Cooking is a lot more fun when you have the proper equipment on hand. The right tool not only saves you time, it ensures that your dish will taste and look as good as that picture in the cookbook! This guide will help you outfit your kitchen with the basic cooking tools you'll need.
Blender: Used for small chopping jobs and blending liquid and soft food mixtures. The new handheld immersion blenders may be placed directly into a bowl or pot of food. You may substitute a food processor fitted with a steel blade if you don't own a food processor for blending.
Box Grater: Used to shred and grate foods. Box graters are generally made of metal with a handle on top. Sharp holes of varying sizes surround both sides of the grater. Box graters usually have a slot suitable for slicing foods such as cucumbers or carrots.
Can Opener: Can openers can cut the lid just inside the rim of the can or cut off the lid around the sides of the can. There are a variety of openers from electric (cordless, under-counter, countertop, portable) to manual. Some have knife sharpeners, bottle openers, an automatic shutoff and detachable arms that are dishwasher-safe.
Colander: Used to strain or drain liquids from foods, such as water from cooked pasta. Make sure the colander contains holes than the food that's drained.
Food Processor: Used for anything from coarse chopping to puréeing. The processor may serve as a substitute for a blender, and it can be used for shredding, slicing, mixing and kneading.
Kitchen or Poultry Shears: Used to perform cutting tasks that are more easily done with scissors than with a knife, such as cutting up slices of chicken. Kitchen shears are solely recommended for kitchen tasks to prevent the blades from becoming dull.
Knives: Used for multiple purposes including chopping, slicing, dicing, and mincing. Knives, including high-carbon steel knives that extend through the handle, can last a lifetime depending on quality care. Other useful knives include: a paring knife for small cutting and peeling jobs, a serrated knife for bread, tomatoes and other tough-skinned foods, and a boning and slicing knife for meat. Buy a butcher's steel, and keep knives well sharpened. Wash knives by hand with warm soapy water, and dry immediately and thoroughly so they won't rust.
Mixers: Used anytime a recipe calls for an electric mixer. There are hand-held and stand mixers. As a hands-free device, stand mixers can handle the toughest mixing jobs, including kneading bread dough.
Pepper Mill: Essential for recipes calling for freshly ground black pepper. Some have a grinding mechanism that can be adjusted for fine or coarse grinds.
Spatulas: Used for mixing and stirring tasks. Spatulas are made from rubber or heat-resistant silicone with wood or plastic handles, and may be referred to as scrapers or rubber scrapers.
Spoons: Used for mixing, stirring and serving. Slotted spoons are useful for removing solid foods from their cooking liquid. Wooden spoons stay cool to the touch and are sturdy enough to mix dense cookie dough or thick batter.
Helpful Hint: Always use wood or plastic spoons and utensils with nonstick cookware; metal ones will scratch the nonstick coating, which could then flake off into food.)
Tongs: Used to grab food when a fork or spoon is not sufficient. Tongs may be made from plastic, metal or wood. Some feature a spring-loaded handle or a sliding ring that locks the tongs to the grasp one needs.
Vegetable Peeler: Used to remove the peel or skin of vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. Peelers can also be used to shave hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, to remove zest from lemons, limes and oranges and to make curls from chocolate.
Whisk: Used to make a batter or sauce that must be free of lumps or for an oil-based mixture such as a salad dressing. A stirring tool, metal or plastic, that is necessary for beating eggs, whipping cream, making mayonnaise, salad dressings, or other sauces. The whisk is also known as a whip.