Website design By BotEap.comIn a previous article, I gave some tips on how to stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Now some tips for getting the right utensils and knives to prepare food.

Website design By BotEap.comYou want to have a good set of basic tools, such as a spatula, ladle, tongs, flippers, and a variety of wooden and rubber spoons. The spatula helps scrape mixing bowls when baking or saucepans on the stove. Ladles help serve the soups and stews you make. You may want to consider a large one and a smaller one for sauces. A third ladle with holes is useful for serving cooked food in a liquid. Another option looks like a large, somewhat flat spoon to remove pasta (small pasta like elbow macaroni bun) or steamed/blanched vegetables. The tongs are useful for long pasta and for turning food in a pan or frying pan. We all use flippers to flip those sunny-side up eggs!

Website design By BotEap.comA strainer is essential for draining pasta or vegetables from boiling water. Many cooks turn to an all-purpose pasta pot that has parts for steaming, cooking, and draining food.

Website design By BotEap.comA set of nesting glass bowls in various sizes, from very small to very large, gives you the tools to bake, make sauces, mix meats or vegetables into a sauce or marinade, and other useful purposes…storage leftovers, etc.

Website design By BotEap.comA good cutting board is also on the “essential” list. They can be made of wood, plastic, glass and even granite or marble. Wood has the advantage of being the friendliest to sharp knives. Plastic and glass provide better cleaning for hygiene reasons. IMPORTANT REMINDER…whatever type of board you use…when working with raw chicken, ALWAYS wash immediately after use before other food is on the board.

Website design By BotEap.comOther utensils…a peeler is good for fruits and vegetables to remove just the right amount of skin and maximize the good part of the food. Pasta recipes often call for grated cheese. Add a box rack to your list of essentials. It usually has four sides of different degrees of grid. Small handheld graters are fine if your needs are simple. An ice cream scoop, pizza cutter, bottle opener, and corkscrew should also be initial purchases.

Website design By BotEap.comLast but not least… knives.

Website design By BotEap.comChef’s knife… a must have for all cooks. What a normal knife should look like. Chef’s knives have a large blade with a curved edge and a pointed tip.

Website design By BotEap.comParing Knife… It is short and stocky and the smallest of the basic types. Use it for more complex jobs like small garnishes or removing seeds. Like a chef’s knife, it is considered an all-purpose knife.

Website design By BotEap.comBread Knife…you can’t cut those bagels or crusty Italian bread without a bread knife. It has a serrated edge and a slim, elegant blade.

Website design By BotEap.comCarving knife… for that Thanksgiving turkey. It has a very sharp and thin blade which makes it perfect for thin slices of meat.

Website design By BotEap.comTo properly care for a good set of knives, you need to invest in a good quality knife block. They come in a variety of very attractive styles.

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