The Towel
Far too often overlooked is a simple kitchen towel. The reason chefs who places their forefinger along the spine of their knife’s blade can do so is because their hand and the knife is dry. But, in the kitchen, we are constantly exposing our hands to water and fats… how is this done? A simple kitchen towel tucked in the waste band. This towel not only keeps our hands and knife dry, but it allows us to grab a hot pan handle or casserole, to wipe up a small spill on the counter, to dust off flour, to stabilize a wobbly bowel, to protect a counter or table form a hot pan, to cover a cooling loaf of bread, to better grip something slippery like a fish or a raw chicken leg, protects our hands when shucking oysters, etc. The humble towel has a million uses in the kitchen and is essential.
The Bowl
Next, in terms of priority, I would rank a mixing bowl - a large bowl with steep sides made of any non-reactive material you choose. I prefer heavy “depression glass” type bowls. I believe that two companies made these, Anchor Hocking and Pyrex. They were called nesting bowls. The largest holds about a gallon and is canary yellow. Each smaller size is a different color. They are called nesting bowls, because they fit inside each other like a traditional Russian doll. I like these because they are tough, don’t crack or chip easily, are heat proof and heavy enough not to wobble on the counter. I use them all the time. I may mix dough in the big one, make potato salad in the next size down, chop some fruit into one and marinate some cucumbers and onion in the smallest. I uses them to cook with, serve in and to store leftovers in the fridge. You can usually find a whole set at a yard sale or flea market for just a few bucks, and I think they are invaluable. But, all I said, most any bowl will do. A lot of folks like stainless steel bowls, which you can buy new most anywhere. But, I find them to be too light. A wooden bowl is traditional for salads, by the way, because it makes it easier to crush the garlic in the bowl and toss the greens evenly with the vegetables. The real specialty item, if you can find one for a price that suits your budget is a copper bowel. This is used for whisking egg whites. The copper reacts with the egg whites in a way that makes them more easily and quickly form “stiff peaks”, which is the sign that your meringue will hold up. Such a bowel is not essential, but is nice to have. A pinch of cream of tartar will do the same thing in any bowl.
Other than that copper bowel, the main thing is that the bowl be made of a non-reactive material. You do not want the acids in your marinade, for instance, interacting with metal. I also try to avoid plastic whenever possible. Food grade plastic is generally regarded as safe. However, plastics interact with fats and acids, especially when heated. NEVER reheat or cook food in a plastic container in a microwave. I don’t care what the “experts” say. Even children have been able to prove in science fair experiments that microwaving plastic containers soaks your food in dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals. I will use plastic containers to freeze food, but honestly I would prefer not to even do that. The disposable society we live in, with single use plastics is certainly no friend to the environment, but is actually killing us for the sake of convenience. I prefer to buy quality, durable items that last, even if I have to pay a bit more for them… but I usually buy used.
This article is an excerpt from
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