Recipe Box < The Toolbox 

How to use the Tools in your Kitchen

To do it right in the kitchen, you have to have the right tools.   Visit the The Toolbox to see if you have all the right tools then come back here to find out the best use for those kitchen tools.

Stock pot with lid: used for making soups, stews, and chili. Can also be used to make a varity of pastas because it is deep and wide. You need a lid to keep in the moisture.

Sauce pans with lids: you will want several sizes for multiple cooking tasks. For example, you want a small pan to melt butter or warm milk for a custard. Using a large pan for this may cause your product to curdle or burn because it will be spread out over a larger cooking space if you use a larger pan.

Tefelon skillet: Keeps food from sticking. This type of skillet is perfect for frying eggs, pancakes, grilled cheese and the like. It makes flipping easy. Won't give a toasted or fried effect like a non-stick skillet.

Cast iron skillet: no kitchen should be without a cast iron skillet. Follow seasoning directions carefully and you will have a skillet you can't live without. It's great for putting a "crust" on anything. A great substitute for the outside grill.

Roasting pan and/or electric roaster: both are awesome for cooking any large meat. But what is nice about having an electric roaster, is that your oven is freed up to cook other dishes. And since you have two cooking units going at once, you can plan your done times better. And if you don't need the oven, the electric roaster won't heat up the kitchen.

Double boiler: a great way to melt chocolate, cheese, or egg base custards. However, you could stack your large and medium sauce pans to create the same affect. The need for a double boiler would depend on how well your sauce pans stack up.

Cooling racks: these are not only handy for cooling cakes, cookies, and pies, but can also be used as a trivet for hot dishes. Some cooling racks a grate style like in your oven which works well for cooling cakes, but not cookies. Cookies can slip through the slots. A "graph-like" pattern cooling rack works well for cookies. However, cooling a cake on this type of rack can cause the entire cake to stick because the cake does not have enough cooling space.

Blender, mixer, and food processor: all are unique in their own way and multi-functional. A blender with a glass vessel and a heavy duty motor will withstand crushing and smoothing ice. Can also be used to cream soups or make bread crumbs. A mixer with a dough hook will make perfect bread dough and a batter paddle is perfect for mixing batters just right. A mixer also makes the perfect mashed potatoes. A food processor chops up vegetables, blends a perfect pie crust, creams soups, makes bread crumbs and chops nuts to name a few.

Slow cooker: a must have in every kitchen. A little bit of pre-meal planning and you can come home to an entire home-cooked meal. It is also perfect for steaming hot dogs and keeping mashed potatoes or rolls warm.

Coffee maker: Traditional vs. thermal. A traditional maker will only keep your coffee warm for so long. And if your maker has a warming base, it will cook the coffee and it will become bitter. A thermal maker will keep your coffee warm throughout the day without cooking the coffee and making it bitter.

Coffee carafe: Traditional vs. thermal. Most coffee carafes are thermal. But if your's is not, keep in mind it will only keep your coffee warm for so long. A thermal carafe will keep your coffee warm for most of the day.