Essential Kitchen Tools For Every Home Kitchen - How To Kitchen: EP2

Summary

In this episode, professional chef Ming shares essential kitchen tips, focusing on must-have utensils and appliances for home cooking. He covers the three main types of pots and pans: a large boiling pot, a sauce pot, and a heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan. Ming emphasizes key tools like cutting boards, knives, and tongs, as well as appliances like air fryers, rice cookers, and stick blenders. He also evaluates single-use gadgets, comparing them to the versatility of a good chef’s knife. Ming’s advice aims to simplify kitchen setups while improving cooking efficiency.

Takeaways

• 🍳 Focus on three types of pots and pans: a large boiling pot, a sauce pot, and a heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan for versatile cooking needs.
• ⚠️ Avoid using abrasive sponges on non-stick frying pans to prevent damaging the coating. Use gentler alternatives like coconut husk brushes or softer sponges.
• 🍟 Air fryers are efficient for reheating fried foods and cooking with dry heat, functioning like small ovens.
• 🍚 Rice cookers are multi-functional, allowing you to cook rice, meats, and vegetables together for convenient meal preparation.
• 🍴 Stick blenders are versatile kitchen tools that can blend soups, whip meringues, and act as mini food processors with various attachments.
• 🔪 Two knives are essential: a chef’s knife for most tasks and a paring knife for smaller, precision jobs.
• 🥄 Having two cutting boards (one for raw and one for cooked food) is crucial for hygiene and ease in the kitchen.
• 🍴 Metal mixing bowls are durable, versatile, and better suited for prep work compared to regular serving bowls.
• 🍏 Single-use items like watermelon slicers and apple cutters may seem convenient, but a sharp knife often provides better results with less waste.
• 🧄 While garlic presses are quick, using a knife to mince garlic yields more product and less wastage, along with a different texture and flavor release.

Q & A

What are the three essential types of pots and pans mentioned in the video?

The three essential categories are: something to boil things in (a boiling pot), something to stir things in (a sauce pot), and something to fry things in (a frying pan).

Why does the chef not recommend thin, light non-stick frying pans?

The chef doesn't recommend thin, light non-stick frying pans because they don't retain heat well, which affects the cooking process by not creating a temperature difference that allows for proper browning.

What are the advantages of using a heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan?

A heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan retains heat better, allowing for more consistent cooking. It's durable and, with proper care, can last a long time.

When is a cast iron pan recommended, and why?

A cast iron pan is recommended for searing and crisping up items like steak because it retains heat exceptionally well, which is important for achieving a good crust on meat.

What type of cleaning tool should never be used on non-stick frying pans, and why?

An abrasive yellow and dark green cleaning sponge should never be used on non-stick frying pans because it can strip off the non-stick coating, making the pan sticky.

What makes an air fryer an essential kitchen appliance according to the chef?

An air fryer is essential because it allows for quick, efficient cooking of items that require dry heat, like fried chicken or roasted pork. It creates a crispy texture without needing much oil.

How can a rice cooker be used beyond making rice?

A rice cooker can be used to cook meats, vegetables, soups, and stocks. The flavors from these ingredients can enhance the rice as they cook together.

Why does the chef consider a stick blender essential for the kitchen?

A stick blender is versatile, allowing you to blend soups, whisk egg whites or meringues, and even function as a mini food processor for chopping ingredients.

What are the two main types of knives that the chef recommends, and why?

The chef recommends a chef's knife for 95% of tasks and a paring knife for smaller, more delicate jobs. Together, these two knives can handle nearly all kitchen prep.

Why does the chef advise against single-use kitchen gadgets?

The chef advises against single-use gadgets because they often take up space and may not be frequently used. A good quality knife can achieve better results, especially in terms of control and reducing wastage.

Outlines

00:00

🍳 Essential Kitchen Tools and Pots

In this introduction, Chef Ming outlines the core kitchen tools and utensils needed for effective cooking. He emphasizes the importance of having three types of pots and pans: one for boiling (a large pot for soups, stocks, and porridge), a sauce pot with a long handle for sauces and smaller tasks, and a heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan for frying, which he considers essential. He advises against thin non-stick pans due to poor heat retention and suggests investing in a durable, heavy-bottomed pan. Ming also touches on the value of cast iron pans for searing and adds cleaning tips, stressing the need for proper tools to maintain non-stick pans without damaging them.

