50 replies to this topic

[jfresch]

What tools do you have in your knife bag or kitchen that you couldn't live without?

Mini offset spat, khun spoon

[Shel_B]

8-inch chef knife
vegetable peeler
manual can opener

[radtek]

Lets see.. If one just had to really choose?

Trusty 8" chef's knife and steel
Double sided chromium oxide stone
Superfast Thermapen
Digital scale
Stick blender

Second string would be any pots or pans and third would be the appliances starting with the microwave.

And I can cook without opening any cans but would mourn the loss of my current model!

[andiesenji]

I can't even begin to choose - I tried laying things out on a counter but too many to list - things that I used every day, often several times a day.
Just to start:
Knife, fork, spoon, whisk, bowl, plate, frypan, saucepan, spatula, cup measure, strainer, Thermapen, towel that can double as a hot pad, string...

[gfweb]

limiting this to tools:
6" paring knife, 8" chef's knife, veg peeler, can opener, bread knife, tongs

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Limiting this to tools. There are other things that I consider to be indispensable (like oven mitts that go up to my elbows), but they're not strictly hardware.

4" paring knife, 8" chef's knife, 12" nakiri, 16" cake knife, steel, CrO₂ stone, fork, veg peeler, bottle/can opener, tongs, silicone spatula, whisk, fine mesh strainers, barrel sifter, rolling pin, silpat, cup measure(s), measuring spoons, standard and candy thermometers (solid state), Microplane or grater or some sort, small digital balance with 5 kg weight capacity in mg increments. Of this, the only thing that doesn't fit in my roll is the barrel sifter - I have collapsable silicone 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 C measures, and my balance fits in the palm of my hand.

EDIT - Pots and pans are a whole 'nother story entirely, as are appliances. For example, all of the above is useless to me without a stove and an oven of some description!

Edited by Panaderia Canadiense, 31 January 2013 - 06:54 AM.

[AnneN]

Limiting this to tools. There are other things that I consider to be indispensable (like oven mitts that go up to my elbows), but they're not strictly hardware.

4" paring knife, 8" chef's knife, 12" nakiri, 16" cake knife, steel, CrO₂ stone, fork, veg peeler, bottle/can opener, tongs, silicone spatula, whisk, fine mesh strainers, barrel sifter, rolling pin, silpat, cup measure(s), measuring spoons, standard and candy thermometers (solid state), Microplane or grater or some sort, small digital balance with 5 kg weight capacity in mg increments. Of this, the only thing that doesn't fit in my roll is the barrel sifter - I have collapsable silicone 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 C measures, and my balance fits in the palm of my hand.

EDIT - Pots and pans are a whole 'nother story entirely, as are appliances. For example, all of the above is useless to me without a stove and an oven of some description!

I was just looking at a nakiri knife; what do you like about it?

[ScottyBoy]

8" chef's, Kunz spoon, tongs, DMT stone and towels I guess.

[lochaven]

3 1/2" paring knife.

[adey73]

I don't get why the Kunz spoon is so highly regarded?
(Kindly egulleters sent me some).

Is there a Mercedes Benz of the Squeezy bottle out there, I've seen them with different nozels but can only track down generic?

[tsp.]

This thing does it all. Sure, it lacks the distinctive wavy surface pattern of a Damascus steel blade, but hey, it can julienne, grate, shave, peel.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Limiting this to tools. There are other things that I consider to be indispensable (like oven mitts that go up to my elbows), but they're not strictly hardware.

4" paring knife, 8" chef's knife, 12" nakiri, 16" cake knife, steel, CrO₂ stone, fork, veg peeler, bottle/can opener, tongs, silicone spatula, whisk, fine mesh strainers, barrel sifter, rolling pin, silpat, cup measure(s), measuring spoons, standard and candy thermometers (solid state), Microplane or grater or some sort, small digital balance with 5 kg weight capacity in mg increments. Of this, the only thing that doesn't fit in my roll is the barrel sifter - I have collapsable silicone 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 C measures, and my balance fits in the palm of my hand.

EDIT - Pots and pans are a whole 'nother story entirely, as are appliances. For example, all of the above is useless to me without a stove and an oven of some description!

I was just looking at a nakiri knife; what do you like about it?

Where to start?!?! My nakiri is relatively light for having such a large blade - it looks like a cleaver - and there really isn't any equal that I've handled (and I collect knives) for chopping fruits and veggies. Like most Japanese knives, it cuts on the push. I originally picked it up to slice ginger very very finely for pickling, but it has since become the most used knife in my kitchen because it's as easy to cut a carrot as it is a zucchini with it, and I can get much finer slices, excellent juliennes, and have much finer control over the blade than with my chef's knives (this is probably due to the different angle of grinding on the edge - it cuts much faster and with less effort than my chef's knives, even when I've got them razor sharp. I really need to invest in an edgepro system so that I can control the bevel exactly when I sharpen, but that's neither here nor there.)

