Peel, chop, stir: Three simple steps allow a vegetable, an onion, for instance, to became an integral part of a dish. And for each step the committed cook may choose a different tool. A paring knife to remove the peel. A food processor or chef’s knife to chop the onion. A wooden spoon or a brightly colored, heat-resistant spatula to do the stirring.
Kitchen tools are a delight to novice cooks, labor-saving helpmates to culinary veterans, a godsend for those seeking simple or costly gifts and a necessity to addicted collectors who cannot resist even the most recherche of gadgetsa truffle peeler, say, or mushroom fluter.
Some lifestyle arbiters tell us no one is cooking at home anymore, but there is ample evidence that someone has been buying tools of the trade in ample, even record numbers.
“The last five to seven years have been a bull market for cookware,” says Erin McAndrews, who directs the Williams-Sonoma store at 900 . Michigan Ave. “The increase has been gradual but constant. I believe we are nowhere near a plateau.”
And at the Chef’s Catalog store in Highland Park, “sales have been steady across the board,” says manager Carla Kelson.
Nancy Byle, food editor of Des Moines-based Better Homes & Gardens magazine, cites a “renewed interest in gadgets and tools” among her readers.
Television personality Burt Wolf takes an encyclopedic view of cooking tools in “The ew Cook’s Catalogue” (Knopf, $35), which is to come out in October, 25 years after the first edition.
In his view, “There have been only two major developments since the early 1970s. One is improved metallurgy, as shown in knives and non-stick pans. The other is the digital chip, which has radically improved the accuracy of thermometers and scales and plays a role in almost any kitchen machine that is plugged in.”
To honor the upcoming Labor Day holiday and to satisfy our curiosity as to which tools are crowding into the home kitchens of food professionals, we turned to several cooking authorities. “What are your favorite tools?” we asked. And, “What are the tools you can do without?”
Their answers show that one person’s gadget is another’s necessity.
JAMES PETERSON
Cookbook author, teacher
– He often reaches for:
An old-fashioned tin fish basket and a food mill.
“Using a fish basket is the least risky way to turn a whole fish on the grill. My food mill’s advantage is it has different-sized mesh inserts. It’s good for tomato sauce or other things you want to strain and puree at same time. There’s no need to peel and seed the tomatoes.”
– He hates:
The electric pepper mill. “This is technology gone awry.”
RUTH REICHL
Editor-in-chief, Gourmet magazine
– She really likes:
A vegetable peeler “that probably belonged to my mother,” a blender and a rolling pin.
“I keep the peeler for nostalgia’s sake and because I haven’t found anything better. I have a food processor, but I really prefer the blender. Unlike the processor, it doesn’t leak when you blend liquids in it. I lived without a food processor for a long time and don’t think about it that often. I also depend on my rolling pin because I make a lot of pies.”
– She has no space for:
An ice crusher. “Why give so much space to something so silly?” Blender
JACQUES PEPIN
Cooking teacher, author, television personality
– He will not travel without:
His trusty 6-inch utility knife and a meat pounder.
“This size knife does everything. The blade is small enough to pare fruit and large enough to slice or chop. I use the pouder, of course, for meat or fish and a lot more. It will crush ice or break nuts.”
– He says no to:
A garlic peeler and crusher. “They work, but so do you. The effort to use this tool and clean it is ridiculous.”
BURT WOLF
Television personality
– What lights his fire:
Unicorn Magnum-plus pepper mill, a 17-inch saute pan.
“The Unicorn is simply the best pepper mill in the world. It’s easy to use, holds an adequate amount of peppercorns and grinds very evenly. I pull out my big saute pan when I have to cook for six or eight people. It allows me to make fresh food for everyone at the last minute.”
– Use the fire extinguisher on:
The metal “gun” (called a cookie press) that shoots cookie dough.
BARBARA FENZL
Cooking teacher and author
– She dotes on:
A Krups coffee grinder and a metal tortilla press.
“I use the grinder for spices such as cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chilies. I toast the chilies first. The tortilla press is made of hinged metal. It’s easier to use than a rolling pin and makes the tortillas a uniform size.