05:01

🍽️ Must-Have Small Appliances and Prep Tools

Chef Ming moves on to essential kitchen appliances, highlighting the air fryer, rice cooker, and stick blender. He describes how an air fryer crisps food quickly and a rice cooker can prepare perfect rice along with other dishes like soups and porridge. The stick blender, with various attachments, offers versatile functions such as blending soups, whisking, and food processing. Ming emphasizes the importance of preparing food before cooking and introduces must-have prep tools, such as cutting boards (recommending both large wooden and small plastic ones), chef's knives, tongs, and spatulas. He explains how these tools streamline meal preparation, ensuring efficient, safe, and hygienic cooking.

10:04

🍉 Single-Use Kitchen Gadgets vs. Chef’s Knife

In the final part, Chef Ming discusses single-use kitchen gadgets like a watermelon cutter, apple slicer, and garlic press, comparing their effectiveness against a regular knife. While some gadgets, like the watermelon cutter, offer convenience, Ming points out the flaws such as wastage and less precision. He concludes that a sharp knife does a better job in terms of texture and preservation, especially when it comes to garlic, as using a knife keeps the garlic drier and maintains its flavor. His advice: invest time in improving knife skills instead of relying on single-use gadgets. The episode ends with a reminder to like, subscribe, and download the app for more videos.

Keywords

💡Boiling Pot

A large, wide, and tall pot used primarily for boiling liquids like soups, stocks, and porridge. This is one of the essential cookware items in the kitchen as mentioned in the video, helping in the preparation of a variety of liquid-based dishes.

💡Non-stick Frying Pan

A frying pan coated with a material that prevents food from sticking to its surface. The video stresses the importance of investing in a heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan, as it retains heat better than thin pans and ensures even cooking, making it an essential kitchen tool.

💡Cast Iron Pan

A heavy, heat-retaining frying pan used for high-heat cooking, such as searing steaks. While not essential, the video highlights the cast iron pan as a useful tool for achieving a good sear due to its ability to retain and transfer heat efficiently.

💡Stick Blender

A handheld blender with interchangeable attachments, used for blending, whisking, and food processing. The video emphasizes its versatility in creating soups, whisking egg whites, or chopping food finely, making it a valuable multipurpose tool for various kitchen tasks.

💡Rice Cooker

An appliance designed to cook rice but also capable of making other dishes like soups, porridge, and even steaming meat and vegetables. The video praises the rice cooker for its convenience and versatility in a kitchen, allowing for hands-free cooking.

💡Chef's Knife

A large, versatile knife used for most of the cutting tasks in the kitchen. In the video, the chef recommends this as the main knife for handling 95% of cooking prep, emphasizing its importance in efficiently chopping, slicing, and dicing ingredients.

💡Single-use Kitchen Gadgets

Tools that serve one specific purpose, such as a watermelon slicer or an apple cutter. The video critiques these gadgets, arguing that they are often unnecessary and inefficient compared to using a versatile tool like a chef's knife, which can perform the same tasks with greater precision.

💡Cleaning Tools for Non-stick Pans

Tools like plastic brushes or coconut husk brushes used to clean non-stick cookware without damaging its coating. The video warns against using abrasive sponges, which can strip the non-stick coating, leading to decreased performance and shorter lifespan of the pan.

💡Mixing Bowls

Essential prep tools that come in various sizes and materials, but metal bowls are recommended for their durability. The video highlights the need for both small and large mixing bowls to handle different preparation tasks like mixing ingredients or marinating food.

💡Air Fryer

A compact appliance that circulates hot air to cook food quickly, creating a crispy texture without needing much oil. The video recommends this for tasks like reheating fried foods or roasting, praising its ability to deliver results similar to an oven but in a fraction of the time.

Highlights

Ming introduces himself as a professional chef and shares that he's excited to teach essential kitchen tips and tricks.

Ming outlines the three essential categories of pots and pans needed in the kitchen: a boiling pot, a sauce pot, and a frying pan.

Explanation of the ideal boiling pot: wide, tall, and capable of holding a fair amount of liquid, perfect for boiling, soups, and stocks.

Ming emphasizes the importance of a heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan over cheaper, lighter options for better heat retention and cooking quality.

A detailed comparison between a thin non-stick frying pan, a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan, and a cast iron pan for different cooking needs.

Pro tip: Ming recommends getting a high-quality heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan from a specific large furniture store known for its yellow and blue color scheme.

