You Need This: Kitchen (Non)essentials
Some bells & whistles to enhance your time in the kitchen
“You can go your whole life with just a few pots and pans, a cutting board, a good chef’s knife, and a colander in which to drain pasta.” My favorite food editor, Sam Sifton, tells it like it is on the first page of his fantastic new cookbook. A lack of fancy equipment need not stop you from making a fantastic meal. You can do a lot with a little, (and I mean very little: check out this 22 square foot NYC kitchen!).
I’ve been tasked with cutting steaks with horrendously dull beach house knives, and discovered that a vegetable peeler can sub for a cheese grater in a pinch. Comically sparse Airbnb kitchens will teach you how to improvise. Sometimes making due is half the fun!
Disappointing Airbnb kitchens aside, after you have the basic essentials covered, (Martha can help you out with that) may I suggest some fun tools of the trade that can elevate your cooking experience? How about some kitchen NONessentials? These are my top ten tools you don’t really need, but sure are nice!
1 Le Creuset Dutch Oven
I’m a label whore for Le Creuset. Every Christmas my fiancé makes sure one of their iconic orange boxes is waiting for me under the tree. I’m addicted, and I’m not alone! Le Creuset has legions of loyal followers obsessed with their candy coated enamel cast iron cookware (since 1925!). They make sauce pans and skillets, dinner plates and casserole dishes… But what Le Creuset does best, what makes them an icon, is their dutch oven.
You need a dutch oven. You may think any large pot will do, but a glossy enamel dutch oven will truly enhance your cooking. (Le Creuset has a rainbow of color options, and even Star Wars and Yankees special editions!).
The dutch oven moves seamlessly from stove top to oven. It sears, it braises, and then it’s pretty enough to sit on the table and serve your guests. Indeed it is an ‘investment piece,’ but it comes with a lifetime guarantee. So start saving your pennies: It’s worth it!
Once you bring your Le Crueset baby home, why not break it in by making a week’s worth of GUMBO?!
2 Grossy Pelosi’s Bamboo Smiley Spoons
I’m mildly obsessed with food influencer Dan ‘Grossy’ Pelosi. Throughout the pandemic this self proclaimed “Italian-American Meatball” kept his loyal followers cooking and smiling from his Brooklyn kitchen. His recipes are fun and approachable, often documented step by step, and always feature these bamboo smiley spoons. The spoons are inexpensive, dishwasher safe, and absolutely adorable. I insist you make Grossy’s Iconic Vodka Sawce with them immediately. I promise you’ll be smiling.
3 Pasta Spider
The Spider arrived in my kitchen along with my first wok. This shallow, webbed, super spoon is used frequently in Asian cuisine for frying dumplings and blanching vegetables, but I learned pretty quickly that it’s a huge help when making pasta dishes. The spider makes testing the ‘done-ness’ of pasta a breeze (no more overcooked noodles) and helps me avoid burning myself while draining boiling pasta water. Scoop your finished pasta out of the pot and preserve the starchy water (always save for leftovers!) without hassle. Bonappetit published this great article about the Spider’s many uses.
Make this BLT Pasta with your Spider, and thank me when you don’t overcook the rigatonis.
4 Microplane
Zest up your life! (Lol, sorry). A microplane is basically a mini hand-held grater, and it’s great for zesting citrus or grating fresh garlic. I always have a couple on hand in the kitchen. They even come with me to Airbnbs! Shave a hunk of parmesan into your pasta or add some fresh ginger to soup. (I actually store my ginger root in the freezer, which keeps it fresh and very easy to microplane while it’s frozen!) You’ll need a microplane for grating a few tablespoons of ginger into this exceptional pork noodle soup. It’s a favorite of mine!
5 ThermoPop Meat Thermometer
During that first summer of covid I was frying a lot of chicken. (It’s the perfect picnic food, as I mentioned in a previous newsletter!). The trouble with fried chicken, though, is knowing when the meat is really done. You can have a beautiful golden crusted drumstick that’s still raw on the inside. 😬 A meat thermometer takes the guess work out of the equation. Meat is done at 145 degrees. Chicken is safest at 165. The Thermopop Meat Thermometer is accurate, small, and comes in all the colors! Use it while you’re frying this A+ pickle brined fried chicken sandwich.
6 Vintage Soda Syphon
Want to jazz up your bar cart? Look like a classic Hollywood leading man? (Paging William Powell!) You need a vintage Soda Syphon. Give up the Pelligrino bottles and cancel your Sodastream subscription. A vintage syphon is an easy and chic way to enjoy bubbly water at home. They’re refillable, but you will need to replace the charger, (I use these). It’s a minimal hassle, promise. Newer soda syphons exist, but it’s easy to find vintage ones in second hand stores or on ebay and etsy. I like making gin lime rickeys with mine.
7 Bialetti Stovetop Espresso Maker
This chic stovetop coffeemaker broke my Starbuck’s habit. The Bialleti (since 1933!) is sustainable, easy to clean, and electricity free. It comes along on all of my vacations, and could even go camping (if you’re into that). Bialetti comes in a variety of styles and sizes. I love the Moka Espresso 6 cup.
There are other stovetop coffee makers, but don’t be fooled by cheap imitations. Bialleti is the original. Their beloved logo is a caricature of the company’s founder, Alfonso Bialetti. His son, the logo’s designer, was actually buried in a large Bialleti. Now that’s a coffemaker you can believe in.
8 Kitchen Shears
You know those scissors sandwiched between the knives on your countertop knife block? They’re not just for opening Amazon boxes. Kitchen Shears are incredible for cutting up herbs like chives and parsley, and strong enough to (safely) carve a roast chicken. I frequently use mine for slicing up strips of uncooked bacon or breaking down a pork shoulder. Give your knives a rest and pick up these shears! They are incredibly useful for this fantastic rabbit recipe.
Let’s be EXTRA…
9 FEED Shopping Bags
The plastic bag ban in NYC has lead to an avalanche of branded canvas tote bags. Why not carry a bag that also gives back? I own several totes from Lauren Bush Lauren’s charity based lifestyle brand, FEED. (Yes, President George Bush Senior’s Granddaughter married Ralph Lauren’s son). The organization seeks to create good products that help feed children around the world.
I love their heavy duty canvas bags with reinforced leather straps. They’re roomy with a flat bottom, withstand wear and tear, and keep me organized with their multitude of pockets. And every purchase provides meals for impoverished children! When you see me at the Greenmarket I will be carrying one or two of these!
10 Novel Mart Merch
Like me, you probably NEED a shirt or hat proclaiming your love for FOCACCIA and CAVIAR. Novel Mart makes whimsical gear in a collegiate sports font, promoting your favorite cocktails and snacks. Oysters, Cacio e Pepe, Negronis, and Campari… Novel Mart has every indulgence in their line up. Unsurprisingly I’m TEAM CHAMPAGNE all the way!
More Champagne
If you see me at Balthazar alone, no you can’t sit with me.