Sunday, March 1, 2009

Helpful and Handy Kitchen Gadgets

By Tracy Adams

Looking for handy kitchen gadgets? Kitchens are hungry little things. No matter how many tools and pots you have, your kitchen will always want a feeding. But the hungriest of all kitchens are the ones whose cooks are only just starting out. These are the kitchens with little more than dull knives, a thin aluminum with dents to match, and a scratched, cheap nonstick pan. Is your kitchen one? Then it's time to buy these handy kitchen gadgets.

Vegetable peeler, for removing the peels of potatoes, carrots, apples, and other similar types other fruits and vegetables can done by hand if you have lots of time. You can use a paring knife if you have one but its safer to use a peeler instead.

Kitchen timer. You may not be a contestant on Iron Chef and have more than an hour to whip up a three-course meal. But hey, even you need to keep track of time while working at the kitchen! Keeping time is a must to avoid overcooking anything. After all, soggy pasta ruins your spaghetti; burnt pizza is annoying; and overcooking in general takes away the flavor from an otherwise tasty meal. Never mind that your microwave has a built-in timer. You still need a separate kitchen timer because one day someday, you'll have to cook something on open fire or on the stove or cook several dishes at the same time!

Microplane grater. These handy kitchen gadgets are used to grate nutmeg, zest, and ginger. Imagine how hard this task would be without one!

Garlic press. You probably know that garlic is a major ingredient of many foods. And if you have a little garlic press handy, you can cut your garlic prep time in half or less. Instead of cutting each clove individual after peeling off the skin, you can put it in with all of its skin and press, which also helps with cleanup.

Measuring spoons and cups. If you watch on TV, expert cooks and chefs always have these. Theres just no way to get around the measuring tools of the trade. If you want your food to come out the same each time, then you have to make sure your ingredients are accurately measured. Having too much of one ingredient can spell disaster.

It pays to own a Corkscrew. Whether youre fond of wines or not, you might run into the need for one of these at the drop of a hat. You dont need to get an expensive one, but dont buy the cheapest one you see for sure. You want one that keeps the cork in one piece and does the job without breaking the rim or shaking the sediments up. So, make sure you and your date (or your family) get to enjoy that bottle of red wine they brought to your home by being equipped with a corkscrew.

Spatulas, both solid and for use in the wok. A wok spatula is for stir-frying,while the solid spatula is for lifting and turning items such as eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. It is hard to get by without one of these two handy kitchen gadgets. That's why you might decide to get them both, since they will be very useful.

Whisks (balloon and flat). Start whisking your way to kitchen freedom with balloon and flat whisks. The flat whisk is great for pans to get in the corners, while the balloon whisk adds more fluffiness to a mixture.

Food processor. You don't live in the dark ages so why not purchase one of these handy kitchen gadgets? A food processor is durable and can really speed up prep time if you use it to chop, dice, and puree vegetables, fruits and other food items.

Obviously you wouldn't need to get these handy kitchen gadgets at one time but you have to start somewhere. For instance, you could get the measuring tools, the timer, spatulas, and processor then work your way through all the items you want. Eventually these items will be your handy little kitchen helpers as you prepare food for your family.

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