Equipping your kitchen – the essential tools

[9 January 2012 - 18h01]

To cook delicious meals quickly, like a true professional, you need to have the right equipment. Here is a list of the tools that are essential to success in the kitchen.

As well as the usual knives and peelers, you also need a set of wooden spatulas and some whisks – these are useful for making sauces, beating egg whites and preparing mayonnaise;
Next you will need a mandolin slicer to make tagliatelli and cut vegetables into julienne strips. This is a small and very practical piece of kitchen equipment;
You should also have two non-stick frying pans and two simmering pots. With these you will be able to cook several elements of a recipe at the same time. A high-sided frying pan that can also be used as a wok and a stew pot will complete your range of kitchen utensils;
A metal oven dish is essential for traditional roasting and baking. But a terracotta dish or tagine can be used for more gentle cooking methods;
An electric steamer or couscous maker will help to preserve all the vitamins in your vegetables and is ideal for preparing low-calorie meals that are full of flavour;
You will find a set of scales graduated from 0 to 2 kilos particularly useful for weighing out flour, sugar and liquids when baking;
Plastic or glass containers are useful for storing foods that need to be weighed;
A food blender is ideal for blending soups, purées, sauces and desserts.

If you add to these the usual refrigerator, freezer, multifunction oven with 4 gas, electric or induction burners, you will be ready to cook like a true professional.

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