Cooking is an important part of life. We all need to eat. With today's hectic schedules and already-in-a-box dinners, a good home cooked meal is hard to come by. No one wants to spend their whole weekend putting together a meal either. But, on occasion, we all have to cook something, sometime, that someone will hopefully like. For those times, we will need to right kitchen tools.
But like everything else worth undertaking, cooking has its own set of tools. You wouldn't expect a surgeon to operate with a blow torch or an artist to paint with a flounder, so why expect to be able to prepare a meal that would be the envy of all of Paris with a pan and a fork? No, cooking has its own special toolset. To be successful as a suburban gourmet, you should make sure you have everything you need.
The first thing you should do is; think about what kind of food you normally eat. Like any other job, if the task is one you enjoy, the work will be enjoyable. When the task is more enjoyable then the outcome will be more favorable. If you are a staunch vegetarian, maybe a BBQ set isn't for you, however nice grilled carrots might sound. Really brainstorm over the type of cooking you are predisposed towards. Don't put yourself through a meat grinder, but do a little soul searching.
If establishing what type of food you are going to cook on a regular basis is the first step, the second step would be to locate where to purchase the needed tools. There are a lot of deals to be had on the internet on specialized kitchen tools. I don't think your local, big box retailer will carry that grinder, but cutting boards and wooden spatulas are generally easier to come by there. Pasta makers, revolutionary bread makers and the next big wiz-bang can be found cheaper on the internet. Provided you don't need something in 10 minutes, shopping on the net gives you more options.
There are some specialized kitchen tools you should not be left without. A good set of plastic cutting boards and a sharp, good quality knife set are the base of any endeavor. Consider these your foundation. Generally, a four sided grater for cheese and veggies is a good idea. Wooden spoons and rubber tipped spatulas for mixing and cooking are essential. I recommend a mortar and pestle for things like fresh oregano and cilantro and a grinder for dried spices such as black pepper and mustard seed. Try to buy corers and kitchen shears with rubber handles if possible. Anyone who's ever had to peel more than 4 potatoes at time will know why. Most professional kitchens will use a glass measuring cup and metal or plastic measuring spoons. I will take it to the next level and suggest a 2 cup measuring cup.
Aside from what's on the box there are literally millions of things you can do with just a simple paring knife. Fresh radishes become crowns for garnishment and added roughage. With just a few twists of a peeler and you have a nice apple ribbon on the side of your homemade apple pancakes. The two main things are to think healthy and think fresh. Fresh black pepper from the pepper grinder is preferred for cooking. The same can be said for ginger root and especially garlic. A good food processor can help with a lot of this and really cut down on time spent mincing and dicing. Fresh will always be better.
Well now you've wowed your guests or family and it's time to clean up. I suggest you have a bottle brush on hand for any of your utensils that might have moving parts or tiny spots you can't get to with a regular dish rag. Make sure that what you are putting into the dishwasher belongs in a dishwasher- please, no rubber handled utensils, big daddy fryers or rotisserie ovens. I highly recommend installing an upright sliding shelf under cabinet space. This helps you stay more organized and will also help with the time factor-sometimes you can spend more time looking for a spatula than you will actually using it.
With your new kitchen tools comes great new kitchen responsibility. Remember: fresh is better.Don't be afraid to experiment or try out a new kitchen do-dad. But most of all-have fun!
But like everything else worth undertaking, cooking has its own set of tools. You wouldn't expect a surgeon to operate with a blow torch or an artist to paint with a flounder, so why expect to be able to prepare a meal that would be the envy of all of Paris with a pan and a fork? No, cooking has its own special toolset. To be successful as a suburban gourmet, you should make sure you have everything you need.
The first thing you should do is; think about what kind of food you normally eat. Like any other job, if the task is one you enjoy, the work will be enjoyable. When the task is more enjoyable then the outcome will be more favorable. If you are a staunch vegetarian, maybe a BBQ set isn't for you, however nice grilled carrots might sound. Really brainstorm over the type of cooking you are predisposed towards. Don't put yourself through a meat grinder, but do a little soul searching.
If establishing what type of food you are going to cook on a regular basis is the first step, the second step would be to locate where to purchase the needed tools. There are a lot of deals to be had on the internet on specialized kitchen tools. I don't think your local, big box retailer will carry that grinder, but cutting boards and wooden spatulas are generally easier to come by there. Pasta makers, revolutionary bread makers and the next big wiz-bang can be found cheaper on the internet. Provided you don't need something in 10 minutes, shopping on the net gives you more options.
There are some specialized kitchen tools you should not be left without. A good set of plastic cutting boards and a sharp, good quality knife set are the base of any endeavor. Consider these your foundation. Generally, a four sided grater for cheese and veggies is a good idea. Wooden spoons and rubber tipped spatulas for mixing and cooking are essential. I recommend a mortar and pestle for things like fresh oregano and cilantro and a grinder for dried spices such as black pepper and mustard seed. Try to buy corers and kitchen shears with rubber handles if possible. Anyone who's ever had to peel more than 4 potatoes at time will know why. Most professional kitchens will use a glass measuring cup and metal or plastic measuring spoons. I will take it to the next level and suggest a 2 cup measuring cup.
Aside from what's on the box there are literally millions of things you can do with just a simple paring knife. Fresh radishes become crowns for garnishment and added roughage. With just a few twists of a peeler and you have a nice apple ribbon on the side of your homemade apple pancakes. The two main things are to think healthy and think fresh. Fresh black pepper from the pepper grinder is preferred for cooking. The same can be said for ginger root and especially garlic. A good food processor can help with a lot of this and really cut down on time spent mincing and dicing. Fresh will always be better.
Well now you've wowed your guests or family and it's time to clean up. I suggest you have a bottle brush on hand for any of your utensils that might have moving parts or tiny spots you can't get to with a regular dish rag. Make sure that what you are putting into the dishwasher belongs in a dishwasher- please, no rubber handled utensils, big daddy fryers or rotisserie ovens. I highly recommend installing an upright sliding shelf under cabinet space. This helps you stay more organized and will also help with the time factor-sometimes you can spend more time looking for a spatula than you will actually using it.
With your new kitchen tools comes great new kitchen responsibility. Remember: fresh is better.Don't be afraid to experiment or try out a new kitchen do-dad. But most of all-have fun!
About the Author:
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Slicer Meat which discusses various meat slicers on the market and which one might be an option for you and your family.
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