Mrs. Butterfingers

Essential Kitchen Tools:

We all have them.  Kitchen drawers filled with completely unnecessary kitchen accessories.  Some were impulse buys, many gifts, and others just seems to appear from out of now where.  What do you really need?  If you have one minute to grab items from your kitchen here is your list:

A paring knife and a chef’s knife

A heavy cutting board

One large and one small saucepan

A heavy skillet

And music, Willie Nelson, Fauré’s Requiem, whatever  music you like  to cook to

If you’re not planning to camp out, add the following:

A wok or a deep large skillet

Dutch oven

Kitchen scissors and vegeetable peeler

Steamer insert

Grill pan

Small roasting pan

Baking sheets, rimmed and unrimmed- light colored metal

Meat thermometer (digital instant-read best for ground meats and poultry)

Skewers

Silicone spatulas

Lots of wooden spoons

Large sieve for draining and straining

Butcher’s steel – always keep your knives sharp

Pepper mill – Peugeot is the creme de la creme

Tongs in assorted sizes

Lifter

Salad spinner and colander

Dry and liquid measuring cups in various sizes

Various sizes of stainless steel bowls

Muffin, loaf and cake pans

The biggest stock pot y0ur stove can handle

For luxury:

Immersion blender

Food processor

Stand mixer

Panini press

Any cookware by All-Clad

NEVER BOIL PASTA AGAIN!

It is not necessary  to hold your pasta water at a rolling boil to cook it.    You don’t even need to keep the pot on the heat. The pasta will cook just fine if you take the pasta off the burner as soon as you add the pasta to the boiling water, cover it immediately, stir once or twice during the first minute, cover again, and leave it to sit for the recommended cooking time.  Just make sure your water is at a rolling boil when you add the pasta, and your kitchen is at normal room temperature.  In a cooler kitchen the pasta might take a minute or two longer to reach the proper texture.

This is such a convenient way to cook pasta.  No accidental boil-overs.  No steaming up the kitchen.  And if you put the pasta on an insulating pad you can move it off the stove, and give yourself extra burner space.  I  prefer the texture of the pasta cooked in this manner.   It seems smoother, cleaner.  And, my glasses don’t fog up from the steam.

This method of cooking pasta is a boon for hikers and camper as you use less fuel.  If you stir your pasta frequently you can use also lot less water using this “boil and hold” method.

You don’t have to stop boiling your pasta, but it’s nice to know you have the option.

BON APPETIT