Kitchen Stuff
When it comes to kitchen gadgets and cooking utensils, I am attracted to them more than I am to owning a thousand pair of shoes. =) Let's face it, we all have a drawer full of gadgets that we don't use and some we use sometimes and some all the time. You should take some time to go through your gadget drawers to thin them out to the ones you use all the time and just put the others aside in another drawer or plastic bin stored in another area of your kitchen.
1) Wooden spoons and utensils of all kinds, long, fat, flat, rollers, citrus reamers, etc Pictured are only a few of what I actually have. In my kitchen every wooden spoon and utensil serves a purpose and I reach for them more than any other cooking utensil every time I cook. A tip about wooden spoons to prolong their life if you don't already know: don't put them in the dishwasher or they dry out. To take care of your wooden utensils, wash immediately after use to avoid food drying on them and then it never comes off the way it should. Don't leave them in the kitchen sink where water is on and off as your utensils will soak up too much water and that's how the drying out and cracking happens. Also once a month rub a little vegetable oil on them with a paper towel to keep them from cracking and drying out from use. If you own a wooden cutting board, the same rules apply. To disinfect you can rub some fresh lemon all over it (I do this weekly to my board) and take a clean wet cloth and wipe. Then, like the utensils, add a drop of cooking oil or mineral oil and rub around until it soaks in and appears dry and voila, fresh disinfected clean cutting board that looks new and ready for your next cooking job.
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1) Wooden spoons and utensils of all kinds, long, fat, flat, rollers, citrus reamers, etc Pictured are only a few of what I actually have. In my kitchen every wooden spoon and utensil serves a purpose and I reach for them more than any other cooking utensil every time I cook. A tip about wooden spoons to prolong their life if you don't already know: don't put them in the dishwasher or they dry out. To take care of your wooden utensils, wash immediately after use to avoid food drying on them and then it never comes off the way it should. Don't leave them in the kitchen sink where water is on and off as your utensils will soak up too much water and that's how the drying out and cracking happens. Also once a month rub a little vegetable oil on them with a paper towel to keep them from cracking and drying out from use. If you own a wooden cutting board, the same rules apply. To disinfect you can rub some fresh lemon all over it (I do this weekly to my board) and take a clean wet cloth and wipe. Then, like the utensils, add a drop of cooking oil or mineral oil and rub around until it soaks in and appears dry and voila, fresh disinfected clean cutting board that looks new and ready for your next cooking job.
My cooking thought for today:
One cannot function well if you have not dined well, so eat to live, but LOVE the food you eat! See you next time!
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3) Mortar and Pestle. I absolutely love my mortar and pestle and it's used frequently in the kitchen when I use dried herbs. If you crush dried herbs before use, it awakens their intense aroma and flavors than if you were to just shake them on your food or in your recipe. It's also great for fresh herbs and garlic as well grinding them with salt and using as a "paste" to marinate all kinds of meats and poultry. A favorite paste of mine is salt, basil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Mix with a touch of olive oil after grinding and rub it on fresh Salmon and let it marinate in that for at least 6 hours, longer is always better. Very intense flavors! So I encourage you to get one! They aren't expensive and can be a really useful helpful tool in your kitchen.
My food thought for today: Food is much like art with no limitations. So be creative and try new combinations. See you next time!
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2) Kitchen Shears... Shears are not just for cutting paper... I LOVE my kitchen shears and everyone is puzzled why?? "What do you use them for in cooking?" they ask. Well let me solve this puzzle and tell you that kitchen shears are the greatest invention in place of knives for quick jobs like snipping herbs, cutting the fat off meats, cutting through pastry dough like buttery phyllo dough for those flaky buttery pastries I make, cutting through chicken bones and rib bones, and cutting broccoli florets, etc. Now don't get me wrong, I do love my knives and each of them have their purpose as well for chopping, dicing, mincing, etc, but kitchen shears are pretty much a part of every meal I cook in some way or another. I have 3 dedicated pair of shears JUST for cooking and for no other purpose for sanitary reasons. My favorite pair and latest to my collection of kitchen shears is my Cutco shears. Those are pictured in the middle with the red handle. I was told that those shears can cut through a Penny although I haven't tried that, but believe it after I cut through chicken bone very quickly without the sawing motion. Wooo hooo!!! I do have a cleaver for the really tough jobs, but for simple chicken bones, the shears are perfect. I encourage you to own a pair and see how much they become a part of the kitchen tools you will use while cooking!
