Certain kitchen items are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes and are made of various materials. Is that bunny rabbit whisk actually useful? Should I get non-stick pans or stainless steel? Is copper kitchen equipment really the best? Read on to find out how I pick my most commonly used kitchen equipment and you’ll learn how to get the most out of your tools.
Whisks
I am super picky about my whisks. I’ve had whisks break on me or I’ve worked with whisks that were just a pain to clean. The whisk I use in my videos is my favorite whisk and when I die it will be buried with me so I can use it in my next life. Here’s what I look for in a whisk – First, the whisk should be fairly sturdy. The whip part should be thicker metal and it should give slightly but I don’t like it to bend very far. Each individual piece of metal should be firmly stuck in the handle. If I can wiggle it around in a little hole the whisk is useless and will most definitely fall apart. The bottom of the whip should be easy to clean meaning that each piece of metal should either be easy to move around, open so I can fit my fingers in there, or sturdy and open enough that when I whisk it in soapy water the gunk should fall right out. Speaking of being open, there doesn’t need to be a ton of pieces to make the whip and they don’t need to be so close together either. The more open it is, the less likely gunk will build up in the middle of the whip making you stop constantly to shake out whatever built up. Get one with a nice thick solid sturdy handle – it’s easier to grip, easier on your hands, and easier to clean.
When searching for a whisk use the term “whip.” Most whisks come in two styles French style (the one I like) and Piano style which is a little thinner and more delicate but froths a little better. My French whip of choice is produced by Vollrath and you can find it at the restaurant store.
Rubber Spatulas
I’m probably as equally picky about my rubber spatulas that I buy for myself. If I get a rubber spatula as a gift I won’t turn it down, but a good, solid, decent rubber spatula is what I’ll buy for myself. Here’s what I look for in a rubber spatula – the rubber spatula should be heat resistant to an insanely high temperature if possible. This makes it infinitely more useful so you can use it on the stove and in the oven – these spatulas usually have red handles. The handle should be sturdy and stiff – nothing is more frustrating and painful on your hands than a weak flimsy handle and trying to stir a stiff batter or thick custard. The paddle part of the spatula should not be removable – it should either be one piece with the handle or the seal should be solid and closed to moisture. Paddles that come off may be great for cleaning but it’s hard to get the interior dry and mold and food residue can build up in there – gross. You should have a variety of sizes and lengths available to you for a couple of reasons: 1) You can use the right size spatula for the right bowl or job and 2) You have an extra spatula to use so you don’t need to keep washing the same spatula over and over to do multiple projects at the same time. My favorite spatula? The Rubbermaid Professional 13-1/2-Inch Heat-Resistant Scraper. Check your local bulk store like Costco or Sam’s Club, sometimes they have a set of three of those rubbermaid spatulas and is worth its weight in gold.
As for spoonula vs. spatula that’s up to you. I personally hate spoonulas because they’re not as easy to scrape against the side of the bowl and get completely clean, but some people love to use them especially for folding thick custards.
Copper cookie cutters vs. other cookie cutters
I have friends and colleagues that love copper cookie cutters but every baker would never turn down a plain stainless steel cookie cutter just because it wasn’t made of copper. My personal opinion? Copper cookie cutters are great for decorating and collecting dust. They are way over priced for their purpose: cutting dough. A plain seamless cookie cutter is all you need to get the job done and I prefer metal over plastic. Metal cutters cut much more crisply. Plastic cutters sometimes have this really thin part that it didn’t cut all the way through and can be really frustrating. To prevent your metal cutters from rusting when you wash them, put them in the oven at a low temperature (like a little over 100 degrees) so that any seams are facing upwards so the steam can evaporate out of those crevices. If you have a set of cutters that have a metal tin, you can also store them with a little cornstarch but that can get a little messy.
Non-stick vs. stainless steel vs. copper
Everyone should have a couple of non-stick pans. Non-stick pans are good for cooking fish and delicate foods but you rarely use them for pastry purposes (never say never, because every tool can have a specific purpose). The non-stick coating on those pans cannot resist super high heat so you should avoid stir-frying in them and metal cookware can scrape the finish off as well. For these reasons, you should have a couple of regular metal (I use stainless steel, and they are just fine) pans. Also, when I say pan I’m referring to skillet type pans. I’m terrible about calling cookware by the appropriate name so please don’t hold me to it!
