Welcome to part 2 of Mind, Body and Spoons Kitchen Tips and Tools.
Cranking up the power, and dishing the dirt without going full electric, these tools will help you get more food prep done without spending more spoons!
This selection of kitchen tools/equipment isn’t going to replace the manual ones, but they do make a great addition or supplement to manual processing of food.
For instance, you’ll still need a good pairing or chef’s knife for day to day meal prep. However, having something like a ‘mandolin’ will save you a lot of time and energy, and is also a cost effective option without going fully electric with a ‘food processor’.
So, let’s get started in kitting out your…
Chronic Illness Kitchen Semi-Mechanised Tools:
Mandolin
Whilst it has a name that sounds like a musical instrument, there are no strings attached with this gem of a tool. Many restaurant kitchens have these in them, as they’re quick to set up and use followed by a quick wash, however they can cause nasty injuries if you lose focus.
Most common are long and rectangular bodies, made of plastic, and with very sharp stainless steel blades. They’re available at most kitchenware shops, or via online stores like Amazon, and are a budget-friendly option.
If you’re a little more flush with funds, the full-metal body is a better long-term consideration. These professional level tools are built to last, be easily cleaned, and are nigh on indestructible if dropped or mistreated.
Both styles will store relatively flat, once cleaned and dry, and can be used to prepare a variety of fruits or vegetables. They have two main blade options which can be raised or lowered to the desired thickness of cut – lower for chunkier, higher for finer – and will normally have a plain straight edge, or one with ‘fingers’ which can either shred, or by alternating passes, create a fancy waffle design.
Most importantly though is to ensure your mandolin has a hand/finger guard, and that it functions properly. As mentioned before, these tools are extremely sharp, and can take off a nasty chunk of your finger or hand if not used correctly.
A mandolin should NEVER be used without its safety features – feet locked so it cannot move or collapse, and the guard in place to protect fingers/hands.
Egg-beater
Usually found lurking at the back of grandparents or great-grandparents kitchen drawers, this kitchen tool is a favourite for many. Whether with thin wire beaters, or chunkier flat blades, this hand-operated whipping machine is a blessing over using a traditional balloon hand-whisk.
You can sometimes find them in secondhand stores, if you don’t want to buy new, but it’s worth taking the construction of this beater into consideration. Look for a solid, preferably stainless steel, body with the wheel and handle making a good connection when it’s turned. The arms, or legs, of the tool should be in good condition and free from rust or damage.
As this is a kitchen tool that will be applied to a variety of food types, make sure that the unit can be easily cleaned – as most cannot be placed in a dishwasher – and can be dried without lingering moisture in the mechanism.
But, what do you do with it? The obvious is whipping cream, or eggs, even extending out to whipping up a meringue or pavlova. However, you can also use them to beat cake or pancake batters, to ensure they’re lump-free. Beating purees or jellies adds air and can help create different textures for variety in meals.
Hand-chopper
Have a load of herbs or vegetables to process? Then this tool may be the answer to the problem. Often palm-size in appearance, this device has a blade at the bottom of a bowl that is rotated at speed via either depressing a button or pulling on a string-handle repeatedly. The faster you push/pull, the faster the blade spins.
These small tools are great for replacing the time consuming job of chopping fresh herbs, onions, small amounts of root vegetables like carrots, etc. Caution should be taken regarding overloading the bowl, or placing ingredients whose density is incompatible for the small blades.
If you have an amount of vegetables/herbs/fruits that need processing, then you should consider doing this task in batches to avoid choking the blades and/or breaking the appliance.
Salad/Vegetable spinner
Powered much the same way as the mini-chopper, this basket in a bowl tool is a great way to wash and drain fruits, vegetables, and herbs at an expedited rate.
How easy is it? Well, place the under-bowl in your sink, place the basket into it, followed by rinsing the item that needs washing into the basket, and apply water. You can fill the bowl, or not as required, and once you’re happy that everything’s been rinsed off, lift the basket up to drain away the water. Then, empty the under-bowl, place the basket into the empty under-bowl, place the lid on and either push/pull the button or handle to spin the basket at speed.
The rapid spinning offers a great way to extract any lingering water, and doesn’t damage the contents of the basket. Once you’re finished, you spot the spinning, empty the under-bowl, and use the contents.
These spinners come in a range of sizes, from smaller individual right up to multi-litre restaurant/family size. Almost always they’re a clear plastic under-bowl, with an inner coloured basket. The lids are often clear, but not always, and will have a handle or button that is visible.
Often both the under-bowl and basket can be cleaned in a dishwasher, however caution should be taken when cleaning the lid, as the rotating mechanism is unlikely to be dishwasher safe, and may require careful cleaning if it becomes dirty.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Extremely popular in the 1970s and 80s, the humble pressure cooker’s presence in the kitchen went on a decline in the 90s before reemerging in more recent years. A versatile and time-saving low-impact appliance, this stovetop pot with its pressurised lid is a game changer for those who enjoy tender meat dishes but who don’t have the time for slow-cooking. Cooking everything from a risotto or chicken stew, through to short ribs and the Christmas pudd, it can do it all!
What to look for? Shiny stainless steel is a winner, hands down! You may, from time to time, find an older style aluminium body pressure cooker in secondhand stores, and whilst there’s nothing essentially wrong with these, it’s ill-advised to cook anything acidic in them. Acid + aluminium = bad.
Instead, look for stainless steel, with a good multi-ply base, and a tight fitting lid when it’s ‘locked’ on – if it doesn’t twist and lock on securely, it won’t work properly, and could even be dangerous.
Next, make sure the pressure release valve jiggles about. This is what stops your locked pot from exploding. A pressure cooker works so efficiently because once the lid is locked on, the energy is forced into the food, speeding up the cooking process. However, that pressure can build up too much, and the vent allows the excess to escape, so it’s extremely important that it works properly.
Where Next in the Chronic Illness Kitchen series:
Read the previous part here… Chronic Illness Kitchen – Manual – Hands On Everything
Continue reading here… Industrial Revolution in the Chronic Illness Kitchen – Saving You Time and Energy – Coming soon!
Get to know more about Mind, Body and Spoons, TheChronicIllnessChef and TheChronicIllnessPsychologist.
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You can also join in live cook-along sessions with Chef Kit – a great way to get to grips with these tips and tools!