I'm Just Here For The Food Part 19

3-Quart Saucier with Lid

In the deserted-island scenario, this one ran a close second to the cast iron. It's a hybrid pan, half skillet, half sauce pan and the design is perfect for reducing sauces that pool in the small-diameter bottom. (It's not called a saucier for nothing.) Its rounded bottom makes it perfect for roux-based sauces because there are no corners that a whisk can't get into.

What it's good for: all sauces from sawmill gravy to creme anglaise; reducing; rice (pilaf); simmering. What it's not good for: pan-frying; sauteing.

12-Inch Saute Pan with Lid

The main difference between a saute pan and a skillet is the angle of the walls, which flare out on a skillet or fry pan and are straight on a saute pan, thus granting you more flat floor s.p.a.ce to work. Another important feature of the saute pan is the loop handle on the side opposite the straight handle-very convenient for moving the pan in and out of the oven. My saute pan is also a clad piece with an exterior of stainless steel over an aluminum core. This is my pan-fry and pan-braise tool of choice.

What it's good for: chicken piccata; salisbury steak; fried green tomatoes; pan-frying in general.38 What it's not good for: stir-frys; thin soups; eggs. What it's not good for: stir-frys; thin soups; eggs.

Dutch Oven

Another cast-iron number. Heavy but the best vessel around for slow cooking. It's got a wire loop handle for easy moving (or suspending over campfires, open hearths, and so on. Since it's so gosh-darned dense, it holds heat forever; if I'm taking a hot dish to someone's house, I'll take it in the Dutch oven even if I didn't cook it in there. (It never turns over in the car, either, which is a nice bonus.)39 What it's good for: long-cooking stews; baked beans; pot roast. What it's not good for: sauteing. What it's good for: long-cooking stews; baked beans; pot roast. What it's not good for: sauteing.

10-Inch Stainless-Steel Fry Pan

Another clad pan, like the saute pan, but this one has sloping walls that allow for single-handed food turning via the "toss."

What it's good for: sauteing. What it's not so good for: eggs (they stick); pan braises (there's not enough flat floor s.p.a.ce); soup (it's too shallow).

8 - to 12-Quart Stock Pot

Making stock is cheap and easy-if you have a stock pot. Cookin' up a mess of greens or boiling water for pasta also requires a large vessel. You can spend a mess of green on a clad stock pot, but such models are prohibitively expensive and more than a little heavy. My favorite is stainless steel with a thick pad of metal welded onto the bottom.

One More Pan

Even if you're positively certain that you haven't a single pot or pan to your name, as long as you have an oven you probably do: just about every oven constructed in the free world comes with its own broiling pan. That's right, that funny-looking enamel-coated thing with the funny little grate. Never used it? You should. It's the perfect device for broiling. Not only does it keep food up and out of whatever juices might hinder the browning process (and broiling is about nothing if not browning) it allows said juices, including flammable fats, to gather in the pan below, where they can be rescued and put to good use. I wouldn't say that it's the most-used pan in my kitchen, but it is the most-oft-used pan that didn't cost me a thin dime.

A Few Words on Lids

Heavy, well-seated, with st.u.r.dy handles. Have one for every pot or pan you own. Since not all vessels come with lids, a unilid is a great idea-and it takes up less s.p.a.ce, too.

Stuff with Wires

Electric Skillet

An electric skillet is a must-have because of its versatility. It's got a vast, open, non-stick plain just begging for pancakes, fried eggs, bacon, free-form crepes, pan-seared steak, and more. The thermostat keeps the oil at just the right temperature for frying, too. And best of all, even top-of-the-line models rarely cost more than thirty dollars. When shopping, look for a 12-inch model with a calibrated thermostat, st.u.r.dy design, and a tall, tight-fitting lid with an adjustable steam vent.

