Like the desert island dream of celebrity organizer Marie Kondo, have you ever wondered how many items you really need to create flavor-packed dishes in the kitchen? I certainly have, I write as I wipe dust off the top of a gifted dehydrator that’s taking up most of an entire shelf.
The truth is that, at best, kitchen gadgets save time, but at worst, that saved time might come at the sacrifice of flavor, cleaning time and counter or cabinet space. So what are the bare-minimum kitchen tools needed to prepare most dishes?
For me, a dependable chef’s knife, knife sharpener, cutting board, measuring cups, spoons and a spatula are non-negotiable. Three tools—a Dutch oven, molcajete and the humble strainer—are the only ones you need to supplement those basics.
Why you should sharpen your knives
A sharp and sturdy knife is a cook’s best friend. Before you go out and spend a fortune on the fanciest knife featured in the latest season of “The Bear,” remember that a well-loved standard knife is going to serve you better than a neglected luxury knife.
A cheaper alternative is a Chinese cleaver, which offers versatility due to its large surface area. Even though it’s great for smashing garlic cloves out of their pesky paper skin, the cleaver is still nimble enough to deftly dice diminutive produce like scallion and ginger.
There’s no such thing as a never-sharpen knife, contrary to what advertising might say. The knives of the average homecook often go years without sharpening, but contrary to first instinct, you’re more likely to cut yourself on a dull knife than a sharp one.
Guidance on how often to sharpen your knife varies by how often you use them. I like to use the paper test when determining if a knife needs to be sharpened. If your knife does not easily cut through a piece of paper, it needs to be sharpened.
The humble sharpening block, also known as a whetstone, can be purchased for less than $20 and will last decades. There is a learning curve to achieving the perfect edge on a whetstone, but sharpening with the block is very easy.
If you’re worried about ruining your knife while sharpening, short of breaking your knife in half, there’s no way to do that.
Flavor-boosting basics
If you’re looking for one true do-it-all option, the Dutch oven is it. You can saute, shallow fry, deep fry, braise, boil and bake in a Dutch oven.
The heavy bottom on a cast iron or enameled Dutch oven provides the best option for getting a dark brown sear and brown fond in the bottom of the pan. New enameled Dutch ovens start around $60, but a steel stock pot, starting around $15, is a cheaper alternative.
You can do many of the same things in a stock pot as a Dutch oven, but the stock pot’s thinner cooking surface doesn’t conduct heat as evenly, making it more unpredictable to sear or saute on medium temperature. Stock pots can get the job done, but using them requires the patience to cook on low or keep a watchful eye on when to add more oil to prevent the surface from burning.
A food processor is a quick way to chop vegetables and blend sauces. But they can be difficult to clean, and the process of “quick chopping” in a food processor, especially when making something like pesto, causes the ingredients to seize up, rather than releasing their natural oils.
A very large mortar and pestle or a molcajete might be a little more time-consuming to use than a food processor, but it leads to better results. It’s also the perfect way to take out a little aggression while being productive.
Whether you’re making salsa, a puree, sauce or compound butter, a mortar and pestle will give you more control over your consistency than you would have with a food processor. For years, I tried to make pestos in a large food processor and would wonder why the consistency would always be too firm. It was because the vessel was too large, and it didn’t allow the oil to emulsify. I’ve never had that problem with a mortar and pestle.
Smooth texture in cooking is synonymous with luxury, and a large strainer is the cheapest tool in the kitchen to elevate your meals. It’s another thing that requires patience. Purees can take 10 minutes or longer to go through the strainer, but the results will be unmistakable. You might think a seed or vegetable skin might not make a big difference until you’ve taken the time to strain them out. Wow your friends and family with the luxury of a smooth and silky puree or sauce.
Four Chile Horseman of the Pozole Apocalypse
Ingredients:
2 pasilla chiles
3 to 4 guajillo chiles
1 to 2 ancho chiles
3 to 6 arbol chiles, depending how spicy you want it
Onion
3 to 4 cloves garlic
2 to 3 cups stock, plus water as the cooking liquid reduces
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon whole Mexican oregano
½ cup cooked hominy or 1 can hominy
1 cup cooked beans or 2 cans of any type of bean
Topping ideas:
Avocado
Radish
Cabbage
Lime
Pomegranate seeds
Tortillas made with nixtamalized flour (AKA hominy) or your tortilla of choice
Char the onion, either whole on a gas stovetop or quartered and placed under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes until dark brown and black in spots.
Add chiles to a dry pot or Dutch oven on low heat until they become aromatic. Add the charred onion, garlic and stock to the pot until boiling. Simmer for at least 25 to 30 minutes, adding water as the cooking liquid reduces. You don’t want to overpower chiles with stock flavor.
Let cool and add to a food processor, blender or molcajete and process or mash the chiles and aromatics together. Strain that bad boy in a large strainer. It’s going to take awhile, so be patient.
Dry the Dutch oven with a paper towel. Toast the cumin seeds in the Dutch oven for a few minutes until aromatic. Grind the toasted seeds in the molcajete and add back to the Dutch oven with whole dry Mexican oregano. Let toast on low-medium heat until aromatic, and add the chile broth to the Dutch oven with the cooked hominy and beans.
Simmer on low and let the flavors get to know each other for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with the toppings of your choice.
Chop It Up is a monthly column from Jacob Threadgill, a “semi-retired” journalist in Oklahoma City, where he wrote for the alt-weekly Oklahoma Gazette for three years. Prior to the Gazette, he wrote music and lifestyle features for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi.
Streetlight, previously BigIfTrue.org, is a nonprofit news site based in Oklahoma City. Our mission is to report stories that envision a more equitable world and energize our readers to improve their communities. Donate to support our work here.
