Favorite Utensils
I think in order to be anything from a decent to a good cook, one must have a good set of cooking utensils. The Boyfriend would disagree but I think that having good quality utensils makes cooking so much more pleasurable. The Boyfriend is of the belief that you just need some kind of knife (any kind), a spatula, a pan/pot, and you’re good. No sir, there is a lot more selection involved than this!
The Boyfriend bought me this Farberware cutlery set for Christmas last year. Up until then, I pretty much used the first knife I would grab in our knife drawer. Yes, we have an entire drawer dedicated to knives. This is what happens when two single people move-in together and refuse to be the one who gives something up. Stubbornness abounds. Anyway, back to my knives. I LOVE THEM! My cousin came over a few days after they were given to me and we spent a few minutes in the kitchen scraping them against the sharpener because we liked the “Friday the 13th sound” that came from them. And people say utensils aren’t fun! My hands down favorite is the Santuko, which I affectionately call the Sudoku knife. Yes, not only does it cut and chop but it also provides endless hours of fun number puzzles for me. Win, win!
My other “must have” piece is my frying pan. I pretty much use it for everything that doesn’t require me boiling large quantities of water, i.e pasta, potatoes, bunnies (bad joke, very bad). I have a few friends who are pot and pan snobs. “I only use Le Creuset” “I only shop at Williams and Sonoma” This is all good and well but the truth is, it’s kind of, well, dumb. Price doesn’t equal quality. I bought my pan at IKEA for $12 three years ago. The Boyfriend had moved to Houston and I wasn’t moving up for three weeks so to keep him until I moved my full kitchen arsenal, we went to IKEA and bought him a few basics. This was the best purchase we made in our entire nine months in Houston. It’s great. Nothing sticks to it, it’s light, large enough to hold two rib-eyes, best thing ever.
Lastly, my measuring spoons. I went to a Pampered Chef party about four years ago and immediately fell in love with these things when I saw them in the catalog. Only two spoons: one for 1/8 of a teaspoon to a full teaspoon and the other for a teaspoon to a tablespoon. The thing I like about them the most is that they take up virtually no space and replace the hassle of having to keep up with eight different spoons that always get lost when you need them.
Then there are the random pieces: my food processor, comal, molcajete, things that help me get by. Do you have any?
K said,
February 26, 2008 @ 4:35 am
I totally agree! I don’t have any good knives right now but they are my next big kitchen purchase (and now i’m going to ask for a sodoku knife now..). My must-haves that I actually have are:
- A Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer (What, i like to bake and i NEED it). My baking has vastly improved since I got the mixer (In fact, the Boyfriend told me that the sponge cake I made with the mixer was the best that I ever made and one of the best that he’s ever had).
- A good set of mixing bowls. I have a set in red from Williams Sonoma. I use them for mixing and serving.
- A Williams Sonoma “spoonula”. It’s a combo between a spoon and a spatula and it’s awesome
- A Christmas-themed spatula from Sur La Table that my mom got for me. I use it for all baking needs, anything that needs stirring, etc.
- My mom’s hand-me down Le Cruset Dutch Oven. It’s a hand-me-down from my mom and it’s blue (which doesn’t fit in my whole red kitchen theme) but I love it. I use it for making stews, soups, pasta sauce, and so on. It’s by far my favorite pot.
- My cheap measuring spoons and cups from Target. Don’t know the brand but know they were cheap and they were red. They are my must-have for all my baking because some things call for precise measuring