The Little Things I Can’t Cook Without
03/05/11
Customers always assume that because I own a kitchen store, I have a perfect kitchen. With its lack of storage, nonexistent ventilation system and that tiny gap between the stove and the counter where I keep dropping peppers and onions during over-zealous sauté sessions, my kitchen is far from perfect! However, I do make it a point to stock it only with things that I love. Through much research, lots of product testing, and thousands of hours of cooking, I have managed to fill my drawers and cupboards with only items that I find useful, well-designed and necessary. As a result, I've managed to create my own little slice of domestic culinary heaven. So after hundreds of inquiries about what I have in my kitchen, I've compiled a list of what I believe are the true essentials and the best brands. I've left out many things that I REALLY LOVE in my kitchen (my KitchenAid mixer, my Microplane graters, my favorite bread knife, my Sodastream seltzer maker, my sassiest aprons) and tried to narrow it down to the 10 things that I truly couldn't cook without. And, of course, since I stock my store with the very things I use in my own home, everything I've listed here is available at Capital Kitchen.
1. Good Tongs
Tongs are spatulas, spoons and forks in one. It's the easiest way to move veggies around in a pan, flip a chicken breast, even stir a sauce. And they do double duty by being useful on the grill as well. I love OXO's 12" locking tongs.
2. A 10" nonstick skillet for my daily egg
I eat eggs in one form or another almost every morning, and my omelets and over-easies would be a wreck without my Swiss Diamond 10" nonstick fry pan. And because it's not teflon, I can use my metal tongs on it!
3. A maintenance-free cutting board
At least 50% of cooking is prep work, and you just can't do the job without a great cutting board. In my opinion, nothing beats Epicurean cutting boards. Here's the kooky part: They're made of paper! Completely eco-friendly, dishwasher-safe and requiring zero mineral oil maintenance, Epicureans have proven themselves indestructible and indispensable in my kitchen.
4. The perfect santoku
The 8" chef knife is generally the centerpiece of most people's knife collections, but not me. Yes, I use my heavy Henckels chef knife when I'm cracking through chicken bones or splitting a winter squash, but my Santoku is the workhorse, the single knife that completes the most tasks in my kitchen. Global's 7-inch Santoku is the bee's knees. It's perfectly balanced, sleek in design, razor sharp, and seemingly made for my hand.
5. Deep mixing bowls
Baking is a no-go without mixing bowls in various sizes, and I love my Architec 3-piece set of bowls. They're extra deep, have a handy pour spout and feature a "grippy" bottom that stops them from sliding around on the counter when I'm showing egg whites who's boss.
6. The best peeler ever
I bring home a lot of gadgets to test drive, and I literally have a drawer full of vegetable peelers. In a sea of sexy colors and sleek handles, I still always grab for my trusty OXO swivel peeler. Mine is now about 10 years old, has taken hundreds of trips through the dishwasher, and still boasts a blade sharp enough to tear through butternut squash skin with ease.
7. A dutch oven
Chicken stew with dumplings. Braised short ribs. Cacciatore. No-knead bread. Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon. Need I say more? Nothing, nothing, nothing compares to an enameled cast iron dutch oven for the kind of "low and slow" cooking that I crave this time of year. And in my opinion, nothing beats Staub as a brand . This company is the real deal. 100% made in France, hand cast, hand painted and STILL less expensive than other more popular brands of enameled cast iron. This is beautiful cookware that will last your entire life.
8. A great peppermill
Pre-ground pepper is awful. Weak in flavor, if I use enough to even taste it, I've used enough to turn my eggs grey. Ick. I had been through several brands of peppermills both at home and at Capital Kitchen before settling on Vic Firth. I've never used such a good mill. Easy to adjust, easy to fill, and available in a range of amazing colors, Vic Firth peppermills feature a grinding mechanism that's guaranteed for life. And they're made right in Newport, Maine!
9. A stainless steel whisk
Because omelets, heavy cream, batters and sauces don't just mix themselves! Cheapo whisks show their true (rusty) colors with popped wires and poorly designed handles. A great whisk will be made of stainless steel, have a solid handle and perfect balance. I love Kuhn Rikon's whisks. Because of their balance and solid construction, I think they're the best whisks on the market.
10. Silicone spatulas
Silicone spatulas get tons of use in my kitchen. I'm not a big fan of single-task tools, which is why I loves me a good silicone spat; they're perfect for scraping that last bit of muffin batter from the bowl, for coaxing your smoothie from the blender and (because they're totally heat-resistant), they're ideal for cooking scrambled eggs, risotto, you name it. Zillions of companies produce silicone tools now, but I have yet to find one as well-designed as the spatulas made by Cuisipro . I've had mine for over a decade now and they still look brand new.