I've been on this kick lately where, when the dishes get really piled up (like after a dinner party or a one-person baking fest *cough*), and I find myself with a little bit of time and motivation, I'll just wash them all by hand. I think my husband did it first once when he was tired of not having spoons (it had been so busy at that point, I swear we had three dishwasher loads of dishes and utensils to wash). I ended up doing it again the next time I had more than a dishwasher-load full to do, and found it surprisingly meditative and satisfying.
(but no, you can't have my dishwasher; I need it for all the other 360 days of the year.) :-P
Today I was catching up on a load and pondering the utensil/tool collection I've amassed over the years. I don't think you really find out what types of tools you need, or what quality of tools you need, until you've spent time in the kitchen for awhile. And, I also think one's list of essentials will be quite different from another's!
So, in that vein, I thought I'd take a short detour and document my favorite-slash-essential cooking equipment. I guess you could consider these my "desert island" tools, because I'm pretty sure I could whip up a nice meal with these things alone (except maybe also an oven or a hot plate).
(presented in no particular order)
Tongs
I think I first discovered the magic of a simple metal tong after watching The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network for the first time. If you have a pair of tongs, I'm convinced you don't need a set of salad utensils, or a turner, or a spatula, or grill tools, or other things that just take up lots of room and cost lots of money. I mean, yes, okay, if you're going to make pancakes, you sure as hell can't flip 'em with tongs. But, if you're sautéing anything or grilling anything or basically cooking almost anything solid on a stove or other hot surface, a tong is pretty much all you're going to need (except for maybe a slotted spatula/fish turner, but that's after this).
The best part about a pair of tongs is that it literally does not matter how much you spend on them or where you get them from. I bought mine (a big one and a smaller one) from The Dollar Tree five years ago, no joke. And they haven't failed me yet.
Slotted Spatula
Also known as a "fish turner," this is another Pioneer Woman favorite. It's officially my other can't-live-without utensil for the kitchen. It's just so..... perfect? useful? versatile? All of those things. And more. It's angled just right for slowly lifting and turning or scraping and turning. It's perfect for pan frying meat or for sautéing veggies, or basically whatever you're cooking in a pan.
This is not an item you can buy cheaply, unfortunately. Or at least not as cheaply as my dollar-store tongs. It's probably not possible to buy a slotted spatula for less than $12 from a well-known retailer, and some smaller retailers don't even stock them. Which is weird, seeing as it is THE BEST TOOL EVER. It's totally worth it to splurge a little on this one, in my opinion, since it is so simple and versatile.
Handheld Grater
I love my handheld grater. Here's the thing: I hate.hate.hate. to grate cheese. I will forever, unto all eternity, be the person who will pay one or two extra dollars for pre-grated cheese. Absolutely shameless. (I guess unless we're talking fresh parmesan, but then again, grating parmesan—as opposed to shaving it—is just sacrilege anyway, but I digress.) Anyway, the handheld grater is for all the other things that should be and need to be grated, but do not require a full-on cheese grater. A good example is chocolate (on cocoa or cookies or cake), but I've found a myriad of other uses for it too.
Dip Bowls
I talked about mise en place in my first post, and how the concept really improved my cooking skills. One of the best tools I have to facilitate this is a collection of dip bowls. Small, utilitarian bowls that you can pre-measure ingredients into, or mix dressings, or whisk an egg—whatever you need to do. I find my dip bowls invaluable! Plus, they're a really fun way to jazz up your kitchen with some cute-fancy-ness. I get mine from World Market or Target when they're on sale or clearance. Anthropologie is also a fun place to look. Don't worry about matching.
Cork Trivets
These are so so so great for cooking and entertaining, and they're like less than $5 for three at Ikea. You may or may not have already thrown them into your cart the last time you were there, but if you haven't, write it down or make a smart alarm for it or something. These are so great because they're inexpensive and indispensable. I think these are perfect for transferring pots to my working space or bringing to the table for a gathering. They're not fancy, but they're cork and cork is fun—and they're easily replaceable if you break them or stain them.
Cast Iron
This should probably be number one on the list. I mean, it is number one on the list. There are so.so.so many things I hate about the common non-stick pan, including but not limited to: they do, in fact, stick; they are the biggest pain in the world to clean; they cost an arm and a leg; you end up having to replace them every few years. Once I discovered the beautiful, low-maintenance world of cast-iron, I could not go back. Forever non-stick and more amazing the longer you use it, it is basically an hardcore cooking tool, potential heirloom, and self-defense weapon in one. Plus, can you put your non-stick pan in the oven? I didn't think so. Hellooooo skillet bake!
They're extremely inexpensive—you can buy a well-made Lodge skillet for half the price of a high-end non-stick ceramic skillet. (And don't even think about buying anything but Lodge.) World Market is one of the best places to source one. I could literally not live without my cast iron. My essential cast iron includes a large and small skillet, a grill pan, and a griddle if you do a lot of flapjacks. Don't use soap on those puppies—a dry salt scrub will kill any bacteria and keep your pan seasoned with the sweat of a thousand delicious meals.
Toaster Oven
Toaster ovens are. the. bomb. (cue infomercial) Are you tired of floppy frozen meals? Is your leftover pizza deflated? Introducing the toaster oven! (shazam) No, really, I will never again use my microwave for leftover starchy leftovers or frozen items like nuggets or taquitos. A bonus is that your toaster oven can bake single-serving-batch cookies or potatoes, among other things. Just search "toaster oven meals" on Pinterest if you don't believe me. These are relatively inexpensive, coming in at approximately $30 for a basic one (and you don't really need a fancy one, just like nobody needs a fancy microwave). It's a little too qualified to fill in for a toaster, but if you are short on counter space in your home like we are, I'd pick the toaster oven over the conventional toaster every day of the week.
Mandoline
So self-explanatory. I didn't think I needed a mandoline for the longest time, but finally broke down when I wanted to make home-made baked apple chips one week. I bought a really simple one for about $20, and it's one of the best investments I've made for my kitchen. Since I make a lot of salads and veggies, this is a great tool. My only regret is that I wasted so much of my life trying to manually cut tricky things like tomatoes.
Liquid Measuring Cup
You might think you can get away with dry measuring cups for everything, like I once believed, but don't do it! A liquid measuring cup is everything. It's not only great for measuring liquid, but also great for making a roux before adding to soups, pouring batter for flapjacks, whisking eggs, heating up water in the microwave for tea when you're too lazy to wait for the oven to boil it and your favorite mug is not microwave safe.... okay, well, you get the idea. You'll find it can do so many more things than just measure ingredients. You can get one of these for a few bucks at a discount store—but it will be worth your money to pay a few extra bucks for a glass one. Just sayin'.
No comments:
Post a Comment