The year has just started. It is the perfect time to check the kitchen for items that need replacing or upgrading.
Every home needs a potato peeler. It is one of the most-used small kitchen tools. It is also so inexpensive yet often absent in Filipino kitchens. The lame excuse by many is that it is unnecessary and they use a knife instead. A peeler produces neat surfaces and less waste. It is also the safest way to skin vegetables and fruits. It’s a fun way to start getting kids to help in the kitchen. The best peeler, I have concluded, is the no-frills, all-metal made by Ekco. Do not be lured by the pretty colors of plastic-handled ones imported from Japan and other Asian countries. They break after a few weeks of use. Filipino vegetables I use the peeler for are patola, kabatiti (Ilocano patola), sayote, cucumber, zucchini, labanos, gabi, and eggplant. I find the skins of kalabasa too thick for the peeler and use a knife instead.
Measuring cups and spoons are essential. Following recipes and food label instructions would be impossible without them; teacups and soup spoons just won’t do. While some dishes, in the hands of veterans, are done with “a handful of this” and “a pinch of that,” precision is still the rule in most kitchens. These come in sets that are so cheap there is no excuse to be without them.
Easy-open cans are now the most popular packaging for food products, especially those distributed to victims of floods, fires, and other calamities. This, despite the fact that the new package makes them more expensive. Even government and private aid agencies publicly suggest that donated food should be in easy-open cans. It is public knowledge that many households do not consider a can opener as a necessary tool in the kitchen, using knives, spoons, and other metal objects for the potentially dangerous task. Can openers last a couple of years of normal use. I prefer the old-fashioned metal Ekco to the colorful but frail ones made in Japan or China.
Non-stick frying pans wear out with use and abuse. Their prices have come down tremendously since their introduction decades ago. While cast iron pans, well-seasoned, can do the job, many cooks are intimidated by their weight and meticulous required upkeep. Non-stick frying pans could, with care, last scratch-free for more than a year.
Year-end finds non-metal spatulas and ladles warped, melted, or full of cuts. Keep them separate from metal cookware and never use them when frying stuff, especially steaks.
It is disappointing to find out the party host has no wine opener or has one that does not work. There are dozens of types in the market now, from plain corkscrews to sophisticated styles.
Spaghetti and pancit are the must-have offerings for birthdays and other celebrations and are regular items on many home menus as well. It is surprising, however, to find many households making do without a colander. I have two—an aluminum one and another made of thick plastic. Both get used often for draining pasta, rinsing vegetables, displaying fruits, covering cooked food, etc. When not in use, they hang from hooks on the kitchen wall.
Often dangerously ignored, chopping boards do need replacing at least once a year. Plastic or wood, chopping boards need to be thoroughly cleaned with soap and water after every use. To prevent cross-contamination, use one strictly for raw meats and the other for fruits, vegetables, and whatever will be eaten uncooked.
Bread knives are indispensable if you like bread, cakes, tomatoes, hard-boiled and deviled eggs. Butter knives just won’t do. A stainless steel bread knife could last years unless stolen by jealous friends.
Kitchen aprons keep your clothes clean and make you feel like a serious cook. Best made of cotton, the aprons should have large pockets for stuff you might suddenly need.
One can never have enough oven mitts. They get food and grease stains that are often impossible to wash off. Easier to throw them away and buy or make replacements. The best are made of cotton. Check to see that the padding is thick enough to insulate your hands from hot pots and pans. Try them on for size. They should fit well but not too snugly. Keep the mitts in the apron pockets to be within reach at all times while you cook. You never know when they will be needed in a hurry.
Cheese graters, used also for vegetables, come in many types and sizes. Buy the kind that will suit your cooking needs. There is no substitute for a grater.
Once you use kitchen scissors for cleaning fish or cutting up chicken, you will never again live without one. Kitchen scissors are all-metal with serrated blades that cut through fish fins and bones easily without slipping. Wash and dry well, hang after every use.