Utensils

What tools to use to cook with












A Few words on Knives:
It’s difficult to give advice since this is a decision made more by preference than anything. Personally, I like a heavy well balanced knife; my fave is the Wusthof Culinar line. However many people like the lighter Japanese knives, and others prefer something in the middle. Then there are wood handles, plastic handles, and metal, then the curve of the blade itself etc… you get the point.
However, the absolute first thing I would suggest is going to a knife skills class. You won’t believe how beneficial and how much time it shaves off your cooking. Then I would go to a William Sonoma, or a Zabars, and speak to someone who really knows what they’re talking about, and pick the right knife for you. This will be and should be expensive. Unless it’s on sale, if you’re getting a knife that’s under $75, think twice, the quality can’t be that great.


Mezzaluna:
You might have seen this little doo-dad in home and kitchen stores and have no idea what it is for. The two semi circular blades (half moons or "mezza luna") are very sharp and fine, and used for chopping delicate things like herbs mostly, and they do the job perfectly. Of course, you can chop pretty much whatever you want with it. I like chopping the small hard-to-chop stuff like garlic and shallots too.


Box Grater:
A must for the kitchen. Four sides, one for slicing (great for potatoes), one for large grating (like cheese), one side for zesting, and another for smaller grating.






Mandolin:
If you tend to slice and shred a lot of veggies, then you might want to consider a mandolin. I'm actually not sure how it gets it name, but it is a handy tool that doesn't take up terribly much space. You can control the thickness, and even how you slice your veggies. You can slice with ridges (like for ruffled potato chips), or you can shred (like for coleslaw). Just be careful because as you can imagine, the blade is terribly sharp and you can wind up slicing off more than you want...


Tongs:
One tends not to see these often in home kitchens, but that's too bad because they come in terribly handy. Better than a spatula for flipping your food, and because of their length, great for sticking things in and out of the oven without burning yourself. They come like this or with a heat resistant rubber coating that's gentler on your food. Cheap and useful.


Bamboo Skimmer:
This handy dandy strainer is perfect for getting veggies out of boiling water, or even pasta. Its about 4-6 inches in diameter with a bamboo (or metal) handle, and so much easier than lifting a heavy hot pot of boiling water and straining it. It can be hard to find in a normal kitchen store, but head down to your local Asian market, and you'll find it. Plus, it's uber cheap -- $5 or less cheap.


French Rolling Pin:
I'm not being a snob about this really! The French rolling pins are in fact superior to Grandma's old pin with the handles. First off, because there are no handles, there's nothing to break off or get loose, and more importantly, no rolling pin lines in your pastry. Plus because of its length, it's easier to wrap your dough around the pin before putting it in your pie dish or baking sheet. It is very long, but also very skinny, so it's not too difficult to find a spot for it. Like most things made of wood though, it doesn't really want to get wet, or it can start warping. So if you have a really sticky job, wet a dishtowel and wipe it over the surface, don't let it sit in water or run it under the tap.