Essential Kitchen Tools For Every Home Cook

The following article Essential Kitchen Tools For Every Home Cook is republished from www.evolvetv.tv

Every single homeowner dreams of having the best kitchen, even those who don't really have the skills in cooking. The fact is once you own a home, you also start building that desire to be able to cook for your own family. It's not passion but more on comfort. However, a kitchen, no matter how great the design is, will never be complete without the essential tools needed for prepping and cooking food. So if you wish to learn what these essential tools are, continue reading our list below. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="564"] (image credit: EatThis.com)[/caption] Let's first talk about the article called "Back to the basics: 10 recommended kitchen items for the home cook," from TheArtofSimple.net. Below, we managed to list some of the things this blog post is telling everyone that they should in their kitchens.

1 - A GOOD KNIFE I can’t stress enough the importance of a good quality knife. A sharp knife will save you so much time and is the best investment you can make in your kitchen. I recommend starting with a 6-1/2″ chef’s knife and a small paring knife, as about 90% of all knife work can be completed with this pair. 2 - MELAMINE MIXING BOWLS These nesting mixing bowls are durable, lightweight and heat resistant. I love color, and these bowls are a fun and cheery way to mix up anything! Rubber base rings grip the counter, making these my choice over stainless steel mixing bowls. 3 - TONGS Perhaps one of the most useful kitchen tools ever, I refer to my tongs as my third hand because I reach for them so often during the day. If you think tongs are just for turning meat on the BBQ, then you need to play around with them a little more. Try using them to loosen boiling spaghetti (eliminating those unfriendly octopi), toss a salad, turn cubes of browning stew meat or chicken, fish out deep-fried nuggets, and do virtually anything that is too hot or icky to do with your bare hands. Tip: Don’t leave the tongs in the kitchen once dinner is ready! Bring them to the table and use them to dish up your meal in an efficient and tidy way. 4 - STAINLESS FRY PANS If the house was on fire, I would probably grab the kids and my All-Clad pans from the kitchen before leaving. Heavy enough to sear a steak or dissolve sugar, these versatile stovetop-to-oven fry pans just might actually make my food taste better. I’ve disturbed them nearly every day from where they sleep on my pot rack, yet then show almost no sign of wear and tear. 5 - LARGE CUTTING BOARD Essential for any kitchen, an all-purpose cutting board can never be too big. My hefty wooden board has many different uses, ranging from basic everyday food prep to cheese board at a party. Tip: Bigger is better! As long as you have storage space for it, your cutting board can’t be too big. Often I’ll have at least three different items in various stages of preparation in three corners of my large board. 6 - SILICONE SPATULA The perfect balance between firm and flexible and available in every pretty color imaginable: it’s the spatula all grown up. Heat resistant to 800F, these spatulas were probably invented by someone who often absentmindedly set the spatula down on the hot stove next to the pot. Guilty! The silicone head won’t scratch non-stick cookware, and is easily removed and tossed in the dishwasher for proper disinfecting. See the original, complete post by clicking the link provided.

Looks very basic, right? But mind you, the very purpose of this article and the lists in it is to remind you that although you already have majority of these things in your kitchen, there are those that you never thought you'd left out. You only knew you need them because of this article. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="580"] (image credit: DuluthNewsTribune.com)[/caption] Meanwhile, RealSimple.com, in the article, "Essential Kitchen Tools Checklist," emphasizes the importance of having the right tools for cooking for the obvious reason that the job of preparing food for everyone becomes a lot easier and faster. In fact, a lot of dishes and meals aren't prepared or cooked the right way because the tools used in preparing them weren't the right ones.

Slotted spoon - Pick a sturdy spoon with a stainless steel handle that won’t get too hot. Whisk - A solid rather than a wired handle will prevent food from getting stuck inside. Buy one with thin wires (not thick, heavy ones) to make sure it’s well-balanced when whipping egg whites or cream. Chef’s knife - Opt for an 8- to 9-inch blade with a thick bolster, the metal that extends from the handle to the edge of the blade and acts as a finger guard while you’re chopping. This knife should feel comfortable in your hand. Lemon press - The best models are big enough for both a lime and a lemon and have ridges to grip fruit better. Microplane grater - For small tasks that require a fine grater—zesting lemons and grating Parmesan, garlic, and nutmeg—use a razor-sharp, stainless steel model. Paring knife - The blade should fall between 3 to 4 inches for small, fine cuts like coring tomatoes and peeling fruits and vegetables. A sturdy model’s blade will extend through the handle. Potato masher - A curved head will let you get into corners of bowls and pots. Serrated bread knife - You want a rigid blade of at least 8 inches and an offset handle, which will let you slice through sandwiches without banging your knuckles on the cutting board. Y-shaped vegetable peeler - This will give you a better grip than a traditional swivel model for hard-to-peel foods like mangoes and butternut squash. Can opener - A safe-cut, or smooth-edge, model cuts around the outside of the can, rather than the lid; produces smooth edges; and will never lower the lid into your food. Corkscrew - A standard waiter’s corkscrew will open both beer and wine and take up much less space than a two-armed model. Instant-read thermometer - Find one that is easy-to-read and shatterproof. Measuring cups - You’ll want measuring cups for both dry and wet ingredients. For dry ingredients, you’ll need at least 1-cup and 4-cup measuring tools on hand. Measuring spoons - Oval models are more likely to fit into spice jars. Peppermill - An easily adjustable grind setting will let you go from coarse to fine. A large hole allows easy refilling of the peppercorns. Learn the rest of the essential tools mentioned in the article here.

In the end, you just have to love the idea of cooking in order to appreciate the importance and significance of buying the right tools for the kitchen. But if you're someone who prefers ordering and bringing food from the fast food restaurants or deliveries, then you might never feel the need to invest in these tools. Part of the concept of embracing home cooking is creating a perfect and suitable kitchen environment. This environment won't be attained without the right tools.

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