The Must Haves | Perfect Gifts for the Cook in your life
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“What ever you choose to do in this world, be passionate about it.”
If cooking is one of the things that’s excites you to the core, then this article is for you. Whether you are a novice cook or a seasoned chef, there are some tools of the trade that can up your game. My experience in the kitchen began with my Dutch grandmother Annie. She instilled in me a passion for cooking, a love of people & the art of bringing those two together. Annie’s house was a constant clutter but the memories I took away would eventually lead me to pursuing a degree in culinary arts.
This is not your everyday kitchen tool list of spatulas & whisks. A little more exotic & a little less known, these are tools for a certain caliber of cook. The connoisseur. Kitchen snobbery if you please.
1.) Chef Knife. This is the Wusthof Pro Series 8” Chef knife. It isn’t cheap but it’s quality & what we use in our commercial kitchen. Your chef knife (or French Knife) is the absolute quintessential in your kitchen arsenal. You will do most of your chopping & prep work with this knife so invest in a quality piece. A 10” chef knife is the most popular but I prefer to work with an 8”. Look for a knife with high ratings that holds it edge well, German steel is considered the best. Beyond that, it needs to feel right in your hand. For instance, I have an 8” Hinkle that is a good knife but it has some heft to it making it difficult for me to control. So make sure that the knife you choose is a good fit for you.
2.) Dutch Oven. Though I have a foodie crush on the gorgeous teal enameled Dutch ovens that are so popular right now, if you have any intentions of doing outdoor cooking with it you will need something more heavy duty. We do most of our Dutch oven cooking over an open fire & for this we use a footed, cast iron Dutch oven with a flat top, fitted lid. The feet keep the cooking surface off the direct heat so you don’t scorch. The flat lid is for placement of hot coals, so your actually cooking from the top & the bottom.
3.) KitchenAid. This is an investment but every kitchen should have a KitchenAid. I have had mine for 3 decades. I have used & abused it. I left it mixing a heavy bread dough once & it worked it’s way of the counter onto the floor & it kept mixing. They are virtually indestructible, this is your kitchen workhorse.
4.) Copper Thumb Bowl. A thumb bowl is simply a mixing bowl with a ring attached to the rim that your thumb slides into for ease of control & chefs like control. Copper is the best metal for conducting heat, making it highly suitable for use as a Bain Marie for sauces. You will use this bowl for hollandaise, bearnaise, sabayon, cream anglaise. It’s also suitable chilled for whipping cream.
Heavy Bottom Copper Thumb Bowl
5.) Copper Measuring Cups & Spoons. A little luxury in the kitchen never hurts. If you have to measure, you might as well make it pretty while your doing it.
6.) Culinary Blow Torch. There are few things sexier than a woman with a blow torch. For creme brulee, meringues. smoked cocktails, the list goes on & on. Ignite your passion!
7.) Spice Grinder. I use this for both spices & coffee. It so versatile, I could not live without my spice grinder.
8.) Turkish Pepper Mill. There is nothing like freshly cracked pepper offered at the table, it’s an old school but still cool, gourmet touch. The one below is an ‘Old Soul’, restaurant style pepper mill.
The Old Soul Pepper Mill
9.) Mortar & Pestle. One of the most primitive utensils in the kitchen, used across the world for grinding or pulverizing a variety of ingredients. In Mexico avocados are turned into guacamole, in India exotic spices are ground to flavor delicacies. They are made from various materials but the most common is granite, the one’s shown below are cast iron & marble. It can be used for hummus or pesto, creating various pastes or spice combinations such as for rubs for meats. I often use mine for grinding toasted cumin seed.
Cast Iron Mortar & Pestle | Marble Mortar & Pestle
10.) Instructional Cook Book. If you are a serious cook, then you have likely heard of Thomas Keller & The French Laundry cookbook. If you are looking to refine your cooking technics, this book is for you.
11.) A Vintage Apron. A vintage apron makes me feel nostalgic & sexy. The way we feel affects the outcome of the food.
12.) Exotic Salts. We take salt very serious in our house. It is the most essential seasoning & therefore it needs to be quality. You will not find, iodized Morton here. Pink Himalayan is our go to for day to day cooking. But Maldon sea salt flakes is the gourmets choice.