If I want a steak and it's too hot in the kitchen already and I don't have time to fire up the grill, I'll take my electric skillet out on the screened-in porch and sear away from the comfort of my lounge chair. Not all out-of-kitchen cooking experiences have to involve a grill. I'm a big fan of electricity. Besides my electric skillet I have a nice big electric griddle, and a Crock Pot-and an electric fryer-and a toaster-and a toaster oven-and a microwave. With the exception of the microwave all the items in this list come in stove-top models. What I like about the electrical angle is control and convenience. All these devices come with thermostats, so I don't have to fiddle too much with heat maintenance.

Tool Talk

Tongs

There's a reason restaurant cooks call tongs their "hands." There's an awful lot of hot stuff in the kitchen, and there's no better device for manipulating that stuff than spring-loaded tongs. I advocate having two pairs: a short pair for the kitchen and a long pair for the grill. Go for blunt scalloped edges, which will give you purchase without tearing; avoid those with locks, which lock up on you only when you don't want them to. For easy storage, slip tongs inside the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels to prevent them from opening. Tongs need not be expensive and restaurant supply stores carry them in every size imaginable.

Cooling Rack

I have a large, heavy-duty rack that fits over a large baking sheet and spans my sink. It would be hard for me to overstate my affection for this medievally simple device. Besides for cooling baked goods, I use this rack as a draining area for fried foods as well as foods I'm purging, such as eggplant or cabbage for slaw. I ovendry tomatoes on it, and on the rare occasion when I make fresh pasta I lay it on this rack to dry. When dry-aging beef in the fridge, my rack keeps it out of its own juices. When rack hunting avoid those with unidirectional wires and go with a heavy wire weave. Be sure to look for racks that have a tightly woven grid and are designed with support underneath to prevent sagging when weighted.

Heat-Resistant Rubber Spatulas

These are actually made of silicone rubber and although they're a little pricey, you could stir lava with them. My favorites, made by Rubbermaid, have red handles signifying their heat-friendly nature. I see no reason to ever scramble eggs or stir a custard without one of these devices.

Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Bowl With a Nearly Round Bottom

Heavy-duty means 18/8 or 18/10 stainless-steel construction. The ratios refer to the percentages of the components in the steel. In the case of 18/10, you've got 18 percent chromium (lending corrosion resistance and l.u.s.ter) and 10 percent nickel (a soft metal added to steel to give it malleability). Seeing those fractions embossed on the bowl means that you've got good stuff. Also, look for smooth rather than rolled edges, which often signal an easily warped vessel. Although you want the bowl to be stable on a counter, the rounder the inside of the bowl the better. And the nearly round bottom is important because then the bowl and the whisk share the same profile enabling the whisk to do its job easily and well.

Digital Scale

Volume measures are fine for liquids and small amounts of dry goods (a tablespoon or two) but if you want precision you must weigh. There are basically three types of scales: balance, spring, and digital. Balance scales are accurate and durable, but darned expensive and tricky to read. Spring scales, which utilize springs and levers, are widely available and affordable but leave much to be desired in the realm of accuracy, especially when it concerns amounts less than 3 ounces. Digital scales a.s.sess weight by electronic current, are highly accurate, and easy to read and operate. Most switch effortlessly back and forth from standard to metric and include a "tare" function, the ability to weigh several ingredients in the same bowl by zeroing or canceling out the weight of each ingredient (not to mention the container) after it's added.

Thermometers

Just about everything that happens in the kitchen concerns temperature, which is why you need five thermometers.

Keeping your refrigerator as close to 38 F is really, really important (see Cleanliness is Next to... Cleanliness is Next to...). Unfortunately the temperature controls in most refrigerators rely on a scale calibrated not by degrees but by alphanumerics-which aren't that useful for me since I have no idea how cold "B" is. A small alcohol-bulb-style thermometer will allow you to manage the chill in your chest. I prefer those that hang off the back of a shelf far better than stand up models, which are always getting knocked over or blocked.

To tell the temperature of your oven, a mercury thermometer works best-but oven versions are tough to find. Coil-style oven thermometers are the next best thing. I like this style for the oven because they're fairly accurate at standard oven temperatures and are easy to read through even dingy door gla.s.s.

