October 25, 2019

Kitchen Tools – Good, Bad and the Deadwood

Kitchen Tools in order of importance ~ and those you should skip

Kitchen tools abound. No matter if you are just kitting out your first place or if you are adding onto a good base, there are a million kitchen “essentials” out there. Some really are wonderful. Others? Not so much.

Most important kitchen tool? Good knives.

You don’t need many – I use the same chef’s knife again, and again and again. Throw in a paring knife, and you should be able to tackle any chopping needs. An inexpensive serrated knife rounds out the trifecta. There are some really great knives out there, but most of them come with a hefty price tag. For the money, the Misen knives can’t be beat. Check out their 8″ Chef’s Knife as well as their paring knife. You can pick out your favorite color and everything.

There are plenty of other options, of course, and my favorite is the Santoku by JA Henckels (affiliate links follow – see disclaimer for details). I love the way it cuts, and the price is right.

Serrated knives are great for cutting bread, but they are also perfect for slicing tomatoes, and cutting cake in half horizontally, to name a few. They’re also cheap. Score!

In the cutting category (I’m calling this 1A) add in a great pair of kitchen scissors. I have a magnetic knife rack attached to the wall behind my chopping block, and my scissors have the first spot – because I use them constantly. The knife rack is 1B – and I would recommend it instead of a knife block all day long. The knife rack keeps the knives and scissors safely out of the way without taking up valuable counter space. But they’re still super accessible. Win.

DEADWOOD ALERT! Kitchen tools you don’t need.

In order to really shine with your knife skills, you need a decent chopping block. I’d recommend wood. And one big enough to chop on and keep the already cut items on. I don’t like the ones with the little trough around the outside – it seems to just get in the way. What you don’t need? A million dollar block. Check around for a non-name brand that’s on sale. I’ve seen some good ones at TJ Maxx. The one I used was purchased on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond. I wouldn’t spend any more than $50 on a chopping block.

Second most important cooking tool? A right sized cast iron skillet.

It is fabulous for cooking all manner of food on top of the stove. It’s also unparalleled for cooking in the oven. They retain their heat and distribute it evenly, making cooking well that much easier.

As an aside – I always leave a pot holder or kitchen towel wrapped around the handle of the cast iron skillet after removing it from the oven. It’s easy to forget how hot the cast iron stays and burn yourself badly. Safety first.

I’d recommend the 12″ size to start your collection. I’m enamored of the Lodge brand – they are consistently the best. Over time, you’ll find that you need a smaller size skillet, or a huge skillet, or the griddle/grill pan. They’re all good – but you can wait until you have a specific need to add that to your cupboard.

Must have gadgets?

Meat Thermometer, Electronic Scale, and Hand Blender.

An Instant Read Meat Thermometer does more than just check the internal temp of meat, although that’s a really important job. You can also use it to check oil temp when you’re frying and whether you’re to the soft ball stage when you’re making candy. I love this one because it’s compact and super efficient. It’s also magnetized, so it sticks to the side of the stove, making it always accessible.

I use my Kitchen Scale constantly. I’m really bad at eyeballing meatballs and burgers – and if they aren’t sized consistently, they don’t cook at the same time. I also use it when I’m adding something for a recipe – I don’t know what 8 ounces of carrots looks like spatially. Occasionally (very occasionally) I’m keeping track of what I’m eating – and this is super handy for that too.

My favorite Hand Blender is super powerful and multi-faceted. I use it in a pot of soup to mash it (off stove, please) and with the bowl attachment to whir up some whipped cream. It chops veggies fast, and gets nuts to the right consistency, now.

BAD Kitchen Tools. Just bad.

Fat separator with Bottom Release. I saw it on a cooking show, and thought it would be a fabulous thing to have. You simply add all the cooking liquids to what looks like a measuring cup and let it sit for a few minutes. Then you press the lever and let the non-fatty liquids drain into a bowl. The problem? This worked ONCE. Once I cleaned it, it leaked every. single. time. Don’t even get me started on how hard it was to clean the plastic container with all the fat on it BY HAND.

Zoodles are great. This tool? Not so much.

Veggetti hand held. It does do a fabulous job of spiralizing summer squash – but that’s it. It balks, big time, at anything that’s firmer. Carrots? Ummm, no. Sweet potatoes? Hah! Winter squash? Forget about it. And just skip this one, hmm?

Garlic press. Because it doesn’t press the garlic through – it smushes it. And it does it with a fair amount of waste. Plus it comes out of the dishwasher with garlic still on it. Use your fabulous new paring knife and work on your chopping skills instead.

Premium blenders. A sad truth in my world, is that blenders don’t work forever. Or you drop the pitcher and it smashes into a billion pieces (approximately). The blender I use now, for smoothies, ice drinks and the occasionally milk shake, is an Oster Blender that I got on the clearance rack at Target for $9.99. And it works perfectly for me. When it stops working, I’ll replace it without too much angst. The mega-blenders would have me clutching my pearls if they quit on me.

Specialty pans like this Paella pan. It wasn’t terribly pricey, and I thought we’d enjoy paella, but it turns out we don’t love saffron. I seasoned the hell out of this pan – I followed every direction I could find. And what happened when I made Paella the very first time? All the seasoning came off. Into the paella. Um yuck. Do I try again to season it? Probably not. This one is sitting in the garage, awaiting it’s fate.

More Deadwood Kitchen Tools

What do I mean about deadwood? These ones are more trouble than they’re worth, IMHO.

Mandoline – this one actually works very well, and I thought I’d use it ALL. THE. TIME. It turns out that getting it out, set up and washed makes it a fairly time consuming “helper”. That being said though, it is fabulous for making dishes with a ton of slicing, like Decadent Scalloped Onions. But for goodness sake, be careful – and absolutely use the guide.

Salad Spinner. This one takes up so much space! I hardly ever get it out, because, while it works, it’s easier to wash lettuce by hand. The bowl is a nice size though, and works wonders as a punch bowl in a pinch.