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30+
Time-Saving Kitchen Tools
Making
meals is a little like making magic. You toss some ingredients together
and voila ... they change into muffins or a mixed vegetable medley!
Some days
you may wish your magic wand was speedier. That it didn't take quite so
long to clean, peel, chop and mix fresh vegetables for a salad. Or measure,
mix, beat, blend and cook a casserole.
In search
of faster kitchen magic, several Internet discussion groups of dietitians,
home economists, chefs and other food professionals were asked their favorite
time-saving kitchen tools. The response was overwhelming! Here are 30+
tools to quicken your kitchen performance.
Tools
of the Trade
- Tool
1: Garlic Peeler
- The
type mentioned most frequently is a rubber tube you place the garlic
in, roll it a couple of times and the skin comes off. An added benefit:
No more garlic smell on your hands!
- Tool
2: Anything Dishwasher Safe
- Check
for the magic time-saving words "dishwasher safe" before purchasing
any item! Don't buy anything you have to wash by hand until you check
to see if there's a comparable dishwasher-safe item from another company.
- Using
the dishwasher saves time and helps assure kitchen items are thoroughly
and safely cleaned. Plus, sticking your utensils in the dishwasher gets
them out of sight immediately!
- Tool
3: Flexible Plastic Cutting Board
- Flexible
plastic cutting boards are favorites with several people. After cutting
vegetables, fruits or herbs, you can lift them up and pour the contents
into whatever bowl or pan you're using. They're also dishwasher safe!
- Tool
4: Own More Than One Cutting Board
- Avoid
cross-contamination when cutting different types of foods for the same
meal by owning several cutting boards. This is especially important
if you're cutting raw meats, poultry or seafood and then need to cut
ready-to-eat foods. With more than one cutting board you can avoid spending
extra time washing your board before cutting the next item.
Plastic
or other non-porous cutting boards are easier to safely clean as they
can be run through the dishwasher.
- Tool
5: Pump-Spray or Mist-Spray Bottle for Oil
- Fill
this nonaerosol sprayer with your favorite oil and use for flavoring
vegetables, coating pans and grills or spraying directly on bread. NOTE:
Buy a container specifically advertised for use with oil.
- Tool
6: A Good Quality, Sharp Chef's Knife
- This
tool is a must in many cooks' kitchens. Use a chef's knife to quickly
chop, cut, slice, dice and mince fresh produce. You can do some procedures
faster with a chef's knife than with your food processor. It's important
to keep your knife sharp. Check what type of sharpening procedure or
device the manufacturer of your knives recommends.
- Tool
7: Food Processor and Blender
- A food
processor can make quick work of slicing, dicing, shredding, grating
and chopping -- especially for large quantities of food. For smaller
quantities, hand-held kitchen tools such as a chef's knife or a grater
sometimes are faster.
- A blender
makes quick work of pureeing ingredients, such as for soups, and is
terrific for making smoothies! Buy a heavy-duty blender if you want
to crush ice. Some people like an immersion blender for pureeing soups
in the pot or frothing hot chocolate.
- Tool
8: Lots of Colanders
- If you
tend to wash and/or drain a lot of foods for meals, an extra colander
or two may save you time and help prevent cross-contamination.
- Tool
9: Kitchen Shears
- Sturdy,
sharp kitchen shears can perform many tasks, from cutting herbs, bacon
and pizza to trimming dough to deboning chicken and cutting poultry
joints. Many are labeled dishwasher safe and will separate for more
thorough cleaning. As with any sharp item, use caution. If you wash
shears in your dishwasher, place them in a location where they won't
bump against other items or cut someone on removal.
- Tool
10: Apple Corer/Wedger
- Use this
tool to quickly core and separate apples and pears into wedges. You
also can buy just an apple corer.
- Tool
11: An Assortment of Whisks
- A whisk
can be your quick and clever companion in many food adventures. Match
the size and shape of your whisk to the task. An article from "Bon Appetit's"
Web site (www.epicurious.com)
recommends a "big, rigid whisk" for foods in large pots; a "medium whisk
for soups, sauces, creams and custards;" and a "small whisk" (about
10 inches long) for "salad dressings, sauces and folding flour into
batter."