My food tip for today: When grilling veggies, add some fresh chopped Basil and Coriander towards the end of the grilling process to add a burst of fresh flavor. See you next time!
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My food thought for today: Food is much like art with no limitations. So be creative and try new combinations. See you next time!
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4) Salad Forks... I call these my second hands! These are an absolute MUST for the kitchen if you are a salad lover. Plus they are wooden and I love wooden utensils as you know from reading my top favs in kitchen utensils. I don't like to toss salad with wimpy long salad tossers. With these you can really dig to the bottom and toss the salad as if using your hands scooping up all the dressing and yummy ingredients and tossing your salad quickly and efficiently to make sure there is a bite of all the ingredients you have added to your salad in every bite. Great for tossing pasta salads as well. They are inexpensive and will become your salad's best friend! =)
My food thought for today: Food is a mood for me. I cook what I feel. If I'm not in a good mood, expect something very tasty, yet spicy. If I'm a great mood, expect a marriage of flavors with several side dishes. When I need comfort, I cook bread. When feeling sassy, I cook with a lot of wine, etc... See you next time!
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5) Mini Spatula... My Mom gave me this a long time ago and I have to say despite it's small size, it's my favorite spatula. The spatula area is only about 2 1/4". Like the salad forks it's like hands to me as it let's me get close to what I'm doing as if using my hands. I also feel I have more control when closer to the food. It's great for removing cookies from a pan or lifting up my homemade chocolates to put in their decorative box. It's also great for flipping smaller things in a pan that are too delicate for tongs. I reach for this very often and would be lost without it.
My food thought for today: Cookies are one of the best sweet comfort finger food treats and there are no limits to what combinations you can make. Hmmm... I think I'll make some today... See you next time!
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My food thought for today: You don't need to cook with heavy full fat creams, butters, etc to make a dish taste good. Instead of using sour cream, try fat free Greek Yogurt. Bet you can't taste the difference! Flavor comes from spices and herbs and acids such as lemon, various vinegar, etc and can bring out the shining taste of your dish without an overload of calories... See you next time!
My food thought for today: Food is a mood for me. I cook what I feel. If I'm not in a good mood, expect something very tasty, yet spicy. If I'm a great mood, expect a marriage of flavors with several side dishes. When I need comfort, I cook bread. When feeling sassy, I cook with a lot of wine, etc... See you next time!
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My food thought for today: Cookies are one of the best sweet comfort finger food treats and there are no limits to what combinations you can make. Hmmm... I think I'll make some today... See you next time!
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| Oxo Good Grips 12" Tongs |
6) TONGS!!! This is one tool that I absolutely cannot live without anymore. I used to have a little pair, but never really used them for much. A good friend of ours had given me these a few years ago. He had been watching me cook and saw that I was flipping things in a pan with a fork...Next time he came over, he had a gift for us, which has been used ever since! I didn't realize how addicted to them I have become until I couldn't find them one day. (MY TONGS!!!!) I toss salads, flip meats in a pan, take out food from the oven, etc. The use list is endless! I urge you to get these. They are not expensive. Get the Oxo brand as shown above since the tips are covered which makes it perfectly safe to use on non-stick pans. They come in a variety of colors, and sizes.
My food thought for today: You don't need to cook with heavy full fat creams, butters, etc to make a dish taste good. Instead of using sour cream, try fat free Greek Yogurt. Bet you can't taste the difference! Flavor comes from spices and herbs and acids such as lemon, various vinegar, etc and can bring out the shining taste of your dish without an overload of calories... See you next time!
