How to pimp your kitchen

18 May 2016 - 10:26 By Andrea Burgener

I have nothing to say about Meghan Trainor. Which is why I'd like to talk about kitchen tools today. TOOLS OF THE TRADEI have nothing to say about Meghan Trainor. Which is why I'd like to talk about kitchen tools today. In general, industrial kitchens have very little in common with domestic ones. Most of the methods and appliances would be plain daft to transfer to your home (nobody - perhaps not even restaurants - needs a sous vide machine), but in some respects, cooking is cooking, and so there are lessons to take home from industrial kitchens. The following items aren't pricey and make your life a thousand times easier. Most are available from general homeware shops.Thermometers. Chefs like to use them because knowing is always better than guessing. Though chefs most often use them to check the centre of large meat cuts, a simple cheap steel thermometer is especially useful in the home kitchen when you deep fry. Few domestic kitchens have deep fryers (why would you?), so just clip the thermometer to the side of the pot for perfect chips, fishcakes and so on. The recipe will usually give you the temperature to aim at, but if not, 180C is a good all-rounder. For the meat story, just check online for charts on what the temperature should read to get your meat perfectly rare, medium and so on.Tongs. Ever tried turning sausages or chicken pieces over with a spatula or a fork? Don't you love that boiling-oil-sprinkle on your arms when the piece slaps back in the pan uncontrolled? Tongs are the answer, and that's why kitchens have tons of them. I'm not talking about those big unwieldy braai tongs; what you need is a smaller, lighter pair, useful for virtually everything except soup and cereal.Honer & Sharpener. I'd much rather have a really good honer and sharpener than an expensive knife. Even the priciest knives get blunt. Honing ''steels" which most people have, courtesy of an inherited carving set, are essential, but don't actually sharpen your knife. Steels ''hone" or condition an already sharp edge, re-aligning and smoothing the metal. It seems sharper when this is done, and you should hone almost before every use, but you also need a dramatic sharpening with a wet-stone or electric sharpener once in a while. Knife shops - where you buy said sharpening agent - also provide a sharpening service.Spice grinder. It's hard to make a curry that really sings using pre-ground spices. Of course you can use a mortar and pestle, but sometimes the arm-work means you avoid doing it. An electric spice grinder or coffee grinder changes all that. Using freshly ground spices will up the quality of your food in a truly epic way...

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