Cooking Equipment

Pots and pans are essential for heating many foods (Figure 4.5). Pots have straight sides, a handle on both sides, a lid, and are often rather deep. They are convenient for heating fairly large quantities that do not require much stirring. Pans are rather shallow and usually have only one moderately long handle and a lid. Their dimensions make them convenient to use when frequent or continuous stirring will be done.

Pots and pans are available in different sizes. Selection should be consistent with the quantity of food that usually will be cooked in them. A range of pan sizes is convenient. A

double boiler (bain-marie) is useful because it can be assembled for cooking custards and other delicate dishes, or it can be used as two separate pans.

Frying pans usually have sides with a bit of a slope, which makes it easy to push a spatula under the food being fried. It is convenient to have frying pans of more than one size; the amount of food should fit into the frying pan and still leave a little space for turning or stirring the food.

www.kitchenkapers.com

—suggestions on select- ing cutlery and other chef’s equipment.

www.catra.org/pages/ products/sharpening/ careof.htm

—Care of cutlery and flatware.

double boiler two-part pan and lid designed to hold water in the bottom pan and the food in the top; its French name is

bain-marie.

Figure 4.1

Liquids are measured in a glass measuring cup; other ingredients are measured in graduated measuring cups and spoons. Courtesy of Plycon Press.

Figure 4.2

Basic utensils include (left to right) spatula (wide and narrow), two-tined cooking fork, slotted spoon, wooden spoon, wire whisks, rotary eggbeater, masher, and tongs. Courtesy of Plycon Press.

factors in food preparation | chapter four

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Figure 4.3

Examples of cutlery include (left to right) slicing (serrated blade), cleaver, medium and large French chef, and paring knives. Courtesy of Plycon Press.

Industry InsIght

CutLery

Professional chefs consider their cutlery to be extremely important, and they select each knife with care. The blades selected usually are carbon steel or high-carbon stainless steel, an alloy that maintains its appearance because of the stainless steel while also having the desired sharpening characteristics provided by the carbon steel. The tang, or end, of the blade on a knife a chef selects extends the entire length of the handle and is flanked on both sides by the handle, which is attached very firmly (Figure 4.4). These knives should be washed by hand immediately after being used. They are not washed in dishwashers. Blades can be damaged too easily by the detergent, heat, and bumping against other utensils.

Knife sharpening is done using a whetstone dampened with water. A whetstone may have three surfaces ranging in texture from the coarsest to the finest. A blade is sharpened effectively by placing the heel of the blade on the coarsest

surface at a 20° angle and pushing the knife away along the stone while maintaining pressure on the blade. The action resembles trying to slice a thin slice off the whetstone while pushing down and away from you. This is done on both sides of the blade. This procedure is then repeated with the intermediate texture using the same motion on both sides of the blade. Finally, the same strokes are used on the side of the whetstone with the finest texture.

The edge of a blade needs to be sharp and straight. This can be achieved using a steel, which is a roughened steel rod held in the left hand while being used. The knife is held in the right hand, and the blade is held against the lower end of the steel at a 20° angle and pushed away along the length of the steel. This procedure is repeated on both sides of the blade until the blade is straight and sharp. Professional chefs are meticulous in the care, sharpening, and handling of knives.

Figure 4.4

High-quality knives feature a fine steel blade with a tang extending down the length of the handle and firmly attached. Courtesy of Plycon Press.

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Uniform heating of the bottom of a frying pan or a pan is crucial to success in cooking food. Pans that are fairly heavy and thick are convenient to use because they will not dent or warp easily, especially if they are made with aluminum or with a core of a metal that conducts heat rapidly and evenly. Cast-iron frying pans heat very evenly and retain the heat, but they are heavy and also are susceptible to rusting unless they are carefully maintained. Several pans of a durable weight with good heat conductiv- ity are available today. These pans are usually suitable, but they are expensive choices. However, high-quality pans of thick metal and with good heating properties are sufficiently durable to justify the expense.

Frying pans become extremely hot when they are used for frying, so they should not be placed directly on countertops or other surfaces that are damaged by temperatures hotter than boiling water. To avoid warping, hot frying pans should be allowed to cool considerably before water is put into them.

Individual needs for baking equipment are dictated by the types of foods that will be prepared. Baking equipment

Figure 4.5

Sauce pan and frying pans (front, left to right) and Dutch oven and large double boiler (rear, left to right) and lids are some of the pans needed. Courtesy of Plycon Press.

Cultural aCCent