The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 71

amazon.com) I have about half a dozen in sizes ranging from a couple of quarts up to 5 quarts They’re lightweight and easy to handle, shatterproof, stainproof, breakproof, odorproof, and microwavable.# Add to that their shallow design, which makes whisking and tossing a snap, and you’ve done made yourself a new best friend Wooden Spoons Short of being born a woman in Italy and waiting for your daughter to have a child, nothing makes you feel more like an Italian grandmother than slowly and deliberately stirring a lazily simmering pot of ragù with a wooden spoon Blood runs deep between a good spoon and his cook I nearly cried the day I cracked the handle on the spoon that had lasted me through nine years and thirteen different kitchens —a flat-headed beechwood model that I think I stole from my mother’s hidden secondary utensil drawer It was so well used that the handle had conformed to the shape of my hand, and the head had been worn into an angle that perfectly fit the corners of my Dutch oven Whether stirring sauces, tasting soups, or gently whacking cheeky spouses who disturb you in the kitchen, a wooden spoon is the tool you’ll want 90 percent of the time when you’re cooking on the stovetop I have half a dozen of various shapes and sizes that I use almost every time I cook But if I had to pick a single spoon to perform every task, I’d choose one with a cupped section for tasting and a head that comes to a point, rather than being completely round, making it easier to get into the corners of pots and pans Whether you want a spoon with a completely flat section on the head or a more triangular profile is totally up to you Like my favorite Beatles album, my favorite wooden spoon tends to waffle back and forth among the different spoons in my set Slotted Flexible Metal Spatula Flexible enough to flip tender pieces of delicate fish without breaking them yet sturdy enough to get every last bit of a smashed burger off the bottom of your pan, a slotted metal fish spatula is an absolute essential in your tool kit It’s ideal for blotting excess grease off cooked steaks and chops Just pick up the meat from the skillet and put it on a paper towel, still on the spatula, then transfer to the serving plate—the wide slots allow the grease to drain off easily The spatula is lightweight and maneuverable enough to flip fragile eggplant slices in a skillet of oil, but it will also handle whole grilled pork chops with ease Its slight flexibility lends it agility and control, unlike stiffer spatulas (which have their place in the kitchen—we’ll get to that) And here’s some good news: most of the expensive models are far too stiff to the job well I keep a $25 Lamsonsharp model in my kit, and the even cheaper Peltex (around $15) is the standard in most restaurant kitchens Tongs A sturdy pair of tongs is like a heatproof extension of your fingers Robust construction, slip-proof grips (ever try to grab a pair of stainless steel tongs with greasy fingers?), a spring-loaded class-3 lever design,** and scalloped edges perfect for grabbing everything from tender stalks of spring ... Just pick up the meat from the skillet and put it on a paper towel, still on the spatula, then transfer to the serving plate? ?the wide slots allow the grease to drain off easily The spatula is... control, unlike stiffer spatulas (which have their place in the kitchen—we’ll get to that) And here’s some good news: most of the expensive models are far too stiff to the job well I keep a $25 Lamsonsharp model in my kit, and the even cheaper Peltex... far too stiff to the job well I keep a $25 Lamsonsharp model in my kit, and the even cheaper Peltex (around $15) is the standard in most restaurant kitchens Tongs A sturdy pair of tongs is like a heatproof extension of your