Good food depends on quality cooking utensils. Here is a list of must-have kitchen tools. Give these gifts to your favorite chef this holiday season. These kitchen utensils make ideal wedding gifts and bridal shower gifts. Each is priced at $3-$10 and easy on the budget.bamboo cooking utensils: Bamboo, unlike wood, is a quickly-renewable and great cooking. Use in place of wooden spoons; bamboo resists stains and food contamination.
silicone or rubber scraper: Scrapers made of plastic are useless. To cleanly scrape, the paddle must be made of silicone or rubber. Choose sets with several sizes, including a small, narrow scraper for getting inside containers with small openings.
palm chopper: Sharp crescent cutting blade works great for fine chopping nuts, vegetables, onions, tomatoes. Sheath keeps blade sharp and prevent cuts.
silicone/wire whisk: Whisks make excellent kitchen tools for mixing. Silicone whisks are easier to clean and don't rust. Wire whisks do a better job of thoroughly mixing.
cook's knife with honing case: These knives are sharpened by squeezing the sheath or cover and pulling the knife through. Available from The Pampered Chef in three sizes: paring, utility and chef's knife.
IKEA utility "slitbar"--Swedish for "knife"-- IKEA's products organized by Swedish name--mine's stayed sharp for four years!
Chop and scoop cutting board I have two sizes of these remarkable cutting boards. For the cook who likes portable cutting boards, they are ideal. Edges are curved up to prevent spills. The cutting board has a silicone handle and a narrowed edge for pouring chopped foods into cooking pan. To clean and sanitize this nylon cutting board, soak it in bleach water.
Extra large stainless steel mixing bowl: Extra wide is good too--diameter of 18- 24 inches. Extra diameter provides plenty of work space. Dollar General sells a basic large stainless steel mixing bowl for $5.
For more on food and food preparation, visit my blog at www.greatfood4u.blogspot.com.
