What I Couldn't Do Without--Utensibility!

Ah, now I feel like a food blogger--I'm participating in a meme hosted by Sam of Becks and Posh called Utensibility.  She gets to go shopping and I get to wax on about the cooking gadgets I think no kitchen should be without.

When I was a young cook of nine years old I would diligently follow the recipes in my Grandfather's 1932 edition of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.  So, if the brownie recipe called for stirring the batter for 50 strokes by hand--that is exactly what I did.  The same was true for making scones and biscuits--I always cut the butter with a pastry cutter.  You might say I was a young Luddite--but I liked to think of myself as a purist.  I think I feared that machines would disconnect me from being able to "feel" the food--cooking would devolve into a less intimate sensory experience.  I eshewed the electric mixers, blenders, and other handy motorized gadgets. 

That is, until I was given the gift of a Kitchen Aid mixer.  I love my mixer, but the piece of cooking equipment I think is really indepensable is my Kitchen Aid food processor.  I soon discovered that I was able to get in touch with the sensory experience of food a lot quicker--and that I still had to rely on how the food felt and looked at each step of the way to guide my cooking.

I loved this food processor from the very beginning because of the ease and speed with which I could slice onions and chop peppers and other vegetables.  Chopping nuts, making bread crumbs, pestos, and purees--piece of cake. 

But baker that I am, my whole world changed when I discovered that I could use it for making scones, biscuits, and pastry dough.  Out went the pastry cutter!  Making pie crusts takes just minutes.  I could make a whole savory tart with this food processor in no time. 

I've had this machine for six years and it has worked perfectly every time .  I use it nearly every day.  I was very happy to recieve this Kitchen Aid food processor as a gift because it is a bit of an investment.  Finding one is easy--all the major department stores carry it as well as Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table.  In fact, the Williams Sonoma website has the 12-Cup version on special for $229.95.  And it is the newer design to boot.   

On the other side of the spectrum is small utensil that I find myself using more and more all the time.  It is a pasta claw.  I've discovered that pasta is just the beginning of its utility.  Of course, it works great for stirring pasta and lifting fettucine out of the pot but it is also perfect for lifting eggs out of boiling water (both hard boiled and poached).  And since I eat eggs a few times a week I find I'm always reaching for it.  Finally, because of the large hole in the center, it works a lot like a super slotted spoon--whenever I want to lift larger pieces of meat or vegetables out of a sauce (quickly) this is the tool I reach for.  Pasta claws can be found in all the cooking departments and specialty stores for about $10.00. 

The Kitchen Aid food processor and the pasta claw are really aids in the kitchen.  Unlike a bread machine (which I cannot find it in my heart to use) these gadgets still keep me in touch with the cooking process.  They won't do all the work for me--just enough to keep things fun.

Comments

[Sam]

Hi Jennifer - thanks for entering - I was always wondering about these little Kitchen Aid food processors. I had a food processor back in England which I used a lot, but I always HATED washing it up!

As for the pasta claw - I'll let you into a secret - I use mine for eggs all the time too! Great minds think alike!

I will try and do a round up of all the posts by sometime next week
-Sam

[Jennifer]

Sam,

Thanks for posting the meme--what fun. I look forward to seeing the round up. And thanks for your most excellent blog--you inspire me!

Jennifer