Kitchen Equipment Supplies - A Chef's Best Friend

Chefs and great cooks alike do not make delicious and nutritious food magically appear; we only like to think so. It is with great skill, technique, practice and training and high quality kitchen equipment supplies that we are all able to feast on exquisite meals garnished and completed with love.

It all starts in the kitchen. Is your restaurant, business or home kitchen filled with a lot of "toys" for a chef to play with? I hope so, in fact these tools are what great cooks use to make our fine cuisines and without their usage, our food will not taste the same.

When selecting kitchen equipment supplies there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. Your list will vary depending on the type of facility you are trying to accommodate. You want to make sure you have the correct number of supplies but also that you have the space necessary to accommodate them all otherwise it is pointless to waste the money.

Make sure you are bargain shopping. I know that you have already set a budget for your expenses but you can always save more money by looking for deals on your kitchen equipment supplies. Some people even choose to purchase older appliances and supplies that have been previously used or owned and they work just as good. While others may not be as comfortable with this idea, I personally do not find anything wrong with this.

With a good cleaning and an inspection (for larger appliances), you can virtually turn any old appliance or kitchen supply into a like-new condition. Of course you can always shop online for a bargain or look in your local department stores for great deals and bargain buys.

Kitchen equipment supplies are definitely a chef's best friend. They cannot cook or prepare their meals without them and their food just would not taste the same.

See Also : Cuisinart Foods Processors, Cuisinart Coffee Maker Cuisinart Foods Processors, Cuisinart Coffee Maker Find Cheap Kitchenware here. find about the best egg cooker

Mexican Cookware - Equipment Used in Mexican Cooking

Mexican cooking at home doesn't have to an impossible task to accomplish. Try using the following kitchen equipment for the next in-home Mexican meal.

Comal: Basically, a comal is a cast iron griddle and is used without oil. It's flat with a handle and is used for making tortillas and roasting foods that require no oil. Mexican comals also can be made of clay.

Molcajete and Tejolote: Mortar and Pestle, these are used for crushing and grinding herbs, spices and seeds. The bowl and grinder are made from porous volcanic rock and are still used today. You can also make traditional Mexican salsa in the Molcajete and Tejolote.

Prensa (Tortilla Press): A tortilla press can be metal or wood, with two hinged plates and a handle. A tortilla press is used to flatten the dough for making tortillas.

Tamale Steamer: Tamale Steamers can be purchased at any Mexican cuisine store or market or you can make one yourself. Using a large enough stock pot to fit a metal colander lined with foil in the bottom, pour about an inch of water in the pot. The foil keeps the tamales from touching the water. Place the tamales in the colander and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Cover the pot tightly with a lid.

Cazuela: a clay pot or bowl still used in Mexico today for boiling corn, stews and beans. Though many Mexican households now use Olla Express (Pressure Cooker) to make beans, they still place the beans in a cazuela for the final few minutes of cooking to give beans that authentic Mexican flavor.

Metate y Mano (Hand Grinder): This tool looks like a short 3 legged table with a concave surface about the size of a platter. A large cylinder of stone is used for grinding spices, herbs and seeds. You can also find larger versions made for sitting at. Metate y Mano is made from stone or lava rock and is still used today in many Mexican households.

Molinillo (Wood Whisk or Stirrer): This ancient tool is used to create foam in hot chocolate. Place between your hands and rotate the whisk back and forth briskly. Molinillos can be plain or highly decorated.

Olla: A bean pot made of clay. Most Olla's are beautifully decorated and glazed. Cooking beans in an olla gives beans a far superior taste than cooking them in metal pans or even a slow cooker. Olla's look beautiful sitting on the counter when not in use and make a great gift. Fill the pot with bags of beans and seasoning and give to your friends or relatives who love authentic Mexican cooking.

Most of the cookware mentioned above can be purchased online, in a specialty Mexican market or store.

Can't wait to learn more about Mexican cooking? Visit Mommies Magazine for more Mexican Cooking Techniques that you won't want to miss.

Tags : Cuisinart Foods Processors, Cuisinart Coffee Maker Cuisinart Foods Processors, Cuisinart Coffee Maker Dinnerware Sets llow price from a great selection of Kitchen & Dining & more Where to Find the best Ceramic Cookware. find about espresso coffee machine reviews and more

Cooking - The Basic Equipment

If you're just starting out on your culinary journey, you may find the array of kitchenware available on the market a bit baffling, so here's a quick guide to the must-haves for the first-time cook.

Pots and Pans - A student or single person may get away with one frying pan and a couple of saucepans, but a keen cook or a family would certainly need more. Ideally, I would recommend a small (20 cm) frying pan and a large one (24-28cm), preferably non-stick or very well-seasoned stainless steel. In addition, at least three stainless steel saucepans between 16 and 24 cm plus a large (24cm) and small (18cm) non-stick. The stainless steel ones will be fine for boiling eggs, rice, pasta, potatoes and vegetables and the non-stick ones for sauces or frying off meat and onions for chilli or a casserole. Buy the best quality you can afford, but avoid cast iron, which is just too heavy to be lifted by a single handle, especially if it's full of boiling water and potatoes.

Oven Dishes - Casserole dishes of varying sizes are useful. I like Le Creuset cast iron because you can use it on top of the stove to seal meat and prepare your dish, put it in the oven to cook, then put it on the table to serve, thus saving on the washing up! Because they have two handles, the weight isn't such a problem. A baking dish is also a must if you're going to make lasagne, cannelloni or pies of any kind topped with sliced or mashed potato - earthenware, glass or cast iron is fine. If you want to make pies topped with pastry, then a proper pie dish is almost essential and the same goes for quiche - it really needs the right dish for the job.

Bakeware - If you're going to try your hand at baking cakes, try to choose an all purpose cake tin that you can use over again. The type with a loose bottom or spring-loaded sides make getting the cake out of the tin much easier. For bread, a loaf tin is a must, but you can also use this for meat loaf or paté. A couple of flat baking trays are handy for meringues, biscuits (cookies), sausage rolls and similar items. For individual cakes, buns, tarts, mince pies or Yorkshire puddings a twelve hole tin is a must, preferably non-stick.

Utensils - A selection of wooden spoons is essential. For all other utensils, it's safest to choose acrylic as they won't damage non-stick pans. You will need a slice, a spatula, ladle, slotted spoon and masher.

Knives - Buy the best knives you can possibly afford, but at least get one really good, all-purpose cooks' knife and a decent steel to sharpen it. When selecting knives, ask to hold them and weigh them up in your hand. A good cooks' knife should feel comfortable to use and should be quite heavy. The handle should give you a good grip - you don't want it slipping out of your hand and spearing you in the foot. When you find the right knife, you will know!

Chopping Boards - I prefer acrylic because they can go in the dishwasher for a really good, hot, clean. Some people like to adhere to proper kitchen hygiene rules and keep separate boards for raw chicken, raw meat, cooked meat and vegetables. Others like a nice solid wooden block. It's all down to personal taste.

Miscellaneous Bits. As well as the above, a selection of glass or plastic bowls in different sizes is useful for mixing and plastic boxes for fridge storage are a real boon. Other oddments may include a rolling pin, garlic press and potato peeler, although you can survive without these.

That just about covers the basics. In our next article we're going to look at some labour saving devices.

Recommend : Cuisinart Foods Processors, Cuisinart Coffee Maker Porcelain Enamel Cookware Set, Find Cuisinart GG-2 Grill and Griddle - Grills & Rotisseries.