Part of what makes a good meal "great" or even the presentation being "something special" is the use of good tools...and not just good tools, but the right tools. Several years ago, when I first moved away from home my grandmother sent me a box. That box was chock full of everything that I needed to make good food, the right way.
I literally thought that I had hit either the jackpot or an early Christmas. There was everything in there from a new set of mixing bowls, to measuring spoons, mixing spoons, (spoons that I'd had never even heard of...) you name it! At the time, there were items that I was not familiar with using and didn't really see the purpose in actually "needing" and now I know why! Having come from a large family, raised one of her own and now passing on these skills to her grandchildren, she knew that part of what it took to make good food, the right way (meaning food that would taste good and you could be proud of) meant initially, first and foremost, having the right tools.
Now, before you jump to any conclusions, am I suggesting to rush out to BedBathandBeyond and max out your credit cards on kitchen equipment? Absolutely not. I know that being a good chef or a home cook for that matter means evolving. It means, growing in your journey. It means learning what works, and what does not, how to please the one that you love around you, and most of all pleasing yourself. In fact, with the right tools at your access, I bet you'd be surprise what you can produce. So with that I want to start with a list of items that I consider "must haves" to have at your disposal to put out a "quality meal". (*Note: I use the term "quality" lightly...) And now, here goes! I suggest some of the right tools that you should have in your arsenal of "this-is-my-attempt-at-making-some-really-good-food-that-people-what-to-eat-and-that-I-could-be-proud-of" as the following:
*a fancy glass or plastic juice or ice tea pitcher
* syrup dispenser
* a microplane zester/grater
* a good set of glass or metal mixing bowls
(from very small to fairly large)
*a four set of small white ramekins
*a four set of small blue or clear glass ramekins
* a nice set of plates (2 to 4 individual plates should do
two if you only plan to cook for you and one other person
four if you anticipate entertaining)
*good measuring cups
*good measuring spoons
* bamboo cooking utensils
* a good set of pots and pans, all sizes
* a hand-held sifter
A couple of other additional items that I think are great to have handy for meal presentation are:
*a lemon
* fresh strawberries
* fresh mint
Just a couple of things for you to throw in your basket the next time you're at the grocery store ;-)
For a full list of links where you could get these items click on the links below.
hand sifter (they call this one a "double strainer" but it's good to use for dusting things like confectioner's sugar, etc.)
Till next time,
Happy Cooking!
Chemeeka (a.k.a. Bakie:-)