You'll also want an instant-read thermometer. They come in a.n.a.log form, but I say why tinker with mechanics when you can have digital. Besides the fact that they're far more accurate and durable, the sensors are located at the tip of the stem. The mechanical sensors in a.n.a.log models are usually a good inch up the stem, which can make shallow readings all but impossible. Be sure the version you buy has a stem long enough to reach the center of a large roast or loaf of bread. Unlike traditional meat thermometers, instant-read digitals are not meant to stay in the oven during cooking. For that you'll need a probe thermometer.

THE POP-UP.

One thermometer I'm not too fond of is often found lodged in the breast of turkeys. This simple gadget is supposed to let you know when your turkey is done-when the indicator stick pops up, it's time to eat. But since it's a binary thermometer, it has only two readings, done and not done. Inside the outer casing is a coiled spring held in place by an epoxy that's made to melt at a specific temperature, about 180 F. When it reaches that point, the spring is released and up pops the stick indicator. By 180 your dark meat is done, sure, but your white meat is a crouton. So, if your turkey's got one of these gizmos, just ignore it and use your probe thermometer. However, don't pull it out prior to cooking or you'll just leave a gaping hole for juices to escape through.

Probe thermometers are the best thing to happen to cooking in a few hundred years. They're like instant-read thermometers with brains and long-range remote probes that can stay in the food throughout cooking. For mindless meat roasting, simply insert the probe into the deepest part of the meat and set the on-board alarm to go off when the target temperature's reached. No opening and closing the oven door, grill lid, or smoker hatch. Make sure you buy a model with at least a three-foot probe wire and if possible, a range of 0 to 500 F.

Because mercury is a great conductor, mercury thermometers are amazingly fast and accurate and that's a good thing to have when frying or making candy. Most frying/candy thermometers clip right onto the side of your pan and have the high temperature range necessary for these types of cooking. Look for one with a strong cage around the bulb and clear calibrations regarding candy stages (the "ball" system). Unlike most thermometers a well-cared-for mercury model will last forever. I have one that I inherited from my grandmother and it's still dead-on.40

Salad Spinner

Moisture in your salad greens is good, but moisture on the greens is bad. Using centrifugal force, a good salad spinner is the best way to dry greens fast. The difference between the various types usually revolves around the drive mechanism. There are three main styles. The crank type has a habit of moving itself right off the counter as it spins, while the pull cord (or lawnmower) type is inclined to bring spinning greens to an abrupt halt and has a cord that can fray and break. But the pump type with a brake is a good choice since it tends to remain balanced as it spins. Also look for a st.u.r.dy basket that doubles for other things, like a colander. I also use mine for drying hand-cut fries before introducing them to the oil-a crucial step for splatter-free frying.

Cutting Boards

To make your knife blade last, cut on boards of wood or plastic. Not quite as tough as butcher boards (made of dozens or hundreds of pieces of wood cut across the grain and then glued together), but lighter and a lot cheaper, are edge-grained boards. Beware thin specimens; they tend to warp. Buy a good solid kiln-dried maple cutting board, the biggest one you can stand on end in your sink. It won't be cheap but cared for it'll last for years and years. Only cut foods that are safely consumed raw on a wooden cutting board. Raw meat should be cut on plastic. Since they are non-porous and on the slippery side, plastic boards are inhospitable to bacteria. You can label your plastic board for poultry on one side and meat and fish on the other. Cutting boards are one of the most frequent causes of cross contamination in the kitchen. To disinfect boards, rub them with white vinegar, rinse and air dry. Plastic boards can be sanitized in the dishwasher, but never put a wooden board in the machine.

In addition to boards that aren't properly cleaned, wobbly boards are also dangerous. The simple solution to this problem is shelf liner. It makes a super non-skid surface; just put a piece underneath your board and you're good to go.

Spray Bottles