Kitchen Utensils, My Top 10   

 I remember exploring the kitchen as a kid, opening different drawers and cupboards and discovering the world that belonged to my mother. One drawer in particular stood out. That drawer was  packed full of wooden and metal spoons, strange knives, rolling pins and a crazy assortment of handheld gadgets some of them looking like bizarre torture implements. The kitchen tools I discovered in that drawer over 40 years ago are dwarfed by the amount of gadgets available to consumers today. But are they all really necessary? Will they make you a better cook owning them?

Here are my top 10 utensils and why.

In the video you will see some of my kitchen utensils that actually are very useful and will make you a better cook, but many found in the stores/online are just gimmicks that will be used once or twice then left to rust away hidden in your kitchen.

No kitchen should be without a few basic tools, but how to determine what are the most important utensils to have? Imagine you have just moved into your first new house, or maybe your stocking the kitchen of a vacation home. Think about it, what items are essential, what utensils would you buy?

These items may seem basic but they are the essential components to a functional kitchen. From here you can always add things as you need. Just as a new recipe will call for a certain spice, it may also call for the need to buy an orange zester or cherry pitter. This is the right way for your kitchen to grow, rather than buying into TV infomercials. Start with the basics and you can grow from there.

Watch the video to gain deeper incite concerning my Top 10 Kitchen Utensils.

       10. Cutting Boards. Cutting boards are the first thing you will need, in fact you may need several, and be sure to buy some flexible ones, you’ll thank me later.

       9. Knives. There are three knives that are essential to every kitchen: a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated/bread knife.

       8. Mixing Bowls. Stainless steel mixing bowls are best because they are lightweight, easy to handle, and won’t break.

       7. Spoons and Spatulas. Spoon or spatula? Wood or silicone? Choosing the right tool for the job can be tricky. You will need spoons of different sizes as well as different materials, wood, metal, and plastic. You will also need several spatulas.

       6. Measuring Cups and Spoons. Stainless steel measuring cups for dry ingredients and a Pyrex 4-piece glass measuring cup set for wet ingredients. And don‘t forget a set of four stainless steel measuring spoons, teaspoons to tablespoons.

       5. Mortar and Pestle. To get the full flavors and fragrances from herbs and spices, a mortar and pestle is essential. And, to make Mexican salsas, a molcajete, the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle is used not only to make the salsa, but to serve the salsa. It also an interesting conversation piece.

       4. Graters.  These come in different shapes, from a food grater to a cheese grater, or a fruit zester, you can start with the Box style cheese grater.

       3. Cast Iron Press. The cast iron grill press is a handy tool that makes BBQ grilling easier, I use it on the stove top for making pressed garlic bread.

       2. Vegetable Peelers. From skinning carrots to potatoes every kitchen needs a vegetable peeler. My favorite is the two sided vegetable peeler with a serrated blade on one side.

       1. Infrared Thermometer. The infrared thermometer is an incredible tool, and for me, one of the most useful in our kitchen. Unlike a traditional thermometer, an infrared one does not need to physically touch the surface of what it’s measuring. Simply point the thermometer at the surface of the food and pull the trigger to read the temperature.

My #1 favorite utensil is the Infrared Thermometer. I use this digital thermometer mostly for checking the temperature of oil when I fry. French fries need an oil temp. of 350*F but the oil temp for falafel is better at 340*F. Oil temp is so important. For example if you fry potatoes at too low of a temp,the potatoes will absorb the oil; too hot, the outsides of the potatoes will burn. Similarly, if you fry falafel at to high of a temperature, the outside will cook or even burn, while the inside remains uncooked.

Please comment and let me know what your favorite or most useful kitchen utensil is.