Grafting away in the Kitchens for a previous 15+ years we thought we would share this list of the absolute necessities every chef needs in their kitchen, Hopefully this will give you good idea of other gadgets and equipment that will take your culinary skills to a whole new level.
1) An all round chefs knife, now we are not saying it has to be a Pareusi one but if you were to invest in one of our beautiful blades we can recommend the following design.
The Pareusi classic-This is a great knife for all kitchen prep work, that has a good blade depth and handle height which gives good knuckle clearance when cutting and also has a slight flex in the blade that helps you to feel exactly what you're cutting, this flex results being able to work much more precisely as it feels more like an extension of your arm than just a solid wedge of steel.
2) Chopping board-Another obvious one but definitely incredibly important, we admit the wooden blocks look gorgeous and it brings a sense of rusticity into the kitchen however we really only recommend using them for veg and bread as meat juices can soak into the board which can be a bit of a hygiene hazard, its much safer to have a Red board that is only used for raw meat and a blue board for fish. Now we do not recommend using resin boards, they may look cool but just think that when you're using a chopping board with any resin artwork, each time you cut something you chip away at it which can end up being mixed in with your food and is incredibly toxic, we make them ours out of Cornish oak or elm and then only use oil and food safe beeswax which is a lot safer and much more natural.
3) pots and pans - Having a decent set is incredibly important, we recommend getting pans with a thick base as they hold and spread the heat much more evenly.
Copper pans look absolutely
stunning however they need to be lined well with tin as copper can be hazardous if consumed and the lining of the tin can cost a fair bit when they eventually need to be refurbished, we recommend using cast iron or stainless steel, remember that the good quality pots and pans will have good weight to them. (Pareusi pots and pans currently being developed)
4) Food blender/processor- having a machine like this in the kitchen will really step things up and make your preparation a lot more efficient however when we say food processor we don't mean buy a machine that can chop everything up for you, instead take the time to learn how to use a knife properly, once you get to grips with the different techniques you will fly through all your kitchen tasks and look like an absolute pro. (YouTube video on this coming soon)
we recommend getting something like a Kenwood machine where some have pasta, mincing and dough hook attachments or a Thermo mix which will create the smoothest of puree's and can also cook and blend at the same time, it can also be programmed for specific recipes, you will without doubt see these machines in some of the most highly respected kitchens around the world.
5) tweezers, pallet knife and a squeeze bottle- with these three you can really increase your presentational skills when plating by simply creating artistic patterns with purees and intricately placing micro herbs to enhance the look of your dish. (YouTube video on this coming soon)
I hope this list points you in the right direction for when you need to invest in new bits of equipment and if you need any advice on anything foodie, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Have a positively splendid week and thanks for reading.