Updating the Kitchen Essentials

[lindag]

I wouldn't say that THIS is an indispensible item but it sure has proven itself worthy in my kitchen.

Bought it on a whim a few weeks ago and it's the perfect gadget to grab a boiling hot bowl of soup from the microwave - somehow mitts or towel just don't do the job here.

Also, it's perfect as well for removing sheet pans or pizza pans from a hot oven.

I clip it onto the edge of my tool caddy so I remember to use it.

[andiesenji]

I wouldn't say that THIS is an indispensible item but it sure has proven itself worthy in my kitchen.

Bought it on a whim a few weeks ago and it's the perfect gadget to grab a boiling hot bowl of soup from the microwave - somehow mitts or towel just don't do the job here.

Also, it's perfect as well for removing sheet pans or pizza pans from a hot oven.

I clip it onto the edge of my tool caddy so I remember to use it.

I'm glad they are making these again.

I've owned these for at least forty years.

I use them all the time as I often use my smallish stainless steel bowls to heat or cook small amounts of various ingredients (one of the reasons I have the 2-burner copper plates so my stovetop will work like a flat-top.

The one that hangs next to the stovetop exhaust hood has turned yellowish from the many years of exposure to heat.

I have also come to rely heavily on this which saves me a bit of time when I use it instead of plastic wrap or foil to cover baking dishes. And unlike foil, it can go into the microwave for a quick finish after coming out of the oven.

I also have a square one and sets of round ones made by Norpro and by Charles Viancin.

They do keep the microwave much cleaner.

[Shel_B]

I've a 1-quart saucepan that is my most used pot. The 4-quart All-Clad saucepan is probably next in line along with the 10-inch skillet.

[AmbrosiaFood]

My vote is for:

Kitchenaid model G mixer

Robot Coupe R2 food processor

Vita Mix 4000 blender

vintage Sabatier carbon steel knives

Enameled cast iron cookware & bakeware

Dexter Russell spatulas & hand tools

Vollrath cooking spoons and hand tools

Vollrath aluminum clad stockpots, bowls, basins

Thorpe rolling pins

vintage heavy copper cookware

[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 January 31, 2013 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[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 February 1, 2013 by tsp. (log)

[Martin Fisher]

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 February 2, 2013 by patrickamory (log)

[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