– She doesn’t dote on:
“I don’t have much use for those miniature propane torches. Mine flamed out after a single creme brulee.”
JAN HAZARD
Food editor, Ladies Home Journal.
– She counts on:
The Microplane grater and a timer.
“The Microplane is a wonderful zester that works beautifully with lemons, lime and oranges. My timer will track the cooking time for three different items. The only hurdle is to remember which item is being tracked by each timer.”
– No, no, no:
“An electric can opener. I cannot justify the space it occupies on the counter.”
PAM ANDERSON
Author
– She depends on:
Her hands, the spoonula and a small whisk
“I do a lot of mixing, touching, poking, scraping. There are gadgets to do each of these, but as I grow older I find myself using them less and my hands more. Spoonulas (Rubbermaid) efficiently stir, scrape and serve. The name is meaningful because they truly are multi-use. My small whisk, which is thin, about 7 1/2 inches long, is very handy for making vinaigrette. I dip the tip into the mustard jar and extract just enough to begin my sauce.”
– She doesn’t need:
“I don’t use my pasta machine since I discovered egg roll and wonton wrappers for lasagna and ravioli. You need to make pasta with the machine regularly. Otherwise it becomes an ordeal.”
MAIDA HEATTER
Author
– She relies on:
Her old Sunbeam electric mixer and a double boiler.
“In my case, an electric mixer is second only to my oven and stove. Mine has a large and small bowl and you can hold a spatula in the bowl while mixing. I use a double boiler for melting chocolate and other procedures where gentle heat is needed. Cookbook writers always assume no one has one, but they are in every hardware store at a range of prices.”
– She doesn’t like:
The bread machine. “I wouldn’t dream of using a bread machine. I like to shape dough with my hands.”
SHELLEY YOUNG
Cooking teacher
– She is proud of:
A Japanese vegetable knife, spring-action tongs, a flour duster.
“My knife has an Asian flair. It looks like a mini-cleaver but is lightweight and well balanced. It rocks well for chopping, slices beautifully and has a sharply pointed tip. The tongs are OXO Good Grip. They have a good spring action and are durable too. They come in two sizes. The smaller one is better for cooking.”
– She rejects:
“The strawberry huller. The only thing it gave me was a callous.”
LAUREN CHATTMAN
Author
– She is devoted to:
Her serrated knife.
“I think serrated knifes are very underrated. My knife is German-made in a shape close to a chef’s knife with a big handle. It’s great for peeling fruit, cutting cakes, tomatoes or bread. ‘
– She dislikes:
Coffee grinders. “I’m a coffee nut, but I’m anti-coffee grinders. If they are cheap and small, they don’t work; and the big ones cause such a mess. I cannot tell the difference between coffee freshly ground at the market and coffee ground at home.”
NANCY BYLE
Food editor, Better Homes & Gardens magazine
– She depends on:
The Microplane grater and Mouli grater.
“I always hated shredding or grating citrus peel. The Microplane is a more effective citrus grater, designed after a woodworker’s rasp. It grates cheese, too, and cleans very easily. I used the Mouli grater before the mini-food processor and I still use it to shred vegetables and hard cheese. It cleans easily, too, and is very inexpensive.”
– Never again:
“I got rid of a fat separator. It seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. I find it easier to just skim off the fat. The bulb baster frustrates me too. They don’t last. Maybe I need an institutional version.”
WHAT ARE SOME HOT SELLERS IN AREA COOKWARE SHOPS?
Erin McAndrews of Williams-Sonoma in Chicago says her customers are buying new tools and improved versions of classics such as the KitchenAid mixer and the Cuisinart food processor.
Among her summer best sellers have been the Quick Mist olive oil atomizer ($10), the store’s best seller for nearly three years; a garlic peeler ($8); a clear plastic salad dressing shaker ($8); the Microplane grater for chocolate and hard cheeses ($16); and a mandoline for slicing vegetables ($169).
At Chef’s Catalog in Highland Park, “the Deluxe Redi-Fork (which measures temperatures of food cooking on the barbecue grill electronically; $25), Cuisinart’s ice cream maker ($60), and the Hawaiice electric ice shaver ($40) are machines we can’t keep in the store,” says manager Carla Kelson.
