Everyone has a pile of kitchen tools and I am no exception. I have specialty tools for almost everything, including serrated ravioli knives and punch cutters in the shape of flowers. The majority of my specialty tools sit patiently for most of the year, until the day arrives when I want to garnish that singular dish with Daikon radish flowers. For the rest of the year, here are the tools that I use the most.
Tongs
Think of tongs as extensions of your hands into unfriendly environments. These versatile tools take the pain out of all the tasks that are too hot to handle, or the ick out of the tasks that are too messy for your hands. Everything from flipping a piece of meat to pulling pasta out of hot water is the perfect task for a good pair of tongs. They are also great on the cold side for mixing a salad, flipping foods in your marinade and even serving at the table.
There are tons of designs out there but I would avoid anything gimmicky such as locking handles or tongs that are described as multi-use. These extra functions will just get in the way and make it harder to properly use the tool.
Make sure you select a sturdy tong and keep at least three on hand so there is at minimum one that is not waiting for the dish-washer.
Turners
Ok, so some people call them spatulas, but these tools are designed for those food flipping tasks where the tong is ill suited. From burgers on the grill to a delicate piece of fish, turners give support to the whole item so that the risk of a crumbling disaster is small. Turners come in metal or nylon, both being well suited to the high temperature world. There are also a few turners designed especially for tasks like turning fish or flipping burgers on the grill. Be sure to select a nylon headed turner if your specialty pans need the protection.
Silicon Spatulas
These are the plastic or wooden handle tools with the big rubber head that is perfect for mixing cookie dough or blending a sauce over high heat in your expensive non-stick pan. These handy tools will not scratch your pans and they will resist heat up to about 500 degrees F (260 Celsius).
I prefer the simple plastic or wooden handle because I have found most of the metal handles to be less than comfortable. Keep several on hand so you are not constantly running to the sink to wash them.
Graters / Planers
There is really a wide playing field of tools, but for me it comes down to members of the team.
First is the box grater. This is the workhorse of the grating task, taking down whole blocks of cheese, shredding a bag of carrots or making a block of chocolate more manageable. This tool should be solid, durable and dish washer-ready since there is nothing worse than trying to hand wash something with this many teeth!
The second member on my grating team is the zester/grater. These tools are best for the finer details such as zesting a lemon, grating fresh cinnamon from a stick or adding the final bit of cheese garnish to a plate of pasta.
Peelers
The fastest way to get past the skin on a potato or carrot, is a good sharp peeler. The traditional ones are called an "I" or swivel peeler, the others the "Y" or Swiss peeler. They are inexpensive enough to have one of each to see which one you like better. I find I use my swivel for straight jobs like carrots and parsnips; the Swiss peeler for round shapes like potatoes and celery root.
Remember that the blade will wear out over time so replace your peeler when it no longer functions with ease.
Whisk
From mixing liquid ingredients to whipping egg whites for a meringue, this is a mainstay in my kitchen. I have tried many of the "gadget" whisks including the nylon, flat and the ones with the little ball inside. The bottom line is that you want a whisk that is comfortable in your hand and is as large as you can wield easily. I can whip a pint of heavy cream to its maximum volume with one of these in less time than it takes to setup my stand mixer.
Some newer whisks are available with a silicon coating over the wires. These are the best choice when used with expensive non-stick pans. You don't need the extra protection if you use stainless steel pans and bowls.
Strainers & Colanders
From hot pasta to chicken stock, both of these items are key in the kitchen. Your colander is the easiest way to rinse and strain foods. The strainer does the same job but with more attention to detail. In addition, you can use the strainer to sift flour, remove the lumps from a sauce, dust a cake with powdered sugar or strain the seeds from a berry puree.
Bench Scraper
This is also called a dough scraper, and is normally used to partition bread dough and you guessed it, to scrape the bench. This tool has far more uses than just baking and pastry. Use it to transfer cut vegetables to the stove far faster than you can get your fingers around the challenge. Cuts through a block of cheese faster than a knife and it's a quick way to cut butter into pats. You can find many jobs for this tool.
Easy Read Graduated Measuring Cup
I did mention easy to read didn't I? There is nothing worse than getting the measurement just right on the line only to realize that you were looking at the wrong side! There are lots of designs available, but I prefer the ones with bold markings and a tapered side that will allow you to more easily hit your measured mark. Make sure that you have one made of glass if you are going to use it in the microwave.
Probe thermometer.
The directions say to cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees, but how are you going to measure that without one of these? This is the no-fuss, low-tech member of the team that needs no batteries and can go from 0 to 220 without a challenge. The great thing about this model is that you can calibrate it yourself using only a glass of ice water and the little wrench built into the probe protector.
Mark Parker is Budget Savvy's food columnist. If you have questions or need advice about food or organizing your kitchen, feel free to contact Mark at
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