Top 10 Mandatory Kitchen Tools for the Home Chef
Recently we received a question in the comments section from Melissa Leon, a faithful Prime Cuts reader, asking for a list of the
essential kitchen tools/gadgets for the home chef. I think this is a great idea for a post and am happy to give the chefs perspective on what a home cook should have. By tools and gadgets, I mean things other than the basic set of pots, pans, table cutlery, and working stove top and oven.
Joe’s List of 10 Mandatory Kitchen Tools
Many of these are common items that most people will already have, but I want to offer my opinion on the best type, for durability, performance, and functionality. I suggest that when shopping for these items you browse the web for restaurant supply sources and order from there. Home cook supply shops tend to be stocked with overpriced and over complicated versions of what chefs have been using professionally for years.
1. KNIVES - You really don’t need many, but the few you own, or better yet, use on a day to day basis, should be durable, sharp, and suited to your hand/body size. Avoid buying all purpose knifes that are completely serrated; you will never be able to make precision cuts, or sharpen them. The only serrated knife you really need is a long thin bread knife. Other than that, you should have an all purpose chefs (butcher knife), filet knife, boning knife, and paring knife. Buy quality and you will most likely never have to buy them again.
2. CUTTING BOARD, SHARPENING STONE, AND STEEL - I include these as one category because they are essentially secondary requirements for using knives, it doesn’t make sense to have knives without them. The best cutting boards are the simplest ones, the white, synthetic, plain board type. They are dishwasher safe, will never warp, can be bleached clean of any stain, and are ruggedly durable. For the sharpening stone and steel, you need not spend a fortune, but buy a stone that has at least two coarseness, and steel that feels smooth but not slippery, and learn how to use them well.
3. TONGS – Simply put, buy yourself some basic metal, restaurant style tongs in both short and long lengths. The tongs that come in home grill sets, are clumsy and weak, and they make you want to reach for the turning fork, which you should never, ever use.
4. VEGETABLE PEELER – A strong wide peeler with a good grippy handle, and replaceable blade, is very important. You will thank yourself when you are doing the thanksgiving mashed potatoes, or worse yet, trying to work your way into a butternut squash.
5. MIXING BOWLS – A good set of three, large, different sized, metal mixing bowls, is a huge personal favor. From breading stations, to salads, to multi phased dessert prep, if you want the ability to make impressive restaurant quality food at home, you will need more than your soup and cereal bowls.
6. BOX GRATER – You may have a grater, but do you have a real box grater? It should a four sided mechanism with four different shredder types, at least two of which are the standard grater style, just varying in size. The other two shredder types are less important, but it should also have a strong sturdy, and comfortable handle, and good strong welds holding it together.
7. RUBBER SPATULA – These are at times the only things to truly fit into oddly shaped surfaces. Many rubber spatulas are also heat proof and perfectly suited to working right in a hot pan loosening a sticky omelet, or scraping the last bit of melted chocolate out of the bowl and onto your brownies.
8. WISK – The wisk is like the box grater, you probably have one, but is it a good one? Strong and sturdy with a large handle, the wisk is the ultimate mixing tool. For making fresh whipped crème, mixing a simple batter, or marinade, anything that needs to be mixed can be done better with a wisk, so why not have a good one.
9. STRAINER – There is most likely a colander in the house for making spaghetti, but this is not the same as a good strainer. Your strainer should be metal and moderately sized, with a long handle, and a clasp, or bend opposite the handle side for resting on the edge of a pot or bowl. In the restaurant there are countless sauces, stocks, and purees that are finished or made better by passing through a specifically sized strainer, at home you can probably get away with just having one.
10. BRUSHES – You should have two types of brushes, one for meats, and one for everything else. Basting your ribs with barbeque sauce is best done with a synthetic, dishwasher safe brush with heavy large bristles, while glazing the tops of your sticky buns requires a brush that is much more delicate, with shorter, softer bristles.
With these tools you should be able to accomplish more than 90% of all home cooks ever will, and you will be able to do it well! You will not have to spend a ton to get them, but, buy simple, durable equipment and maintain it well. You should have it forever because most chefs’ tools are meant for a lifetime of abuse!
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Photo by: fah-lo-sue
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