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Kitchen Essentials Every Amateur Chef Needs

Learning to cook is one of life’s great achievements. Understanding flavour and experimenting with different ingredients is not only a highly practical skill, but it’s also tremendously fun. Any experienced chef will tell you that improving your culinary skills is made all the easier and more efficient when you have the right tools. While it’s not necessary to have a kitchen full of the latest high-tech culinary gadgets, every cooking enthusiast requires an arsenal of reliable kitchen essentials, including the following…

Chef’s Knives

Working on your knife skills is an essential element of cooking. With enough practice, you’ll be able to chop, dice, mince, cube and julienne to perfection. However, attempting to refine these techniques using a dull, inferior blade can be frustrating and dangerous. A high-quality chef’s knife is one of the most essential items in any chef’s kitchen, providing exceptional precision, balance and durability. Depending on usage, you should sharpen your chef’s knife once every few months to maintain its quality. 

Chopping Board

What use is a high-quality chef’s knife without an excellent chopping board? High-quality chopping boards are typically made of dense, durable hardwoods such as cherry, maple and walnut. Avoid leaving your chopping board to soak and wipe away any spills and residue immediately after use. Around once a month, you may find it beneficial to wipe your chopping board down with salt and lemon to remove stubborn stains and odours. You can also apply mineral oil once or twice a year to protect, hydrate and nourish the wood. 

Cast Iron Pan

Every kitchen needs a good old-fashioned cast iron pan. Cast iron has long been a popular choice of material for cookware due to its exceptionally high volumetric heat capacity - this means a cast iron pan will hold heat for much longer than a stainless steel equivalent. Before you use a newly-purchased cast iron pan, it is important to season it, making it water-resistant, preventing food from sticking and making it less susceptible to rust. 

Food Processor

While a food processor isn’t 100% necessary, it can make food prep considerably easier. Excellent if you love making delicious home-cooked meals but tend to be constantly pressed for time, a food processor is an ideal accessory for the busy chef. Food processors typically come with a range of attachments so you can shred, dice, knead and puree ingredients at the touch of a button. 

Digital Thermometer/Probe

A digital thermometer or probe is a legal requirement for commercial kitchens. Used to measure the temperature of food, a digital thermometer accurately determines whether or not a dish is safe for consumption, reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. However, you can also use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature of specific ingredients during the cooking process. For example, sugar must be cooked at a temperature of at least 320°F (160°C) to achieve caramelisation.

Wine Decanter

Many chefs enjoy serving their culinary creations alongside fine wine to enhance the dining experience. Pairing your food with the right wine may take a little practice, but over time, it will provide you with a newfound appreciation of flavour. Certain vintage fortified wine varieties, such as port and sherry, benefit from being decanted to remove natural sediments. Decanting your wine will also allow it to breathe, helping to soften flavours and release aromas. 

Microplane

A microplane is a thin, metal grater with super-sharp, fine blades. You can use a microplane for anything from grating garlic to shaving hard cheeses like parmesan, although its most common use is for zesting citrus fruits. The beauty of this must-have kitchen tool is its ability to shave ingredients more finely and with more precision than a traditional box grater - plus, it’s *much *easier to clean. 

Pestle And Mortar

The pestle and mortar is a simple yet effective tool, early versions of which have been discovered dating back over 35,000 years. These days, pestle and mortars are generally made from stone, ceramic or wood and are used for crushing, grinding and mashing ingredients together to make powders and pastes. Of course, you can create rustic traditional curry pastes, spice blends, pestos and dips using your food processor, but there is something wonderfully traditional about preparing dishes by hand. 

foodanddrink

Kitchen Essentials Every Amateur Chef Needs

Learning to cook is one of life’s great achievements. Understanding flavour and experimenting with different ingredients is not only a highly practical skill, but it’s also tremendously fun. Any experienced chef will tell you that improving your culinary skills is made all the easier and more efficient when you have the right tools. While it’s not necessary to have a kitchen full of the latest high-tech culinary gadgets, every cooking enthusiast requires an arsenal of reliable kitchen essentials, including the following…

Chef’s Knives

Working on your knife skills is an essential element of cooking. With enough practice, you’ll be able to chop, dice, mince, cube and julienne to perfection. However, attempting to refine these techniques using a dull, inferior blade can be frustrating and dangerous. A high-quality chef’s knife is one of the most essential items in any chef’s kitchen, providing exceptional precision, balance and durability. Depending on usage, you should sharpen your chef’s knife once every few months to maintain its quality. 

Chopping Board

What use is a high-quality chef’s knife without an excellent chopping board? High-quality chopping boards are typically made of dense, durable hardwoods such as cherry, maple and walnut. Avoid leaving your chopping board to soak and wipe away any spills and residue immediately after use. Around once a month, you may find it beneficial to wipe your chopping board down with salt and lemon to remove stubborn stains and odours. You can also apply mineral oil once or twice a year to protect, hydrate and nourish the wood. 

Cast Iron Pan

Every kitchen needs a good old-fashioned cast iron pan. Cast iron has long been a popular choice of material for cookware due to its exceptionally high volumetric heat capacity - this means a cast iron pan will hold heat for much longer than a stainless steel equivalent. Before you use a newly-purchased cast iron pan, it is important to season it, making it water-resistant, preventing food from sticking and making it less susceptible to rust. 

Food Processor

While a food processor isn’t 100% necessary, it can make food prep considerably easier. Excellent if you love making delicious home-cooked meals but tend to be constantly pressed for time, a food processor is an ideal accessory for the busy chef. Food processors typically come with a range of attachments so you can shred, dice, knead and puree ingredients at the touch of a button. 

Digital Thermometer/Probe

A digital thermometer or probe is a legal requirement for commercial kitchens. Used to measure the temperature of food, a digital thermometer accurately determines whether or not a dish is safe for consumption, reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. However, you can also use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature of specific ingredients during the cooking process. For example, sugar must be cooked at a temperature of at least 320°F (160°C) to achieve caramelisation.

Wine Decanter

Many chefs enjoy serving their culinary creations alongside fine wine to enhance the dining experience. Pairing your food with the right wine may take a little practice, but over time, it will provide you with a newfound appreciation of flavour. Certain vintage fortified wine varieties, such as port and sherry, benefit from being decanted to remove natural sediments. Decanting your wine will also allow it to breathe, helping to soften flavours and release aromas. 

Microplane

A microplane is a thin, metal grater with super-sharp, fine blades. You can use a microplane for anything from grating garlic to shaving hard cheeses like parmesan, although its most common use is for zesting citrus fruits. The beauty of this must-have kitchen tool is its ability to shave ingredients more finely and with more precision than a traditional box grater - plus, it’s *much *easier to clean. 

Pestle And Mortar

The pestle and mortar is a simple yet effective tool, early versions of which have been discovered dating back over 35,000 years. These days, pestle and mortars are generally made from stone, ceramic or wood and are used for crushing, grinding and mashing ingredients together to make powders and pastes. Of course, you can create rustic traditional curry pastes, spice blends, pestos and dips using your food processor, but there is something wonderfully traditional about preparing dishes by hand. 

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