Kitchen Utensils

Today, there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of kitchen utensils available…whether you prefer the basics or the very unique and specialized utensils that give you that extra edge in the kitchen, you are sure to find what you’re looking for with just a few searches online. Some of the most common utensils include spatulas, spoons and whisks. We’ll talk about those and a few more specialized tools.

Kitchen Utsensils

Rigid spatulas

Square spatulas are used to flip burgers, fried eggs and grilled cheese, and the sizes vary depending on what you’re using them for. Obviously, a hamburger is heavier and requires a larger, sturdier model; and it really doesn’t matter if it has a solid surface or is slotted. Eggs are more delicate and lightweight, so a spatula with rounded corners and a solid surface will work best; while a model with a slightly angled front edge will aid in turning an omelette. Pancakes will probably flip best when using a solid surface model also and larger styles will help keeping it in one piece.

Rigid Spatulas

Soft-edged spatulas

The next most popular style are rubber spatulas used for scraping bowls and the containers of blenders, mixers and food processors. It is very difficult to do much baking without spatulas with flexible, round edges. The flexibility allows the utensil to conform to the sides of the mixing bowl and allow you to mix ingredients completely and then easily transfer the mixture to the bakeware. Things like cake batter, pancake batter, even potato salad and coleslaw are more easily mixed and transferred when using flexible spatulas that easily scrape all edges of the bowl and keep mixtures well-combined. Many spatulas come in nonstick materials such as heat-resistant nylon and silicone; many are heat-resistant to high temperatures (up to 500 degrees) making them much more efficient than those of days past. Nonstick will obviously help with delicate items like crepes and the aforementioned pancake or egg over easy. Those that are heat-resistant help in stirring items that must boil for long periods of time, or if you’re scraping the frying surface of a pan at high heat where other materials might start to melt or flake off into your food.

Rubber Spatulas

Whisks

Whisks come in various sizes and materials and are great when recipes call for beating of the ingredients. Whether metal, nylon, or silicone, the choice of materials is really dependent on your preferences. Some surfaces may clean easier also. Fr example, metal whisks with several arms may be harder to clean that nylon models with fewer arms that have a wider diameter. There are larger and smaller models for different sized mixing tasks.

Whisks

Spoons

Spoons are probably of equal importance as spatulas. You’ll want a wide variety of spoons: solid surface, slotted spoons, ladles, those with fingers for fishing out pasta like spaghetti and fettucini with ease, and wooden spoons for cooking in non-stick pans and cast iron cookware. Wood and bamboo sets are also popular for use in stir-fry cooking and when ingredients may stain; wood cleans easier whereas some light colored plastics or silicones may “hold on” to red sauces and deep-colored oils.

Slotted spoons

Skimmers

Skimmers are used to pick up and drain many items from the liquids in which they’re cooked. For example, a ravioli skimmer (like that by TV personality, Mario Batali) has a broad basket (six inches) and longer handle making it ideal for draining the delicate pasta from boiling water. It’s wide enough for even really large ravioli and the grip is comfortable making is easy to hold and use. A skimmer with a stainless steel basket is great for use in hot oils when making onion rings, french fries or donuts. Many materials would not react well to the temperatures of deep frying oil, but stainless steel handles it with ease.

Mortar and Pestle

The mortar is the bowl, you might like to know, and the pestle is the heavy, club-shaped tool used to crush whatever it is you want to crush. These sets are great for crushing your own fresh herbs and releasing the oils that give them their great flavor. These can be made of stone, wood or other hard and heavy materials since you’ll want the stability and sturdiness to provide the leverage you’ll need. These are often artistically designed to work as a decor element in the kitchen as well as a useful tool.

Mortar and Pestle Sets

Other choices

Other unique kitchen utensils to consider may include zesters for adding lemon or orange zest to tasty cookies or asian cuisine, graters (which come in a wide variety of materials, sizes, and styles of grating surfaces) and peelers.