- Some
whisks are longer and narrower -- others are like big balloons. Use
the "ballooningest" ones when you want to beat a lot of air into a mix,
such as whipped cream or meringue. Choose whisks with thin and flexible
wires for whipping air into batters, and thicker, more rigid wires for
thicker mixtures such as brownies.
- Choose
whisks that have the area sealed where the wires go into the handle.
This helps assure your whisk stays clean. These whisks may be more expensive,
but will probably last longer and cost less over time. Look for "dishwasher
safe" whisks to save time and to help assure your whisks are thoroughly
and safely washed.
- Tool
12: 1- and 2-Quart Microwave-Safe Glass Batter Bowls/Mixing Cups
- Use these
multi-talented tools to measure; mix (batters, sauces and toppings);
cook foods in the microwave; and reheat foods you want to pour, such
as soups. Many come with plastic covers so you can use them for storage,
too!
- Tool
13: A Good Quality Vegetable Peeler
- Quickly
and evenly remove the outer skin from fruits and vegetables with a sharp,
durable vegetable peeler. Many have a sharp, rounded edge at the end
to pop out the "eyes" of potatoes.
- Tool
14: A Digital Timer
- Help
keep your kitchen tasks under control with this battery-operated device.
Time the exact seconds, minutes or hours needed for a cooking process.
Many come with a flip-out stand and a magnetic backing, so you always
can keep them handy. Some can be clipped to your belt if you need to
leave the kitchen. Others come with a string to hang around your neck.
- Tool
15: Kitchen Tools With Erogonomic Rubber-Type Handles
- Many
cooks find these special-handled tools easier on their hands, particularly
if they use a certain tool, such as a vegetable peeler, for extended
periods.
One
cook specifically mentioned a hinged, 2-piece grater that doesn't
"get away." You can hook this grater over a bowl or plant it firmly
on your counter.
- Tool
16: Egg/Mushroom Slicer
- If you
use hard-cooked eggs in salads, etc., you might like one of the small
egg slicers with closely spaced wires for making perfect slices. Look
for one described as strong enough to also slice mushrooms.
- Tool
17: A Set of "Scoop" Measuring Cups
- For items
such as sugar, oatmeal, rice, etc., quickly scoop the amount you need.
Some scoop-type cups are a cross between a scoop and a regular measuring
cup -- they have a long handle attached to a cup base.
- NOTE:
You wouldn't "scoop" flour for most recipes. To avoid packing, it's
usually advisable to measure flour by spooning it lightly into your
measuring cup.
- Regardless
of your preferred type of measuring cup, you may wish to own at least
two sets to save clean-up time between different uses.
- Tool
18: Cookie Dropper
- If you
bake lots of cookies, use this tool to make more uniform cookies in
less time than you can by dropping dough from a spoon. Cookie droppers
look like mini ice cream scoops where you push a lever on the handle
to push out dough into muffin pans.
- Tool
19: Funnels
- Kitchen
funnels are helpful for transferring bulk items into smaller containers.
One cook ground a week's worth of coffee, put it in a jar and stored
it in the cupboard. The rest of the beans went in the freezer. If you
transfer ground coffee to a smaller coffee container, a funnel is handy.
It's also great for filling sugar shakers from a larger package of sugar.
- Tool
20: Detergent Dispenser With A Brush On It
- Save
an extra step by dispensing soap as you scrub. Some dispensers may work
better for you than others. See if you can buy one at a store where
the staff tried the product.
- Tool
21: Salad Spinner
- If you're
washing lettuce, spinach leaves, etc., this tool is a must. Simply toss
in your washed greens and "spin" them dry. These products work in various
ways. Some have knobs you turn. Others operate through a push-down mechanism.
Check around to find one with the features you like.
- Tool
22: Long-Handled Bottle Brush
- This
cleaning tool is great for cleaning in the crevices of jars and bottles.
It also works well if you're trying to get your brush in close around
the inside bottom edges of pots and pans.
