Kitchen Basics: The Essentials!

Thought I`d do something a bit different today and start up with a new segment.  Today i hope to go through some of the basic equipment that you need for the kitchen.  I find a lot of kitchen gadgets just take up counter space and don't really aid daily while in the kitchen.

First and most important...

Knives:

Often when I go to a get together or over to a friends house I see them struggling in the kitchen with either cheap or dull kitchen knives.  There are plenty of good quality inexpensive knives around and at home I only ever use 3 different knives. Why spend $100 or more on a 16 piece knife set which you`ll replace over and over, when you can get a few quality knives and have them for years.

The Chef`s Knife: This will be your workhorse in the kitchen and likely the largest expense, look for something 8 inches or longer, with a thicker blade and a full tang. I personally use a 10 inch Victorinox Chef`s knife.

Paring Knife: For cutting fruits and other small work in the kitchen, no need to go very expensive here I have $12 one that I picked up at a kitchen supply store.

Bread Knife: Also another one that you don't have to go super expensive with. The only recommendation I have is that you get something around 10-12 inches long and save yourself the trouble of fiddling with short slicer.


Note* Using a dull knife is actually dangerous as you are using way more effort to cut and are less in control of your blade. It`s better to have a sharp knife with a good weight to it and learn the proper techniques to cut faster and more importantly safely.

Utensils:

Having a good set is important and will save you time and frustration. Having a good peeler is essential and a good set of wood spoons doesn't hurt. I prefer wood because they are great for soups, but can also be used in a non stick pan without fear of scratching it.

Spoons: A few large spoons are all you need in the kitchen. As mentioned I love my wood spoons and they are relatively inexpensive; I've picked them up for as little as $3 each.

Vegetable Peeler: Another indispensable item in the kitchen.  I like using a Y shaped peeler rather than the swivel style.

Tongs: A great tool to save your hands in the kitchen, great for flipping meat, great for stir-frys, great for plating/serving food. I hardly ever use a flipper (pancakes are the exception) in the kitchen any more, I use a set that have silicone over the tongs so I don't need to worry about scratching pans.

A few other essential items are ladles, a kitchen scraper, measuring cups/spoons, mixing bowls.

Cutting Board:

I recommend having multiple cutting boards, I have my large hickory board for veggies and then use smaller plastic cutting boards for any meats.

There are millions of options as far as cutting boards go. At the restaurant we use large slab food grade plastic boards for everything, but for home there's lots of other options.  For a main cutting board I'd suggest getting something with a bit of weight, its hard to use a knife when your cutting board is sliding around on the counter.


That's all for now!  I could go on for days about kitchen equipment but ill save that for another post. I plan on doing this type of article more regularly; if there's anything you'd like to learn about feel free to comment