Ming explains the importance of using the right cleaning tools for non-stick frying pans and strongly advises against using abrasive scrubbers.

Introduction to coconut husk brushes as an excellent cleaning tool for non-stick pans, praised for being tough but non-scratching.

Ming introduces the air fryer as an essential appliance, explaining its versatility and how it crisps up food quickly with dry heat.

Explanation of the multifunctionality of a rice cooker, which can be used for more than just rice, including soups, stocks, and steamed meals.

Introduction of the stick blender as a must-have appliance due to its multiple attachments, enabling blending, whisking, and food processing.

Ming stresses the need for having two types of cutting boards for hygiene: one for raw food and one for cooked food or fresh produce.

Key knife essentials in the kitchen: a chef's knife for most tasks and a paring knife for more delicate work.

Ming's essential prep tools include tongs (metal and rubber-tipped), a whisk, a ladle, and a wooden spoon with different profiles.

Ming discusses the limitations and inefficiency of single-use items like watermelon cutters and apple slicers compared to using a sharp knife.

Transcripts

Hi guys!

My name is Ming.

I'm a professional chef and major kitchen nerd.

On this show I'm going to share with you some of the many

tips and tricks I've learnt over the years.

Now before we get into cooking,

I think it's essential to talk about

what you need in your kitchen.

What are the bare essential cooking utensils you require,

what about pots, pans, powered appliances

I'm going to give you the low-down on all this today.

Right, let's talk about pots and pans and what's essential.

In general you only need three categories:

something to boil things in,

something to stir things in and something to fry things in.

If you cover these three categories you should be fine.

First up, your boiling pot.

This is the largest pot in your entire arsenal of pots and pans.

You want this to be quite wide and quite

tall, generally to hold a fair amount of liquid.

You're boiling things in this,

you're making soups, stocks, porridge.

Next up we have the sauce pot.

Now the defining factor here is it's got

a nice long handle and it's relatively deep because you're

going to be stirring things in this.

This is perfect for sauces and ideal

for instant noodles as well as scrambled eggs.

Right, onto frying pans.

I have three frying pans here

of differing types of materials.

Do I need all three?

No, you don't.

This is the first kind.

It's a thin light non-stick frying pan.

I don't recommend these pans for some reasons.

First, they're not actually that cheap

and number two, they don't retain a lot of heat because they're so thin.

When you try and cook in these, the heat from the pan is immediately transferred

to the food and then you don't get that temperature

difference that colors your food nicely.

The only benefit they have going for them is that they are quite light.

The pan I do recommend is the heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan.

Hear that? That's thicker metal.

Now this is still a non-stick pan so you got to treat it with care.

Pro tip here, you can find some very very good quality heavy-bottomed non-stick

frying pans at a certain large furniture store

that has the color scheme of yellow and blue.

And finally

the third kind of frying pan - it is not an essential item

but it is extremely useful and I want to talk about it.

This is cast iron.

This is the heaviest of all.

The thick heavy gauge metal

retains a lot of heat so if you are looking to crisp up a steak, sear it

really hard, this is the pan you use to transfer a

good amount of heat into the meat.

Of the three types of frying pans, if I

had to pick one, I would always go for a nice good quality

heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan.

Splurge on this a little bit, it will last you a long time....

if you take care of it properly.

These are cleaning sponges and cleaning things.

What are the differences between these?

First up, yellow and dark green.

This is abrasive.

Never. NEVER use this on a non-stick frying pan.

Never.

Don't use it.

Don't do it!

If you do,

this is what you get.

You end up stripping all of the nonstick

coating and the pan becomes uh...

stick.

What you do want to use on

non-stick pans are these.

These are also slightly abrasive but they're not made with materials that are harder than the

non-stick coating.

This is basically a plastic brush that

has a little bit more texture.

You can use these on non-stick pans,

just make sure you're gentle and you're removing food and not

the surface of the non-stick coating.

This is a coconut husk brush.

When I was young my dad used to tell me that my hair was like this.

The specific phrase he used was bao yu chat.

Which means abalone brush.

Bao yu chat is the best brush for non-stick.

It doesn't scratch

but the bristles are nice and heavy duty so you can really go to town and remove

all sorts of gunk that is caked up and burnt on your pan.

Now when you're first starting out at a kitchen right, you don't want to spend

too much money and you don't want to fill it up with

appliances you may or may not use.

So these three, to me, are the most essential.

