URBivore

Kitchen essentials Pt. 4: microplane graters & attachment

Kitchen essentials #4: microplane graters & attachment
Originally uploaded by BKMD

Absolute necessities for grating hard cheeses and ginger. Not the best for lemon zesting, though.

The attachment allows you to protect your fingertips while grating a piece of food as much as possible.

Kitchen essentials Pt. 3: stick or immersion blender

Kitchen essential #3: stick or immersion blender
Originally uploaded by BKMD

Great for making smoothies (I always have some frozen bananas and other fruit in the freezer), but it doesn't chop ice or large chunks very well. Although, it's easier to store and have available than a blender. Works great for soups and purees. Make your homemade vinaigrette a true emulsion. I guess you could also make your own mayo, but I never had the desire.

I found out about this immersion blender from a vegan friend of mine who uses it for making hummus on the spot whenever company drops it. I've made hummus many times, and since haven't used the store-bought stuff.

This is not good for making salsa, as it tends to liquefy the ingredients in short order.

This is the Cuisinart CSB-77, which also comes with a chopper/grinder attachment that looks like a mini food processor, and it comes with a whisk attachment. Both of these are really more trouble than they're worth, and you're better off using a knife and a hand whisk.

Still, this is one of those tools I use nearly everyday for over a year now. And this is the second one I have. The first plastic beaker developed stress cracks and the markings rubbed off. Cuinsinart replaced the whole set since they couldn't have the beaker separately in stock, and it was still under the 3-year warranty.

Kitchen essentials Pt. 2: cutting tools

Kitchen essentials Pt. 2: cutting tools
Originally uploaded by BKMD

These are my most frequently used cutting and sharpening tools. I have other Wüsthof knives, but these are the essentials.

I shot a series of photos yesterday on the deck in the cool shadows of the early morning.

I prefer the santoku over the traditional chef's knife. The paring knife works for the small jobs. The bread knife is just for that purpose. You'll hear different food show hosts say that you should use a serrated knife for cutting tomatoes, but my santoku is always sharp enough for this.

The shears help speed up the operation of cutting since I don't have to bother with the cutting board. The steel is for quick honing, but otherwise I use the Spyderco Triangle sharpener for keeping the knives sharp.

Essential cooking accessory: Corningware with cover

Corningware with cover, originally uploaded by BKMD.

This is great for warming up a sauce or even steaming veggies in the microwave. The lid is very secure, and it's almost like a pressure cooker. The blue tab is the safety vent.

I used this to steam some carrots and some chopped ginger in the microwave. Then it was easy enough to use an immersion blender to make a puree.

This is an otherwise perfect mug for heating up soup when you're on the go or at work. There are many glowing reviews on Amazon.com, but there are some issues with the lid. It seals very tightly and not easily removed, which could be a problem when you're dealing with hot liquids. It also stains, especially with tomato products or curry. I had to soak mine in a weak bleach solution to bring it back to almost white. I mention this in my Amazon.com video review. This is the first video review I did, so it's more or less experimental until I get the hang of it.