Things Used in the Kitchen
- Martha Stewart recommends that all cooks have a saucepan, stockpot and 10-inch frying pan at the very minimum, as they're versatile enough to handle most common culinary tasks. The cookware's material affects how efficiently it distributes heat; some materials are reactive, triggering chemical reactions within certain foods that change their flavors. The Chicago Tribute notes that anoidized aluminum cookware is excellent for slow cooking, while stainless steel pots and pans are ideal for cooking over high temperatures. Copper is the most efficient heat distributor, but it's also a reactive metal that's unsuitable for use with acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes.
- Halogen cooktops use tungsten halogen lamps to heat their ceramic cooking surfaces. Some halogen cooktops have resistance coils around the cooking surface's edges to distribute heat more evenly. Induction cooktops use magnetic fields to draw heat into cookware; cooks can fine-tune the field with great precision, allowing them to maintain optimal heat for tasks such as melting cheese or chocolate, which require low temperatures to prevent the ingredient from burning. As of 2011, modern gas cooktops dispense with the traditional pilot light in favor of burners that ignite with an electric spark, which are sealed to prevent food from seeping underneath. Conventional coil cooktops are still the most common stovetops; they use a coiled electrical wire within the cooking surface to distribute heat.
- A chef's knife has a 6- to 10-inch blade, and its main use is chopping, though it's versatile enough for boning or paring in a pinch. A paring knife's 2- to 4-inch blade is ideal for delicate paring and cutting tasks, while serrated knives are best used for slicing foods whose textures require a sawing motion to make a clean cut, such as bread. Carbon steel knives are sharper and keep their edges longer than their stainless steel counterparts, but they require diligent maintenance and cleaning. Martha Stewart recommends storing knives within a wooden block to preserve their edges and periodically sharpening them with a Carborundum block.
- Coffee makers are essential for those who need the caffeine first thing in the morning. Buyers can choose between traditional bean grinders and coffee makers, many of which will brew a pot at a preset time, or newer single-cup brewing machines. A food processor is handy for heavy cutting and chopping tasks; the New York Times recommends purchasing a model with at least a 12-cup capacity. Stand mixers are excellent for whipping cream, mixing batter and even kneading bread dough, saving your muscles from the accompanying strain. A microwave oven is always useful for the quick reheating of leftovers on those nights when you don't have the energy or inclination to cook a meal.
