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Kitchen Utensils List |
Many of us would be surprised to see a complete kitchen utensils list - our kitchen couldn't possibility hold them all! Of course, due to ever evolving manufacturing techniques and the diversification of our own culture, we have more and more choice available. In addition to this, our own cultures have been 'infiltrated' by other cuisines, some of which necessitate other styles of kitchen utensils. However, there is a strong case for acquiring a sold basic set of kitchen utensils and applying the basic mechanism of the 80-80 rule. You don't know what the 80-20 rule is? This universal law governs all natural activity, human and otherwise. For our purposes it states that 80% of all our cooking needs can be done with only 20% of our complete stock of kitchen utensils. Makes you think doesn't it?
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Whatever Your Basic Needs, Go For Quality!
We can categorize our kitchen utensils list into cooking, handling and storing. Pots and pans come in various sizes and in a great range of materials. It becomes quite obvious that material quality relates directly to price, but not always. The very latest aluminum frying pan may be twice as expensive as the traditional cast iron variety, but not really twice as efficient. Cast iron spreads the heat over the whole area of the pan, and so cooks evenly and gently. Cheaper (and thinner) materials tend to allow the cooking heat to concentrate in one area so there is a bigger danger of burning. However, if you are cooking eggs in hot oil taking just one or two minutes, then a thinner pan is ideal - it heats up quickly and makes that sizzle! When starting out on a strict budget, many young couples would do well to browse through the huge range of oldè-style cooking pot and pans found at yard sales or other neighborhood activities. The old cast iron cookware is really made to last, and holds heat very well due to it's mass. There's never a problem with loose handles, or similar issues that you might find in some modern kitchen utensils. Often, you can find well-used items still with the original wooden handles - 50 year old cooking pans with another 50 years of life in them! Cast iron and ceramic earthenware is also great for enclosed pots with lids, for baking and stewing in the oven. The heavy mass of material encloses the food and permeates it with heat radiation from every direction. Basic clay pots are also used in this way. Many types of enclosed cooking pots have been adapted to our modern way of living by fitting with low power elecric elements and timers. These slow cookers can be timed to start cooking during the afternoon and provide us with a welcome meal at the end of the day. Some people swear by copper utensils, and they do cook extremely well. However, there are disadvantages with this material. First of all, utensils made from copper are expensive and very heavy. In addition, they must be cleaned very well to eliminate the build up of toxic compounds. Acidic foods cannot be cooked using copper utensils. Other maetrials are being introduced constantly, all designed to improve the cooking experience and to make it so much easier to produce delicious meals.
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