Many people are trying to be more health conscious. There are more and more people every day who are also trying to maximize their budgets. One place where you can aim at both of these two birds with one stone is your kitchen. By making meals at home rather than eating out you save money.
You also have greater control over what you eat and how it is prepared and are likely to consume fewer calories. If you are planning to eat more meals at home, then you should have a well-stocked kitchen to make it easier. To that end, here are 10 kitchen tools that your kitchen must have.
All-Purpose Knife
There will be things that you need to cut that may not fit into a category covered by one of the other knifes. It may be too large for a paring knife and may not require the teeth of the bread knife. It is just good to have something that can handle any situation. Check out an Allezola knife review for a good quality all-purpose cutting knife.
Spatula
The word spatula is used to denote a couple of different devices and your kitchen should have both of them. The first is a long-handled tool with a soft rubber piece at the end that is often used for scooping or spreading things like frosting. This tool is essential not only for frosting your birthday cake, but for scraping the last bit of peanut butter out of the jar. You can probably find a ton of other uses for it.
The other item that the word spatula is used to identify is a long-handled item that is often used to flip pancakes and remove cookies from baking sheets. You know the one. And while there are great debates about what this item should be called– you may see it listed in other places as a “turner” or a “flipper”– it is most often called a spatula.
Whisk
A whisk is an item with a handle at one end and a series of wire loops at the other. It is used to mix a batter smooth or introduce air as in whipping egg whites into meringue. This item could be made of metal, plastic or even bamboo. Some people have referred to it as an egg beater. The truth is it can be used to mix or whip any liquid item including but not limited to eggs, cream and batters.
Paring Knife
A paring knife is a small and very versatile item and is something that gets used a lot. This should be one of your first investments as you will quickly find it is one of your best investments. A paring knife can be used to peel an apple, cut it and remove its seeds. Not just for apples, however, a paring knife can be used to cut and prepare any number of foods. It is probably the kitchen tool you will find yourself reaching for the most.
Bread Knife
You could probably cut your bread with any knife, but a good bread knife has certain qualities that make it especially helpful in creating a clean slice of bread. Its blade is usually pretty solid. The blade’s edge is serrated meaning it has teeth. The teeth bite into the bread and make it easier to slice. The blade is also quite long so that it can span the width of the loaf and then some. Yes, you could slice your freshly baked bread with any knife, but why would you want to?
Pastry Blender
A pastry blender is a horse shoe-shaped item, usually made of wires that are connected at the ends by a handle. With a firm grip on the handle, the wires are chopped into dry ingredients to help mix in a fat like butter or lard.
Cutting Board
No kitchen is complete without a cutting board. It protects your counter tops by giving you a dedicated space for cutting items. Your cutting board will collect cuts and nicks quickly– that is its job. It is a lot less expensive to buy a new cutting board every so often than to have to replace your counter tops. A word to the wise: replace your cutting board regularly– whenever there are sufficient crevices to make it difficult to clean properly. Those cuts are good places for bacteria and germs to hide.
Colander
A colander is usually a bowl-shaped item with holes in it. It is used to rinse or drain water from foods. For example, you may use a colander when cleaning vegetables or when draining pasta.
Can Opener
Next to a good paring knife, there is no way any kitchen can function without a can opener. In many recipes you will find one or more canned ingredients. You will probably find that you use this item every day and even multiple times a day.
Jar Opener
A jar opener is nearly as important as a can opener. Jar openers come in many different styles from simple rubber pads to easy-grip devices. While it is possible to open a jar without an opener, life is so much better with one. Once you have one, you will wonder how you ever did without it.
If you are planning to use your kitchen regularly whether to improve your health, your wallet or for some other reason, you should make sure you have all the right tools for the job. If you are not accustomed to using the kitchen, knowing which tools you will need can be tough. Let this little guide help you to get started.
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