At The Chopping Block, a Chicago cooking school and cookware shop, owner Shelley Young notes heightened demand this summer for “garnishing and appetizer accessories,” such as small melon ballers and canape cutters.
Sources
Kitchen tools are available in most department stores and home stores such as Linens ‘n’ Things; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and Crate & Barrel. Or check cookware shops, including Chef’s Catalog, Edward Don, Lechters and Williams-Sonoma stores.
ALL-PURPOSE VINAIGRETTE
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 3/4 cup
This recipe is adapted from “How to Cook Without a Book,” by Pamela Anderson. After making this dressing a few times, the only ingredient you’ll need to measure is the oil. Don’t try to spoon mustard out of the jar with a measuring spoon. Anderson uses a small whisk to pull out the amount she needs.
2 cloves garlic or 1 shallot, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red or white vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Whisk together garlic, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Whisk in oil in slow, steady stream to form smooth, creamy, emulsified vinaigrette. Can be stored in airtight container for 1 week. Shake before using to re-emulsify.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
Calories …………. 85 Fat ……….. 9 g Saturated fat .. 1.2 g
% calories from fat .. 96 Cholesterol .. 0 mg Sodium ……… 20 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 0.8 g Protein ….. 0.1 g Fiber ………… 0 g
RUM-CARAMEL FONDUE WITH TROPICAL FRUIT
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Cooking time: 7 minutes
This lovely dessert is adapted from Lauren Chattman, who says a serrated knife is perfect for peeling star fruit. Other fruit, such as strawberries and peach slices, also may be used.
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup whipping cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon rum
2 ripe, firm bananas, cut into 3/4-inch slices
3 star fruit, see note
1. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Warm 4 small ramekins in oven 10 minutes. Combine sugar and water in small, heavy saucepan. Heat to boil; let boil until mixture turns light amber, about 7 minutes. Do not stir. If parts of syrup turn darker than others, gently tilt saucepan to even out cooking. Remove from heat as soon as syrup is uniformly amber. Carefully stir in cream (cream may spatter). Stir in rum. Keep warm over low heat. Alternatively, pour syrup and cream into fondue pot; stir in rum. Place fondue pot over warming candle.
2. Peel hard ridges on five ribs of star fruit, using serrated knife. (The remaining peel is edible.) Slice star fruit crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Thread bananas and star fruit on bamboo skewers; place on platter for serving. Pour sauce into warm ramekins; serve with fruit.
Test kitchen note: Star fruit, also known as carambola, is a tropical fruit that tastes like a cross between grapes and apples. It often is sold at supermarkets, as well as produce and ethnic stores. Star fruit is yellow when ripe.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 420 Fat ………… 17g Saturated fat .. 10 g
% calories from fat .. 35 Cholesterol .. 60 mg Sodium …….. 20 mg
Carbohydrates …… 70 g Protein …… 1.9 g Fiber ……… 3.2 g
CHOCOLATE FUDGE COOKIES
Preparation time: 12 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Yield: 55 small cookies
Adapted from “Maida Heatter’s Cookies.” The author says her double boiler is indispensible for melting chocolate.
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate,cut into pieces
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
8 ounces (2 1/4 cups) pecans, toasted, broken into large pieces, see note
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chocolate and butter in top of large double boiler over warm water on moderate heat, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove top of double boiler. Stir in condensed milk and vanilla; stir in flour. Mix in pecans.
2. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 1 inch apart on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes. Cookies will be soft but will become firmer as they cool. Slide foil off baking sheet; cool completely. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let stand until bottoms are dry. Store with wax paper or plastic wrap between layers.
Test kitchen note: To toast pecans, place on baking sheet in 350-degree oven 12-15 minutes, until hot but not darkened.
Nutrition information per cookie:
Calories …………. 95 Fat …………. 6 g Saturated fat .. 2.3 g
% calories from fat .. 54 Carbohydrates .. 10 g Cholesterol ….. 5 mg
Protein ……….. 1.4 g Sodium …….. 10 mg Fiber ………. 0.7 g