You should avoid non-stick pots if you can. I can’t really think of any reason you would need a non-stick pot but I’m sure there’s at least one recipe that could benefit from a non-stick pot. For me, pots are the utility cookware. I use them for everything. A couple decent sized pots can do the work of just about any stove top cookware – and you save space in your cupboard by eliminating those specialty pots. Now that’s not to say your dutch oven or wok is useless or that you should toss them out – if you love them, keep them! Getting back to the non-stick issue, pots (and sauce pans/deep pans) are typically used for deglazing (when you scrape the bottom of the bottom after cooking meats to make sauces and gravy) and make pastry creams – both techniques require you to scrape the bottom of the pans constantly. You never want to scrape a non-stick pan or pot.
Copper cookware is one of those “it would be nice to have but you can get by just fine without it” pieces of kitchen equipment. Copper is reported to transfer heat more quickly and more efficiently than other metals which helps cook your food faster and more evenly. It also looks pretty and everybody who sees it will think you spent a fortune on it. That being said a regular stainless steel pot gets the job done just fine. In fact, most kitchens use mostly stainless steel pots – even those fancy 4 star restaurants! How profitable would it really be to buy all this expensive cookware? Some restaurants and resorts will have one or two copper pots for use with sugar work only. Some people feel that getting a stainless steel pot with a copper bottom is the best of both words (inexpensive and good heating properties) but I think a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot would be just as effective. What it comes down to is what you prefer. In the end, I strongly believe that everybody should have at least 1 or 2 non-stick skillets, 2 regular skillets, 1 or 2 sauce pans (smaller pots with long handles) and 2 regular pots (deep stock pots, like for making pasta). As long as you vary the sizes, that is more than enough to make just about anything just fine.
Mixing Bowls
Mixing bowls are great and are a must have. What type of mixing bowls you should have are entirely up to you. I recommend getting stainless steel mixing bowls in a variety of sizes. I have one large bowl and two medium sized bowls and they work just fine for me. Stainless steel bowls are also the best bowls to use for as a ice bath (since metal conducts heat, glass absorbs heat, and plastic is an insulator). They are also the only bowls that really work on a double boiler – though glass bowls could work too as long as they are heat resistant. Anytime I need a smaller bowl I just use the plain ceramic bowls that I eat out of. You should have one big glass bowl, like a large salad bowl, that you can use for prep and that you can serve out of. If you can get a pyrex one even better because they are more heat resistant – but don’t just pour boiling hot liquid into any glass container! Some recipes actually recommend not using stainless steel bowls, I think my fondant recipe is one of those, so having a glass alternative is good to have on hand. Plastic bowls can be good too, but just make sure you can microwave them and that they are heat resistant – otherwise it’s pointless.
Digital Scales
For any baker a good quality digital kitchen scale is a must. Many professional recipes, including the recipes I have for download, are in ounces or grams and you can only really make these recipes with a digital scale. Once you start using a digital scale though you’ll never want to go back to cups and spoons. The number one reason you weigh out a recipe is for consistency. 8 ounces of sugar will always weigh 8 ounces. However, the way I measure a cup of brown sugar may not be the same way you measure a cup of brown sugar and could weigh different amounts. Baking is more scientific than cooking and weighing is the only way you can really be exact each time. In my opinion, weights are easier to adjust when it comes to tweaking the recipe as well as making the batches larger and smaller.
With that out of the way, there are certain characteristics I look for in a digital scale. First, it should be able to bounce back and forth between grams and ounces. This significantly increases the usefulness of your scale – and most scales will do this.
Second, the scale should measure relatively smaller increments such as 1/8 of ounce. While grams is much more accurate with smaller measures, a scale that can do small fractions of an ounce is also important.
The scale should be easy to clean. This could mean that it’s flat and one solid piece or that the scale comes apart for easy cleaning. As a general rule for myself, the less parts that come apart, the fewer places dirt and food particles can get into.
The scale should be wide. Consider what you are going to put on the scale. How big are your bowls? Will they be able to balance on the scale’s surface? Is the scale’s surface flat, or does it have a rim on it? Ideally, you want a wide, flat surface for your scale.
The scale should be easy to read. The easier the digital read out is for your eyes the better. The one I bought recently even has a background that lights up making it even easier to read.
The scale should have a high weight threshold. Don’t bother with a scale that errors out at 5 pounds. That’s almost nothing, especially if you’re using a glass bowl to measure in. Get one that can weigh up to 11 lbs at least.
The scale should use easy to find batteries. My old scale used those silly watch batteries that were a pain to find and were like $4-$5 for one – and it used two! My new one uses 4 AAA batteries, but at least I can go anywhere and find AAA batteries – plus I have rechargeable AAA batteries at home. A scale you can plug into the wall and use batteries with would be phenomenal.
I just bought The Oxo Good Grips Food Scale with Pull-Out Display
