The $10 Kitchen Tool I Can’t Do Without

I made it work for over ten years with a grocery store purchased near thermometer but then my brother bought me the thermals for Christmas two years ago and it is a game changer. It’s instant, it’s amazing, I have yet to overcook a piece of meat since I got it!

My desert island tool of choice is my chef’s knife. Can’t do without it.

I have been hemming and hawing over leaving a comment here. This is such a conscientious community, both in terms of the COJ team and the readership. I’m genuinely surprised that so many people still talk about meat consumption without batting an eye. There are many, many vegetarian posts on this site – which is amazing! But can we please think about the torture, the life of utter misery that most farm animals face before they are slaughtered. Please just think about how unfair it is. The cruelty is unfathomable. Think about your dog or your cat finding themselves in that situation. Eat animals if you like, but think about it first. Watch Eating Animals on Netflix. There are alternatives to factory farm raised animals. As consumers we have a vote when it comes to what we buy, we can dictate how we believe animals should be treated. Total ignorance and/or ambivalence on this issue in this day and age is irresponsible. I know that this post will agitate people. I know thinking about this is uncomfortable, inconvenient and upsetting. I know that I sound sanctimonious. I am the first to admit that I am not perfect, and that I am not doing all I can in this respect (I am not vegan). I have made some small changes like cutting out meat, and it couldn’t have been easier. Thank you for reading.

PS: My favourite kitchen tool is our Aeropress – it seriously makes the best coffee.

A stick blender. For salsa, soups, and any other applications one can think of (it’s fun to use!). For my husband, our French press. He is vegetarian and I am not, but we don’t eat/cook a lot of meat. I want a meat thermometer, though, so when I do cook meat, I stop overcooking it out of fear of serving raw chicken, etc.–this post read my mind. Also, to check bread for doneness. :) I loved reading about everyone’s favorite cooking tools. Thanks!

I got a meat thermometer two Christmases ago, it was called for in the turkey recipe I tried that year, but it’s in regular rotation. The three utensils I use most often are my potato ricer – himself is lactose intolerant and it makes the creamiest, dairy free mashed potatoes; my cheap and cheerful rice cooker – because evidently I’m incapable of cooking rice in a pan; and recently my silicon spatula. I also adore my whizzy KitchenAid kettle, which allows gradations of water for different kinds of tea. We also rely on super sharp knives and Le Creuset pots (ideally in Marine Blue).

My garlic press from Pampered Chef

Can strainer! It is perfect for canned tuna, because who wants their fingers to smell like tuna juices all afternoon? I picked this up YEARS ago in a checkout line (a decade at least, back in my mid twenties) when my protein consumption consisted of mainly tuna, eggs and fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. I use it now for straining any and all canned goods. Two kids later, one who can eat an entire can of green beans in one sitting, and it is still going strong. Not glamorous by any means, but it is the best $3 investment I’ve made.

https://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-Colander-GT-3973-Vegetable/dp/B00EZQQZGI

100% agree! It changed my cooking game. I swear by this All-Clad one (https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-digital-oven-probe-thermometer/)–the cord goes into the oven and then the meat is cooked the timer goes off.

I just said tonight at the dinner table that my mother and mother in law would scoff at my use of a meat thermometer for pork chops. Hahaha!

I use my bamboo steamers all the time. I stack a few on top of each other if I need to steam multiple things with different cooking times. Last night I put green beans in the top, potatoes in the middle, and fish in the bottom. I dressed everything very simply with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Great advice! I would add 175F chicken dark meat temperature to this list because it’s higher than chicken breast and 165F for dark meat would be undercooked.

I don’t eat much meat, but still find use for a cheap meat thermometer when cooking meat based dishes for others. Other essentials in my kitchen:
– Very sharp chefs, paring, tomato and bread knives
– extra large, wooden chopping board (used for food prep and presentation of cheese boards)
– micro plane (for Parmesan, lemon, garlic and ginger)
– Silicone spatula
– wire whisk
– tongs
– heavy baking trays
– le crueset Dutch oven
– small frying pan
– glass bowls
– salt and pepper grinders
With these tools, I find I can cook almost anything. I am currently on the fence about an instant pot and would love any opinions about them (I cook every day and bake frequently, yet so far have managed without a stand mixmaster or food processed as I prefer to do things by hand rather than collect small appliances, however the instant pot seems like it would be great now that I have small children and more limited time in the kitchen).

The thermapen is life changing.

One thing I never thought I’d use as much as I do is tongs. It’s also the one tool I feel there is no real substitute for.

One thing that is absolutely not a necessity but I’ve used about a thousand times since I bought it is this egg spoon https://www.amazon.com/Linden-Sweden-Egg-Peeler-Dishwasher-Safe/dp/B01FBG3JSM/ref=lp_9504309011_1_1?srs=9504309011&ie=UTF8&qid=1548882845&sr=8-1!!

I had no idea how easy peeling eggs could be until I bought it. Now I eat hard boiled eggs almost every day. Does that make me weird? I don’t care. This tool is everything.

I’m a huge fan of my Bluetooth thermometer, especially for things that take awhile to cook, so I can watch a movie and the temperature without moving. I’m actually thinking about getting another one so we can monitor grill temp and meat temp simultaneously.

A chef knife was huge for us – ours is Wustoff and we love it so much we have 2 in case we both need to chop at the same time (I think unnecessary but my husband is the big cook). Also an immersion blender, I make a lot of soup and can’t imagine not having it. We try not to have any ‘one trick ponies’ as our kitchen is tiny, but the immersion blender is worth it. And for Christmas I got my husband a sous vide (maker? cooker? what is it called?) I dont know. But it makes meat perfection! All you need is a big pot to put it and water and the meat in a bag and bam, perfect restaurant quality meat.

I was a little surprised at the temperature recommendations! I cook pork to 145, chicken to 155 and don’t bother with the meat thermometer with steak usually.

Pork at 160 is well done, no matter what some guidelines tell you. If you pull it off at 160, it will be dry AF.
Meat is meat. 135 leads to medium-rare steak … and lamb, and pork (if you were to do so – which I wouldn’t). 140/145 leads to medium for steak… and lamb and pork!
Perhaps your teacher was guided by the now-out-of-date USDA guidelines which suggested cooking pork to 160/165. It’s understandable! many cooking instructors want to avoid liability or just being blamed if you end up getting a wiggly stomach. But in 2011 the USDA lowered the recommended minimum temperature for pork to 145, with rest, which will bring it up to about 150. That is a temp that’s more likely to yield the combination of fully-cooked meat that is still juicy which most people prefer in a pork chop.
Consider revising your standards. You, and your pork chops, will be happier.

My meat thermometer, microplane (I use a lot of lemon zest in my food), my cast iron skillet, and a good very sharp chef’s knife are integral in my cooking.

I also love having a meat thermometer! It also helps a ton with baking! Bread should be between 190-200…it’s such a useful tool!