potatoes); and fine grater (for zesting citrus peel, hard cheeses such as aged Parmesan and items like fresh ginger and shallot).

7. Immersion blender. What did home cooks ever do without this kitchen workhorse? An immersion blender can whip up a smoothie, emulsify a sauce, mix a quick salad dressing and puree ingredients right in the cooking vessel (avoiding the danger of transferring hot liquids to a countertop blender). Models with two speeds are probably sufficient for most purposes. Some come with blending jars (which are handy for smoothies), some have food processor-like attachments and whisk attachments (both helpful if you don’t have a food processor, hand mixer or standing mixer). Look for an immersion blender that’s comfortable to hold and isn’t too heavy for you; also, it’s better if the device has a detachable blending wand that you can clean in the dishwasher.

8. Hand Mixer. You don’t have to be a baker to appreciate this appliance. It isn’t as powerful or versatile as a standing mixer and won’t knead bread dough, but it is helpful for mixing cake batter, soft cookie doughs, sauces, whipped cream and eggs (including egg whites). It’s also much smaller and cheaper than a standing mixer. Look for models that have wiry beaters (rather than the old fashioned ones with a center post) because these mix and aerate ingredients more effectively. Models with multiple speeds are more useful (because you need low speed for mixtures such as cookie dough, higher speeds to make whipped cream, for example). Before you choose a model, pick it up in the store to be sure it feels comfortable and is not too heavy for you.

9. Slow Cooker. This device can be a real time and money saver. Place food inside when you leave for the day and come home to a cooked dinner. Nice, isn’t it? And as a bonus, slow-cookers are best for so-called “lesser cuts” of meat, which are much cheaper than steaks and chops. In addition to pot roasts, stews and other braised food specialties, you can use a slow cooker to make tomato sauce, chili, baked fruit, oatmeal and other whole grains plus dozens of other recipes. A programmable timer gives you real flexibility, as do multiple temperature settings (for the varying number of hours different foods will cook) and a keep-warm feature. Some models include inserts for browning meat on the cooktop (nice but not essential).

10. Salad spinner. If you’ve ever watched salad greens go limp quickly or seen lettuce rot too fast in the crisper drawer, it probably had to do with too much moisture. Greens need to be dry before you store them or place them in a salad. You can use towels and paper towels but a salad spinner is the simplest and most practical way to keep greens as dry as they need to be.

Enjoy these summer recipes in which many of the tools suggested would help you speed up the prep.