Very useful and give you a whole bunch of fun things you can already do.

This is an air fryer.

An air fryer is essentially a small oven.

It heats up a small compartment, it forces it full of very hot air

and whatever's inside there gets crispy, gets cooked very fast.

So this drawer is the compartment and you've got this little

basket and you put your items there you can put some foil in it.

So I love to use this for things like reheating fried chicken, roasted pork,

anything that needs dry heat, this does very well

and does very very quickly.

Next up,

we're talking about rice cookers.

Rice cookers help you make rice in a perfect quality

every single time.

Another pro tip with the rice cooker

is that you can do a whole bunch of things in it as well.

As you cook your rice, you can cook meats on top, you can cook vegetables

all the flavor drips into the rice.

You can make soups, you can make stocks in this, you can make porridge in a rice cooker.

The possibilities are endless.

Right so the next piece of equipment that I think

is essential. Crucial.

This is a little bit unorthodox but trust me when I say

this is gonna save you so much headache, so much stress

it's gonna make clea-up so much easier as well.

The item I'm talking about is...

the stick blender.

Right so this stick blender has

a motor attachment and depending on what head you put onto this attachment,

gives you a lot of capabilities.

Right now, this is the blender attachment and

if I stuck this into a pot of soup I could turn this on,

and before you know it, I got pumpkin soup, I got cream of mushroom soup,

I got a roasted tomato soup, I got all sorts of soups.

Say I didn't want to use just my hands to whisk up like a whole batch of

meringues or egg whites.

This baby, I can turn on...

whisk whisk whisk whisk whisk and I have a nice fluffy bedroom meringues

in you know like a third of the time.

So motorized whisk.

And the final attachment that I have here

is this little container.

I can connect this jug to the motor and what I essentially have

here is a mini food processor.

Blender attachment.

Food processor.

What is the difference between these two and why are they essential?

Blending is essentially taking a solid and turning that into a liquid. You want

gloopy texture, you want it soft and flowy.

Chopping - this is also known as food processing.

You want to chop that up very fine, you want to mince it but you don't want to turn it into soup

so they're two separate things and this one appliance gives you

these two functions albeit in a rather basic fashion

Essentials for prep.

Before you cook, you gotta prepare stuff.

Cutting boards.

What do you need, what's essential?l

I always advocate having at least two boards so that you can use one for

raw food and one for cooked food or fresh vegetables and fruits.

A small board is very useful, it's easy to clean and wipe off and it's very light.

My favorite board of all is a large wood board.

In a lot of kitchens, this is where a lot of food is

plated and finished.

Make sure that your main board

has enough space so that as you're cutting, you don't crowd yourself.

Main board needs to be big, put a hand down, knife down

comfortably. If your board is too small, the chance of you cutting yourself

increases a lot more.

So chef's knife.

This does 95% of all my work.

I have a curved edge, this fits my hand nicely.

Paring knife.

Small knife for smaller jobs, small cutting

and together, these two knives will be about 99% of all you need.

More prep essentials as you cook.

Spoons. Teaspoons and tablespoons, incredibly useful

for all your needs - tasting, scooping ingredients.

This is called a strainer. Very self-explanatory.

Very useful.

Tongs. For handling raw meats or handling cooked items.

I like two types - a more durable heavy duty metal version

and one that has a rubber tip so that when I'm stirring things in a non-stick

pan I don't scratch it.

The whisk. Very useful for stirring

sauces, breaking up bits of things.

Wooden utensil.

These are great, they don't scratch things and they're very durable and hardy.

Two types here - one that has a flat edge, lets me scrape a pan better.

And another that is a round spoon.

See the profiles?

Different usage, both essential.

A ladle. A ladle is always great, you need something to pick up larger amounts of liquids.

One of my favorite pieces of equipment of all...

The rubber or silicon spatula.

Now these can be obtained online very very affordably and they're incredibly

useful for stirring things without scratching pans,

for mixing things together and for scraping out bowls because

they conform.

Which means every nook and cranny is accessible to you

and you don't waste anything and clean up is easier as well.

General prep essentials.

Can opener. There are many kinds.

You want two things: look out for the bit

the part that bites into the can to be metal,

and you want it to be as sturdy as

possible because cans are these tough things.

Peelers. Obviously you use them for fruits, for vegetables.

Get a durable one, pay a little bit more.

This is metal and it's japanese.

