Kitchen Gadgets Galore
Knives, Chopping Mats, Shears, & Garlic Presses Make Cooking Easy
Owning and using the right kitchen utensils can make putting together a nutritious meal faster and easier.
Seasonal food often takes more preparation at home than the highly processed prepared foods available in supermarkets. A myriad kitchen gadgets are available that can make this preparation easier and, in some cases, more fun!
Below are descriptions of some of these kitchen tools widely available in discount stores and on the web. Visiting a kitchen gadget store is a good way to compare prices and test the tools for sturdiness and ease of use.
Knives
Produce preparation often requires chopping and good, sharp knives are a must. “Block” sets offer the convenience of a variety of knives for a variety of jobs as well as a sharpening tool and a wooden block to store the knives safely on the countertop. Knives for fruit and vegetable use include:
- Paring knife: a small knife with a 3-4-inch flat blade used for peeling and coring
- Chef’s knife: blades range from 4 inches to 12 inches. This knife is especially useful for chopping and dicing. The longer blades are used for bigger jobs.
- Slicer/Carver: 8-inch to 10-inch blade used for slicing vegetables and fruits (or carving meat)
- Utility knife: generally has a 6-inch blade and can be used as a paring knife or a chef’s knife.
Flexible Chopping Mats
A chopping mat is a cutting board that is thin and flexible enough it can be rolled into a funnel shape to move the chopped vegetables from the counter into the pan. Some vendors sell mats in a variety of colors so that the cook can color code according to what the mat will be used for, thus ensuring that vegetable mats are not used for poultry or meat and vice versa.
Kitchen Shears
A good solid kitchen scissor is useful for cutting open packaging as well as snipping herbs.
Garlic Press
When it comes to mincing or dicing garlic, a sturdy garlic press is indispensable. A press uses a piston to force a clove of garlic through a grid of small holes. Some presses accomplish this without requiring that the clove be peeled beforehand. A good press should have solid handles and a sturdy hopper, and should be easy to clean. Some presses come with a cleaning tool for getting the last of the garlic out of the grid. Pressing the clove unpeeled makes cleaning easier as well.
Some chefs believe that pressed garlic and garlic mincd with a knife taste differently because more cell walls are broken with the press, allowing more of the flavoring compound to seep into surrounding food.
The addition of these few tools to any kitchen makes chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing (and cleanup!) faster and easier for the busy cook who prefers good food over convenience food.
