Utensils

I am including a few notes for you, just some things that I have learned as I cooked and experimented.
My Favorite Utensils are:

• Garlic press (a good one will cost you $17 and up, I bought one for $7.99 and it would not squeeze the garlic out of the holes. It just squeezed it…that was all…just flattened it!)


• Micro plane (for grating fresh spices like nutmeg)


• Tongs (Nice for turning meat on the grill, and serving meat) , If you have non-stick pans make sure you get tongs that are coated so that you don't scratch the pan surface.


• Blender (to puree with)


• Hand held blender--great for making those pureed soups


• Food Processor (You can make a nice coarse flour out of oatmeal)


• Paint brushes (for basting on the grill)


• Kitchen Aid Mixer (What I would give to have had this when I was baking all of those Carrot Cakes for Grace Fellowship!)


• Cutting boards (I like those plastic ones that you can put in the dishwasher for sanitizing)


• Melon baller (handy for coring pears and apples after they are cut in half)


• Mini Pans (You can take a recipe and make small versions of loaves, cheesecakes, etc. Freeze what you cannot eat and you always have dessert in the freezer)


• (3) 9 inch round cake pans for making those three layer cakes


• 9 x 13 sheet cake pan


• Chef’s knife (I have the one from the Chef’s Pantry. I always wanted a Wustoff, but this one has a sharpener so I have to admit I really do like it.) I have also purchased several single knives at Bed, Bath and Beyond when they have a "Select Savings" sample from Calphalon. These have proved to be very nice.


• Do not forget your knife sharpener. Mine is a simple Chef's Choice manual unit. I got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for about $25 and it keeps my knives very sharp.


• Mollineo (Makes me feel like Grandmother is in the kitchen with me) whips Mexican Chocolate like from Ibarra or Abuelitas


• Good cookie sheets...I have found that my cookies don't burn on the air insulated type.


• Non-stick muffin pans (Muffins just fall out of these)


• Non-stick skillets and saucepans (I have not mastered the Emeril way yet!) When buying pans, remember that those sets that have 8 to 12 pieces will contain items that you will rarely use...I have bought several of those in my past. Now, I just buy the individual pans that show the most wear. The items that came in the "set" that are rarely used always look like new anyway; so, why replace them? One of my favorite pans is the "Short and Saucy" by Calphalon.


• Grind and Brew Coffee Maker (I like the smell of the beans grinding before the coffee is made.) Do an online search of reviews before buying one! My husband did this for me and you will find that the most expensive one may not be the one that gets the best reviews.


• Just added a timer that hooks over my ear. I love this thing. I sometimes put something in the oven and walk away from my timer. I may be too far away to hear it and forget my item. Well, this thing just goes wherever I go and I never forget my item in the oven! I got it at Sally’s of all places!


• My Bounds Pepper Grinder --I like it because it has a fine, medium and coarse grind dial.
• I always use two sets of measuring spoons when baking. One for wet ingredients and one for dry. So, make sure they are different. I use my white set for dry and my metal set for wet ingredients. It just helps to not have dry ingredients sticking to a wet spoon.
• I love using my box grater for medium amounts of grated ingredients, but the Salad Shooter is absolutely key for large amounts...like when I make Carrot Cakes! I have a flat grater for smaller amounts of ingredients.
• Do not forget to have a salt crock...for holding your Kosher salt.
• Glass measuring cups for wet ingredients and plastic or metal for dry ingredients.