I've also found that I tend to slice my fingers far less with the nakiri than with a chef's knife, even though the nakiri is much more slicey - the grip used with it is different, and for me at least it promotes fast slicing with minimal finger involvement.

[heidih]

This thing does it all. Sure, it lacks the distinctive wavy surface pattern of a Damascus steel blade, but hey, it can julienne, grate, shave, peel.

I have one of those and used it quite a bit but it does not seem made for the long haul - mine cracked - looking for another

[tsp.]

I seriously don't know anyone who has left Hanoi without one. I have another thing I like: The Opinel mushroom knife is the ideal companion for my favorite pastime, foraging in the woods. Its pruning blade and boar bristle brush are perfect for cleaning my foraged mushrooms.

Edited by tsp., 31 January 2013 - 07:33 PM.

[DiggingDogFarm]

In addition to knives and other obvious tools, I consider stainless steel scouring pads essential.
I can't image cleaning pots and pans without them. They make the most dreaded part of cooking a bit easier.


~Martin

[patrickamory]

My Togiharu santoku
Thai mortar and pestle
Oxo good grips peeler
microplane
measuring spoons and cups
spice grinder
large assortment of wooden spoons and paddles

seriously if I had to get by with just the above I could

- oh, and my honing steel -

Edited by patrickamory, 02 February 2013 - 11:15 AM.

[judiu]

Patrick, is the Thai mortar and pestle shown in the photo as your avatar? Beautiful colour!

[patrickamory]

judiu - it is, thanks! I wish I used it to pound curry pastes more these days... that job has been outsourced to the wetgrinder.

[gfweb]

This thing does it all. Sure, it lacks the distinctive wavy surface pattern of a Damascus steel blade, but hey, it can julienne, grate, shave, peel.

I have one of those and used it quite a bit but it does not seem made for the long haul - mine cracked - looking for another

What is it called?

[liuzhou]

Apart from my Chinese cleaver, without which I'd be lost



I'd also really miss my plate lifter. As used to lift hot plates from the wok after steaming stuff on them. Almost always fish.

Photographs are provided for clarification purposes only. No food (or crockery) was harmed during the making of this post.

[Charcuterer]

I thought about the things that I put my hands on the most and this is my list.

8" chefs knife and steel
maple cutting board
scale
wooden spoons
fine mesh strainer
Oxo peeler
Braun stick blender
3 quart dutch oven
10 inch fry pan

[patrickamory]

Ah, I was thinking tools only... I didn't include cutting board, pots or pans.

[scubadoo97]

Good quality tongs are a must

[patrickamory]

Good quality tongs are a must

ABSOLUTELY true. I forgot about these.

[qrn]

a CDNthermometer,so I know when stuff is hot enough,,,(or cold enough)

[Porthos]

12" chef knife
3 1/2" paring knife
Cutting board sized for the chef knife
12" saute pan
3 qt Revere pan with lid
Wooden Spoon
Plastic Slotted spoon
Spatula
Good tongs
Can opener
8 qt stainless steel mixing bowl - I hate cleaning plastic bowls and I dislike glass bowls in the kitchen.
Measuring cups and measuring spoons
Sieve or collonder (sp)

These are the essentials. However, my DW and I got fishing in the Sierras where we rent a house-keeping cabin. I have a tub full of equipment that also includes decent wine glass and I bring my knife roll and a few pots and pans because I don't do well mentally when I don't have the stuff I like to use. The cabin kitchens are furnished with Walmart-type bargain basement stuff and the knives there are an affront to anyone with any level of knife skiil. The essentials as listed above would see me through - I just wouldn't like it.

[ojisan]

4" paring knife, 8" chef's knife, 12" nakiri,

I've never heard of a 12" nakiri. Can you post a photo?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

4" paring knife, 8" chef's knife, 12" nakiri,

I've never heard of a 12" nakiri. Can you post a photo?

Here it is. It has no markings other than the characters on the blade, and it's a honking big knife. I found it at my local chef's store, and it came in a simple card sheath, so I have no clue about provenance. It handles and holds an edge like high-carbon steel. Even though I've got ridiculously small hands, I still love it to bits.

[Charcuterer]

That is a really pretty blade.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

It is, and I wish I knew more about it! I was in Quito today and asked the staff at the chef's supply store where I bought it. They say that four such knives were in the bottom of a crate of plates that came with an Okinawa postmark. They're not even sure how the dang things made it through customs. So, all I can say is that three other chefs in Ecuador have one of these oversized nakiri.