10 Crucial Cooking Utensils You Cannot Do Without

10 Crucial Cooking Utensils You Cannot Do Without

The list can quickly be long, between the big and small appliances the must have kitchen gadgets or even novelty gadgets that are especially welcome in households.

There are just a few utensils that are crucial and that will allow you to deal with any situation. I do not mean professional utensils that fill professional kitchens, but the ones useful in a household. I propose a list of 10 utensils any cook should have in a family kitchen to calmly deal with any recipe.

1. A few good knives

Do not be deceived, by the look nor the price, nor by the bragging. It's the steel and how it was forged that will determine its performance. The knife should of course be of the highest quality, but it also needs to be comfortable. Ideally is better a knife in less but a good stone instead! It is ideal to have at least a good puntilla knife, a cook knife, and a knife to fillet (used for to filet fishes like soles etc..). Japanese knives are very trendy. These are often well suited to one type of technique.

2. An assortment of strainers

Important, you will need small and medium size Chinese strainer and conical mesh strainer. The first one for a rustic filtering and to tread, the others to refine and filter finely.

3. A selection of spatulas including a silicone one

Polycarbonate or in silicone, choose them adapted to the situations. Rigid for mixing work, and more flexible and square for custard, mounted sauces, deglazing ... and the famous "Maryse" (on the right) essential to minimize waste and to work cleanly.

4. A scraper
Necessary to work chocolate on marble, fill pastry bags, or pick up creams, meringues and other mixtures.

5. A Kitchen Aid mixer robot 

The star of the kitchen, not really more expensive than its competitors but extremely loyal and robust, adopted by a majority of professionals and households.

6. Kitchen Mandolin cutting blade

Ideal for regular sizes as julienne and other thin slices, a necessary complement to good knives.

7. A thermometer / probe

Because everything must be under control, in order to make foie gras, to cook meat, to check the poaching bath, the chocolate temperature, the cooked sugar ... .. so many jobs that will make the probe necessary.

8. A good pan without Teflon

Because that's how we cook in a kitchen. You'll get a much better Maillard Reaction, abundant juices and the necessary temperature accumulation. Choose a good quality stainless steel pan and do not look at the price, it will be your lifelong friend.

9. A pair of tongs

It will help you to turn your meat or poultry, and move products that are cooking safely and accurately while avoiding poking clumsily into the flesh of the meat and risk damaging or corrupting the cooking.

10. A selection of cooking whisks 

Depending on what you do and on the volume of the mixture you are working with you may need different types and sizes of whisks: long, thin, small, stronger and more rounded or flat ... don't get stuck on one shape, select your whisk according to the mass, density, volume and container receiving the products.

Do you share my list? Do you have other tools essential to your happiness or your culinary exploits? Share with us.

Cauliflower in the Oven

Preparation time: 15mn
Cooking time: 1h30

Ingredients for 6 persons:

1 small cauliflower

50g softened butter

4 cloves of garlic

3cm of fresh ginger

1 tsp paprika powder

1,5 tsp pepper

1,5 tsp Salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower
3. Make a cross on the foot, with a large knife.
4. In a bowl, mix the butter, the crushed garlic, the grated ginger, the paprika, the salt and the pepper.
5. Place the cauliflower in a cast iron cocotte.
6. Coat the cauliflower with the flavored butter you just prepared.
7. Pour a glass of water in the cocotte.
8. Cover the cabbage with parchment paper and bake for 1h15.
9. Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the cauliflower with the cooking juices.
10. Return to oven for 15 minutes.
11. Serve immediately.

Gift idea: How about a cooking whisk?

In a kitchen, cooking whisks are necessary and simple, yet, I only knew 2 shapes of whisks, when  there is actually a multitude of choices on the market nowadays.  So I will not beat around the bush, whisks with spheres, stainless steel balls etc... are not my type.

Indeed two types of whisks suffice. One type has thick wires and a rather round shape,  and the second type is meant for sauces with thin wires and an oblong shape.

Those 2 types of whisks are enough to achieve everything. The sizes will vary of course depending on the volumes, and the density of the preparations. Always use a whisk that suits the situation: for the quantity and the container. This way the action of the whisk will be optimized. Rely on the pro models only, the rest are gadgets. Forget whisks covered with silicone, they are not really designed to be effective.

When you purchase the so-called whisk, prefer a well balanced weight with comfortable handles. The armature must be well-crimped and the entry points airtight. Consider also the cleaning stage, wires must be sufficiently flexible and rigid, to ease the cleaning process. Taking the whisk in your hand and press the wires, you should experience a "spring effect", this is the right balance, if the wires are too rigid forget it, and if the wires fail to return to their place once you release them that means the quality is poor.

Choose a big and a medium one of each types (1.thick wires and a rather round shape, 2. thin wires and an oblong shape) and you will see that it will be enough. You will then have the freedom to employ them for sauces, pastries, and other mixtures. Stainless steel also allows itself to be cleaned easily and guarantees of long lifetime.

All you need now is to go out and find your perfect WHISK!!!