You don’t have to be regularly hosting divine dinner parties to own some of the best cookware available. In order to get the most out of your culinary adventures, shop for some of the best tools around that make your job that much easier. Cooking is an artform in itself, and should be treated as such, so don’t be afraid to spend a little extra on some of the essentials. First, however, you must know what that includes.
Starting off simple, some of the most important utensils you can have include the following:
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Tongs
- Carving Set
When preparing a dish that includes an ingredient required to be whisked, you’ll want to find a whisk capable of handling all types of consistencies.
Spatulas are crucial for carefully transferring food from an oven tray to the serving tray or plate, so the sturdiness of the spatula you buy is very important. With that said, look for one of a wooden or silicone material. Both are quite strong, and won’t scratch trays or pans.
Tongs are a necessity when working with foods like corn, potatoes, and other hot items to avoid causing a catastrophe in the kitchen. Look into a pair of metal tongs with rubber tips to protect your cookware from metal-on-metal scraping, and also preserve the quality of the food you are picking up.
Assuming you’ll be roasting turkeys and honey glazed hams among many other gourmet dishes, a carving set can make life that much easier. This is a product that you’ll want to spend considerably on. A very sharp knife with a durable fork to match can separate a visually stunning dish from a plate with a mess of food on top.
Next, you’ll need to invest in the best cookware in order to have your dishes come to life, figuratively, of course. Look to add any of the following to your gourmet kitchen:
- Food Processor
- Roasting Pan
- Saute Pan
- Stock Pot
Food processors can create entirely new ingredients that you would have never thought of before. By combining any number of foods and processing them to a liquid, you can create sauces and dressings that add another level of taste.
Roasting pans should be at the forefront of every chef’s mind who works with larger dishes like, as mentioned before, turkey, ham, chicken, or fish. Look for a copper or aluminum pan with a rack to place the main course on top of. That way, the fat is able to drip down and preserve the crispiness of the skin, depending on what you’re cooking exactly.
Saute pans are crucial for conducting heat and deglazing, as well as, of course, sauteing. Search for a pan with low, wide sides for stirring, preferably made of aluminum. With this, you can create aromatic sauces without worrying about spilling.
Stock pots are perfect for boiling vegetables, pasta, and even certain meats. A good stock pot should be tall with sturdy handles and a rounded base to prevent burning. Stainless steel is typically the best option for these products, and depending on what you plan on cooking, the bigger the better.