- Tool
23: Multi-Functional Baking Dishes and Mixing Bowls
- Save
cupboard space and cleaning time by purchasing baking dishes suitable
for baking, microwaving and storing food. Likewise, purchase microwave/oven
safe mixing bowls suitable for storage and attractive enough to set
on the table!
Some
baking and mixing dishes come with their own covers, making them especially
handy for storing foods. Be sure to follow the directions that come
with these dishes and bowls to prevent breakage.
- Tool
24: Non-Stick Skillet With Sloping Sides
- This
utensil helps you cook with a very small amount of oil, and clean-up
is quick! The sloping sides make it easy to turn and remove food. To
protect the nonstick surface, use spatulas, stirring spoons, etc. made
for use with this type of coating.
- Tool
25: Heat Resistant Spoon-Shaped Spatulas
- Mix,
scrape and stir again at the stove with this one utensil. Once you try
these, you may want them in several sizes.
- Tool
26: Jar Opener
- If your
only jar opener is a flat piece of rubber or you don't have an opener
at all, check out the kitchen gadget section at your favorite store.
Some of the latest models let you stick the jar lid between two prongs
and twist. If you're tired of holding jars under hot water, hitting
lids on the counter or giving up and reaching for a different food,
this may be the tool for you.
- Tool
27: Cheese Slicer
- If you
eat a lot of cheese sandwiches, this tool makes quick work of slicing
a block of cheese. These are especially handy if you make toasted cheese
sandwiches; all the cheese is the same width and melts at the same rate.
- Tool
28: Small, Narrow, Long-Handled Rubber Spatula
- Use
this kitchen utensil to scrape out the last bit of food from the nooks
and crannies of jars.
- Tool
29: Multi-Tiered Food Storage Shelves
- A handy
way to store your spices for quick and easy access is to purchase the
small stair-step type storage shelves. Many have three levels for storing
spices and other small containers. Some will expand to fit various cupboard
widths. Larger sizes may be available for storing bigger containers
such as cans, olive oil, etc.
- Tool
30: Food Clips
- Plastic
clips that snap shut and look sort of like hair barrettes are great
for fastening opened bags. Keep a bunch handy in your kitchen for quickly
closing bags of frozen vegetables, nuts, etc.
One
student with a very small budget recommended using little binder clips
instead of buying more expensive chip clips. When she opens a bag
of something that needs resealing, she folds over the bag and clips
it shut with a binder clip.
More
Tools:
Additional
time-saving kitchen tools mentioned that you may wish to check out include:
- Rice
cooker
- Crock
pot -- Check the publications on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection
Service Web site
(www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/slocookr.htm) for information on
"Slow Cooker Safety."
- Large
pasta pot with colander insert
- Vegetable
steamer
- Mortar
and pestle
- Salad
shooter
- Hand-cranked
potato peeler
- Universal
measuring cup for liquids and solids
- Toaster
oven
- Small
electric food processor/chopper
- Small
hand-operated food processor/chopper
- Parchment
paper
- Pressure
saucepan
- Electric
knife
- Food
thermometers (helps you save guessing time trying to decide when food
is done!)
- Gravy
separator/pitcher
- Coffee
grinder for grinding seeds, nuts, grains.
And, keep
in mind this suggestion from one person: "My most effective ‘helper' at
the moment though is my daughter. Involving family members in food preparation
has multiple benefits, including time!"
And For
Your Last Trick...
With these
time-saving kitchen tools, you can perform one final magic trick: DISAPPEAR
from the kitchen sooner!!!
Special Thanks
To:
A tremendous
and heartfelt "thank-you" to the 40+ people from these Internet discussion
groups -- American Dietetic Association; Society for Nutrition Education;
Public Health Nutrition Discussion and Information Group; and Food and
Nutrition Specialists -- who offered their suggestions for time-saving
kitchen tools. I was overwhelmed by the kindness of everyone in taking
time to share their recommendations. I sincerely hope I have woven your
many ideas together into a tapestry we can all use and enjoy!
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