“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”
― George Bernard Shaw
There are a lot of kitchen stores, cooking shows, and gadgets or tools that promise to make your life easier, turn you into a great cook, and save you oodles of time and money while impressing your family and friends. Unfortunately, rarely do these advertisements actually do what they claim. So what I will do over the next few posts is talk about the various aspects of cooking and what tools are needed, what gadgets actually work, and what I have in my kitchen. Per usual, I want to hear from you to find out if you agree, or would add or delete any of the suggestions I make.
Assuming the hunting + gathering is done, the very first thing I do in the cooking process is to review the recipe at hand, on paper or on my iPad. I review it to make sure I understand the overall sequence of events.
To start the cooking process I setup my veggie and/or meat workstations. Then practice mise en place, so after my work station(s) are set I have recipe in hand and start to gather all the items the recipe(s) requires. This way I know that I have everything that the recipe calls for, or have planned for replacements (i.e., no walnuts, so I use almonds). Everything is at hand and it makes cooking less frantic and more controlled.
- After using my phone to track the number of steps, I found if I assemble everything first I actually do less walking then if I grab things here and there when needed. This means less time traveling and more focused time on actual cooking.
Once I have everything, I wash all the veggies and herbs I will be using, so when I start to cut I do not need to run back and forth to the sink. I put a colander in the sink to catch any part of the raw food being washed and give it a good cleaning under running water. Herbs I soak a bit in a metal bowl, then rinse under running cold water (except for Basil); I tend to get pre-washed basil and like mushrooms just lightly brush debris from them. Some things, like leeks, I tend to wash twice because they can be really dirty. Then, once the washing is done, I clean up the sink and start with the cutting and measuring.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
― Hippocrates
The number one tool combo used for prepping is a Chefs Knife and two cutting boards (I use bamboo for veggies and plastic for meat). Everything I cook uses these tools and the trick is to know what to do with them.
- Learn proper care of knife and cutting boards
- Learn how to hold and use the knife safely
- Learn the various terms, styles of cutting, why use them
- Learn how to properly cut veggies and meat/fish/fowl
Workstation Tools: My usual cooking workstation always has a Chef Knife, and bench scraper (see in first photo above).
- I mainly use a Chef knife, sometimes a paring or bread knife, and sometimes a boning knife
- Sometimes I pull out the mandolin, and sometimes the box or microplane graters if there are grating tasks
- I have an old fashion veggie peeler (see photo above) that I prefer over the newer ones
- For washing food I have a metal standing colander, and salad spinner
- For cans I have an electronic can opener (as I have arthritis so it makes it easier)
- I am not a baker, but if doing quick breads, biscuits, and the like, I have a small antique rolling pin that barely does what I need but I just cannot toss it, along with a plastic bowl scraper.
- For measuring I have metal dry measuring cups, metal measuring spoons, and glass for wet measuring cups along with a scale and a foot long metal ruler.
- I do have specialty tools for the ethnic foods I do cook a lot. I have a German made double-sided meat pounder used for schnitzel, butchers-twine for rouladen, potato ricer, bundt pan, egg slicer (used for more than eggs),and a Spätzlepresse.
- And I have gadgets that actually do save cooking time: immersion blender, hand mixer, standing mixer, slow cooker, spice and coffee grinders, pestle and mortar, and pressure cooker.
When everything is at hand I review the recipe again, and start to cut, measure and prep all the portions of the dish and place them in separate bowls or on my board and in order, so I have at the ready what I need next. This action alone indicates you are a seasoned cook.
“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
― Julia Child
I use a good set of stainless steel and glass bowls during the prep stage. Using metal is the default, but some foods should not be in metal so having glass available when needed is helpful. For my work station I always have a metal scrap bowl so when I cut things I can put the discards into a bowl and not have to run back and forth to the garbage or composting box.
Here are other suggestions on when to use glass or metal.
- I do not use plastic or aluminum bowls for any cooking
- Non-reactive bowls (glass) are great for marinades
- Whipping egg whites seem to go better in a copper bowl
- Acidic foods (tomato, dressings) go in glass bowls (and not in cast iron)
- Any whipped food is better in glass
- I put cut veggies in stainless steel
The only things missing here is a wet rag so I can clean up my work station as I go about the business of prepping. It can be a messy job so keeping the work space and my knife clear of debris is important for safety and organization.
As I cut the food, I divide up scraps into discard (compost), save for future broth (plastic freezer bag), and save for next dish (glass container). Critical to this activity is understanding how to use all aspects of the food being used.
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
― Michael Pollan
Once everything is prepped and ready to use, I again clean up any messes I have made and start to get ready to cook.
By the way, when I prep I also have a tendency to accidentally (but always) knock food I am chopping over onto the floor. Sweeping up after myself is not my strong suit, but something I should do more often so as not to leave scraps for the land-shark (a.k.a. Charlie the dog) to eat up – especially because not everything I cook is okay for dogs to eat. For instance, these are toxic to him: garlic, onions, chives, mushrooms, lemons, limes, and tomatoes. And are things I cook with all the time.
So I end this post having bought, gathered, cleaned and prepped my food. I am at the stage where I am ready to cook.
–Patty
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IDEA: What do you do with left over or dated spices? Rather than just toss in the garbage, if there is any aroma left, you can make little spice sachets or potpourri pots. I will take some and grind to activate any remaining oils, then sprinkle the dried herbs (but not dried peppers!) on the areas in my backyard that the dog frequently urinates at to help mask some of the residual smell (after a thorough watering of course). Especially before I have a party in the back yard!
Recipes: Added a recipe for Lemony Walnut Brussel Sprouts and a Thai Pad See Ew.
NEWS: I updated my Sugar page to include information on Allulose. This is labeled a 100% natural, but “rare sugar” that is produced in very small amounts in figs, raisins, molasses, and maple syrup. It came out in 2015 but only recently in 2019 received FDA approval to be sold in the USA. I have read that it is a bit less sweet than sugar and has less calories. Much better than any artificial sweetener. Keep an eye out for it and let me know what you think of it, as I have yet to see it on the shelves,.
