Food Prep Tools: Expert Guides and Resources

This Cheat Sheet is your guide through the world of cooking with cast iron. Whether you’re an experienced cook or just starting out, you can find something valuable here, ranging from what to look for when adding cast iron to your kitchen, expert advice on using spices and herbs effectively, handy substitutes for those moments when a few ingredients might be missing from your pantry, and even some measurement conversions.

Not another kitchen gadget, right? Overall, I am a fan of an excellent knife and solid cutting board for most salad recipes. Tools can help with storage and preparation techniques, and they can enhance your use of ingredients. ©Christian / Adobe StockA mandoline tool allows you to easily slice vegetables into a uniform thickness.

You need some basic equipment to start cooking — essential items for working in the kitchen. Here’s a short list of all-I-can-spend-now cooking equipment, including pots, pans, and other tools that no home cook should be without. 10-inch nonstick frying pan: The all-around pan for sautéing and more. 3-quart saucepan: For cooking things such as vegetables and soups.

Your choice of pots can affect the nutrient value of food by adding nutrients to the foods, lowering the natural loss of nutrients during cooking, and actively increasing the loss of nutrients during cooking. In addition, some pots make the food’s natural flavors and aromas more intense, which, in turn, can make the food more — or less — appetizing.

Cast iron pots and pans can last for generations, unlike other types of cookware. But you do need to take care of your cast-iron cookware because it isn’t indestructible. Follow certain cast-iron-care rules, and your heirs will be fighting over who gets your glorious pans. Reseason after each use. Each time you clean your cast iron, you remove a little seasoning.

To make aebleskiver (or Danish pancake balls), you need a specialty cast-iron pan (called either a Danish cake pan, aebleskiver pan, or munk pan). Danish pancake balls make a wonderful start to any morning. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 2 to 3 minutes Yield: 4 dozen balls 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cardamom 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup sour cream 2/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil for greasing wells Set the aebleskiver pan on the stove burner on medium-low heat.

Fried chicken is delicious and easy to make in a cast-iron skillet. Cast-irons skillets are especially good for frying chicken (you can even find some cast-iron skillets called “chicken fryers”). Get your cast-iron skillet out and ready to fry some chicken: Wash the chicken pieces. Pat them dry after you rinse them.

Marsala is a type of wine originating in Marsala, Sicily. In Chicken Marsala, this wine is a key ingredient in the sauce, hence the chicken dish’s name. Marsala wine comes in two types: sweet and dry. You can use either one, but the sweet version offers a bit more depth and a rounder finish to the flavor. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 servings 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon salt Pepper 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup sweet or dry Marsala wine 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced Fresh parsley for garnish (optional) Pound the chicken pieces between two pieces of wax paper with a mallet until 1/4-inch thick.

Cooking in a microwave oven is unlike any kind of conventional cooking. You must follow a different set of microwave-specific cooking rules. Although you can’t microwave every kind of food, your microwave oven can be a useful cooking tool. Microwaving has some ground rules: Don’t use traditional metal cookware in your microwave.