The last thing on my prep list is probably the most essential.

These are mixing bowls.

They can come in plastic, ceramic, metal.

I like metal because they're almost indestructible.

The absolute bare minimum

that I recommend is two sizes: small and large.

The large ones are great for mixing things in, for tossing salads,

for preparing food items.

The small ones are great for holding condiments after

you've prepared them or for sealing and putting things into

the fridge to marinate for a while.

In total, maybe two large bowls and four

or five small bowls.

So a lot of you are gonna ask: why can't I just use my regular serving bowls?

You can, but they're not durable and they will break eventually.

Metal bowls, on the other hand, are lighter,

more durable,

and they don't break.

Using metal bowls for prep will reduce

the wear and tear on your pretty and gorgeous serving bowls.

And they help you organize your cooking too.

Okay before we end this episode I want to talk a little bit about single use items -

things that you can only use for one purpose.

A lot of these are quite affordable and they come with videos, you see them

online, they look kind of compelling. They do pretty amazing things.

I've got three of them here and we're gonna evaluate how effective they are.

What are these items going up against?

They're going up against my trusty knife.

So the objective of this watermelon cutter is to make watermelon cubes.

And then the next thing is I take this, and I...

Oh wow!

That was actually quite easy. It worked.

I wouldn't call these cubes though, they're kind of like watermelon tiles.

I gotta say this is quite impressive! It's relatively quick.

The end piece looks a little bit misshapen.

It's like it's just punching it off the

side of that watermelon so out of one two three four pieces there's

always one wonky looking piece,

but the rest are acceptable.

But i think my main problem with this is there's a fair amount of wastage.

Because of the curved edge of the watermelon,

I'm gonna have to

avoid some sections if not i will

start to scoop up parts of the peel of the watermelon.

Right let's see how this works out with a knife

To me, with a knife, a watermelon cube looks like a cube.

Straight cut edges,

nice and clean.

I haven't sort of juiced the watermelon by pushing an implement

through it.

Now i'm not sure if you can see this but

there is an obvious color difference to me.

With the watermelon windmill, the slices of watermelon look a bit darker.

You have basically got these juicy raw edges

and i'm guessing that that's because the mouth of the tool

is not quite as sharp as a knife.

It's just a piece of metal. You're pushing

this little bit of metal through the

watermelon and basically rupturing all the little watermelon cells.

I'm not sure this watermelon will keep so well because all this is

oxidizing and gonna get soft in a couple of hours.

This is a clear win for the knife, don't buy a watermelon slicer like that please

Apple slicer.

Align this bit around the core of the apple.

Okay, and a couple of larger pieces of apple that have some

core stuck on them.

But all in all that was quite quick.

Check out the amount of wastage.

This is the core amount that I took off from the

apple and this is what the apple slicer took off.

I'm sure there's a fair amount of meat here to be had.

But I'll give you this, okay?

The apple slicer was quick.

This thing takes up a fair amount of space,

and unless you're cutting apples all day,

you might use this once or twice for the novelty and then get stuck in your

drawer and then you never see it again.

Our last item for today is a garlic press.

Now I've actually used

these before and I find them relatively effective and I want to show you

why they're actually quite decent to use.

Take your peeled garlic, put it in there

and give it a press.

So a garlic press is primarily there to help you mince garlic

quite quickly. Out comes the unpressed stuff.

So there's quite a fair amount of

wastage with the garlic press.

Right I'm going to show you how we would do it with a knife.

As you can see, this is taking a fair bit more time...

than if i were to use the garlic press.

Two cloves, about the same size but a lot more yield using a knife because

there's no wastage. Everything got sliced up and cut.

And if you take a closer look

at the texture of the minced garlic, you'll see a couple of things as well.

First, with the minced garlic that was squeezed out

of the garlic press,

it's all together more wet and juicy.

Now this is being pulped almost, right?

So what that means is a lot of the

aromatics - the oils, the flavors - are out now and they're apparent.

So if you threw that into a stew or you sauteed that up, the flavors of

garlic will be very pungent and very apparent. Very upfront.

Whereas because I use my knife, which is considerably sharper,

my minced garlic with my knife is much drier.

Knives are the essential items in a kitchen,

so I would rather level up and get

better using a knife overall, whereas these single-use items are meant

for one thing only.

That's all for this episode.

I hope you learned something about the essential equipment that you need to have within your kitchen.

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I'll see you in the next episode!