Kitchen Experiments: The Equipment
This is the second article in the kitchen experiments series. You can catch up with the first one here.
Types of Kitchen Equipment
Every scientist needs a safe place to carry out their experiments. For a chef, this is the kitchen. A kitchen is not just another room in a four wall structure. It is a sacred place, one where we get the stuff that sustains our bodies, edible food. The very genesis of the “eat to live/live to eat” conundrum.
To be able to do all the amazing, and sometimes disastrous, things in the kitchen, it is important to have your equipment in place. Kitchen equipment varies depending on the needs of a person. That being said, there are general categories of kitchen equipment. These include, but are not limited to:
1. Cookware:
This refers to the vessels in which we cook our food in. They can be made from stainless steel, aluminum, cast iron, glass etc. The type of material has an impact on the cooking time as well as the maintenance of the cookware.
2. Utensils:
These are the tools that are handheld and can be used around the kitchen for various functions such as eating, scooping, stirring, cutting etc. They can be made from silicone, wood, stainless steel etc. The type of material has an impact on durability, price and the type of use.
3. Dishes, tools and gadgets:
This includes the various containers used for storage in the kitchen, and the tools and gadgets used to carry out various tasks such as measuring weight or temperature.
Maintenance
Taking care of your kitchen equipment requires one to be knowledgeable about a few things. First, maintenance varies depending on the material used to make the kitchen equipment. Cleaning a cast iron pan well completely differs from cleaning a pan made using stainless steel. Cleaning each item in the recommended way will go along way in ensuring that your equipment has an extended durability.
For sharp objects, ensure that you maintain the blades. Make it a habit to routinely sharpen your cutting tools to ensure that they serve you well.
Use the right tools for the right purpose and in the right manner. For example, using metallic spoons on non-stick pans is not advisable. Using your tools correctly also helps to avoid unwarranted accidents in the kitchen.
The Kitchen Knives
Kitchen knives are essential in the kitchen. There are different types of knives, with each intended to play a specific role in the kitchen.
Professional chefs tend to use knives in a way that leaves us staring in wonder. Learning how to use a knife is a skill and technique that requires practice.
Chef Jean-Pierre does a good job of walking through the basics of how to use a knife like a chef.
The Cutting Boards
Another widely used, yet abused tool in the kitchen is the cutting board. This tool is super helpful in providing us with a flat surface to get all our cutting done efficiently. The one tiny detail we forget while using our cutting boards is the amount of cross contamination that can occur when cutting different things on the same surface. Raise your hand if you’re guilty of cutting your vegetables on the same cutting board you used to cut your meat, without properly washing it first.
To try and minimize this constant bouts of forgetfulness in the kitchen, there are color coded cutting boards. This means that a board with a given color should only be used to cut specific items. While this does not take away the fact that cutting boards should be washed after use, it does help in reducing cross-contamination in the kitchen.
Wooden cutting boards should be used to cut ready-to-eat items such as bread, fruits or vegetables.
If you prefer to have wooden cutting boards at home, it’s best to have at least two, where one can be used for meats while the other can be used for ready-to-eat items. The same holds if you’d prefer not to buy the full set of color coded plastic chopping boards. This will help to reduce cases of cross-contamination.
To ensure that your board does not move around when cutting, you can place a damp paper towel or a kitchen cloth beneath it.
The Chef’s Uniform
I include this here because a chef really cannot work in the kitchen without their uniform. It is as essential, if not more, as the chef’s knife. It has a rich history which you can read about here. The basic items that feature in the uniform set are as follows:
- The Toque
This is the chef’s hat. The height of the hat indicates the chef’s rank in the kitchen while the folds are an indication of how many techniques the chef has mastered. It is also commonly referred to as a toque blanche (white hat).
2. The Jacket
This is normally a double breasted jacket whose purpose is to protect the chef’s chest and stomach from burns that might result from splashing liquids. The sleeves should ideally be long sleeved to provide protective cover to the hands but some chefs prefer short sleeved jackets. The color of the jacket is predominantly white but might vary depending on the restaurant.
3. The Apron
Designed to offer additional protection, an apron can either be a full apron, covering the upper and lower body, or a half apron, covering the lower body only. The apron also helps to keep the chef’s uniform clean.
4. The Side Towel
This is meant to provide the chef with a medium to wipe their hands while on the go as well as to use when grabbing hot items in the kitchen. It should be kept clean.
5. The Pants
Pants worn in the kitchen should be comfortable, durable and breathable. Depending on the restaurant, there might be preference for checked pants or black pants with stripped sides.
6. The Shoes
Shoes worn in the kitchen should have a good grip and be closed. This to help minimize accidents in the kitchen. They should also be comfortable since a majority of the time in the kitchen is spent on one’s feet.
Wrapping it up, always make it a point to take good care of your equipment. Don’t be that guy who always blames their tools when problems arise😅.
Sending love and light, Padawan Chefs.
