DON'T GO IN THE KITCHEN NAKED

By Oldschoozchef

If you want to cook in the kitchen and try different things, have guests, friends and family over, you need to have a kitchen that's prepared to meet the task.I'm always being requested to come to someone's house to dazzle their taste buds with something they saw on television,read in a magazine or cookbook. Sometimes they are simple meals and sometimes they are elaborate ones. I don't mind it at all, in fact I welcome whatever challenge they can bring my way because my skills are always underestimated when it comes to food. It always baffles and amazes me when I creep into a house with a gorgeous kitchen and all of the appliances that most restaurants wish they could have. What were these people thinking I sometimes say to myself. You can't cook and you got all of this. It's like wanting to eat organic all the time and not having a garden, or wanting to save money but calling a plumber when the sink is stopped up. It just don't make any sense to me. I try to live practical and came up in a household that we did things ourself. In order to do these things though, we had to have tools. this was how we invested our extra money.

I always try to research the prospective client's inventory with a checklist of essentials that I will need to make my job easier and timely. Of course, a really great cook or chef is always going to be resourceful enough to complete the task at hand but sometimes, so much trouble and time could have been spent on much more important tasks.

Here is a list of the essential tools that are practical to outfitting a kitchen. most of these things are quite inexpensive but will save you a lot of time, money and trouble in the future. If you're moving into your first new home or apartment, you need this guide. If you need a checklist of things you should have in your kitchen, this is the list for you. I do ask that if you invest in these tools, try to buy the best so that they will either outlast you, can be passed on to friends or relatives or can be resold at a good price, whenever you may want to upgrade. Here's a shout out to Cook's Illustrated for their assistance. I love that magazine and TV program.


There are many retailers out there trying to sell you gadgets that you only use once and then it sits in the kitchen, hidden away in some cabinet, cluttering it up uselessly.However, these are the right tools that you will be reaching for every time you decide to cook something.


I am passionate about cooking and the tools I use to cook prepare all of my dishes with. Save yourself the trouble of trial and error and go ahead and get the things on this list. Many of the items on this list are versatile and can be used for more than one purpose. Most of them are inexpensive, but don't buy a tool that is cheap. If you see Kitchenaid, Oxo, Lodge and some other name brands more than once, it's because I use them and find them to be trouble-free. If there's a problem with them, I get good customer service and no questions asked in most cases. There are many reliable brands out there. I just want you to have them in your kitchen to make your cooking experience much easier.


The List Of Kitchen Essentials:


1. A Standing Mixer


2. A Blender


3. Tongs


4. A Vegetable Peeler


5. A Bench Scraper


6. A Grater/Zester/Microplane


7. A Pepper Mill


8. A Fine-Mesh Strainer


9. A Rubber Spatula


10. A Whisk


11. A Salad Spinner


12. Some Measuring Utensils


13. A Digital Scale


14. An Instant Thermometer


15. An Oven Thermometer


16. A Digital Timer


17. A Food Processor


18. A Roasting Pan


19. A 12" Skillet (Cast Iron)


20. A Dutch Oven


21. An 8" Chef's Knife


22. A Paring Knife


23. A Serrated Knife


24. A Cutting Board


25. A 12" Non-Stick Skillet


These are the essentials but I have a few things that I like to use in my kitchen because I am a food purist. On my mixer I have an attachment that grinds meat because I like to make my own sausages and freshly ground burgers and I do have a french fry cutter so I can make those fresh french fries when I have a craving. Cook's Illustrated has a list of the best and reasonably priced items on this checklist. I'd also like to invite you into my kitchen to browse at:

Oldschoozchef's Kitchen