I’m a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, CNP, Certified Pastry Chef, Home Cook and Novice Gardener, among many other things. Here on my blog, you will find advice for navigating the world of food and making just honest, good meals.
So what’s easier to cut, a round cake or a square cake?? The square cake…but you better make sure those corners are well greased or you’re going to have some trouble getting it out of the pan. Should you use a springform pan or a classic cake pan? Depends on what you’re baking. How many sheet pans should you have? Two! They get used almost every time I bake! A tip…double the trays when baking cookies to prevent burning.
There are many unique tools we use in baking. Not all are must-have items but some do make baking a little easier and many are not very expensive. And then there’s a specific group of tools that you do need to make certain types of desserts and treats. They give a specific shape or form to the items that are distinctive so you really can’t make do without them.
Accuracy in cooking is often not necessary. It’s nice just to start a dish, add in the ingredients and see where it takes you. It allows for a lot of creativity on the fly. Baking, however, does not lend itself well to improvisation and even though cuisine cooking doesn’t often require it, every so often you just can’t get by without them, especially when you’re just starting to learn to cook. The skill of cooking by eye or feel are ones that will need to be practiced and developed so until then, use the tools and measure what you have to until you feel comfortable.
A bowl’s a bowl, right? Anything will do. Well, yes and no. A small job in a big bowl works. A big job in a small bowl? Well now we have a problem…but even that can be worked out if you think it through. How many bowls does anyone really need? What sizes, materials, and what types?
You’re either like my mother who can make do with very little or you’re like me and like to have options. This is completely up to you...but how do you know what's right for you?
It seems there’s a small appliance to do just about every job in the kitchen but we really need to have one of everything? I don’t think so. I look for small appliances that can do some very specific thing…save me time and effort!! This is especially true when it comes to chopping, grinding, and pureeing, which is what my focus will be for this episode.
When it comes to cookware, there's so much out there to choose from. Different materials, sizes, shapes, types of construction, double handles, single handles, riveted handles, handles that are heat safe or not heat-safe, non-stick?? How do you know what you’ll need?
In general, my go-to material for cookware is stainless steel, but there are some general features and details about cookware you'll need to know that can help you determine what cookware will work best for you.
the best choice for home use is still wood or bamboo, and it will help to maintain the sharp edge of your knives, as well. You see, the board you choose to use needs to be made of a softer material than your knife blade. When you’re chopping and the knife’s edge continually rubs on the cutting board surface, it needs to have some give. If the board you use is made of stone, glass, or porcelain, it will almost immediately dull your knife’s edge because they are much harder than the steel of the knife blade and there is no give at all.
Good quality knives can be very expensive so the best use of your money is to buy the knives you will use most, of the best quality you can afford. As you become more experienced in the kitchen, your knife collection will grow but for now, let’s just talk basics.
Everyone has their own way and style of preparing foods. The trick is to find your style and stick with the tools (or utensils) that best suit you.
In this episode, I hope to give you some insight on what you really need and don’t need…and how to know the difference. When buying kitchen tools always consider your cooking style, your comfort level, and your skill level. You’ll be the one using it so it should suit you first. Only buy what you need, when you need it, and slowly build your collection of tools. Sometimes we go overboard at the start and all you end up with is a cluttered kitchen drawer full of the things we don’t use. This is what I’m trying to help you avoid.
Everyone will have their own collection that they consider their basics, the things that they use every day or at least every week or month. Those tools that make cooking a little easier and more enjoyable. Over the course of this series I’ll show you what we consider our basic tools and equipment, the reasons why we’ve chosen them and any alternative uses some tools may have that might not be exactly what was intended but can come in handy just the same.
