Week 1: Lesson 1: Practice Personal Hygiene Protocols at All Times
Week 1: Lesson 1: Practice Personal Hygiene Protocols at All Times
Any cook should be familiar with the correct utensils, devices and equipment in
the kitchen. It is important to consider several things and not only the price when buying
them. The job of cooking requires specific tools, utensils, and equipment for proper and
efficient preparation of food. Each piece has been designed to accomplish a specific job
in the kitchen. The tools, utensils and equipment are made of different materials, each
having certain advantages and disadvantages. The following lists are materials of kitchen
utensils and equipment commonly found in the kitchen.
KITCHEN TOOLS
1. KNIVES are the first thing every aspiring chef buys. A basic set
of knives should include a 5–7cm paring knife for peeling fruit
and cutting small vegetables, a 20cm cook’s knife for
chopping, a 12cm boning knife with a slightly flexible blade for
cutting around meat and bone, and a 25cm serrated or bread
knife.
2. HONING STEEL is used for sharpening knives.
They are cylindrical pieces of steel with a handle
at one end. To sharpen a knife, run the knife at an angle along the steel edge.
7. MIXING BOWLS come in various sizes and can be stainless steel or plastic. They are
used for a variety of purposes, such as mixing, blending
and storing food.
8. PESTLE AND MORTAR is an invaluable for crushing and
grinding herbs and spices. It gives a coarser,
earthier texture than using an electric blender,
which is ideal for Asian cooking. It is also great for pounding garlic to a
paste. Choose a mortar with a large bowl and a heavyweight pestle.
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5| PRACTICE PERSONAL HYGIENE PROTOCOLS AT ALL TIMES
9. WHIPS are Loops of stainless-steel wire fastened to a
handle. Whips with a few stiff wires are used for
mixing and blending, and whips with many flexible
wires are used for whipping foams, such as whipped
cream and egg foams. Also called WHISK.
10. CHINA CAP is a conical strainer, but it is made of perforated steel, so it does not
strain as finely. A china cap is usually
lined with several layers of cheesecloth if
the liquid must be well strained
11. CHINOIS is also a conical strainer with a
fine mesh, used mostly for straining
sauces.
12. COLANDERS are available in a variety of sizes and usually made from stainless steel.
They are used for draining liquids.
13. SIEVES are made from plastic with nylon. They are
available in various sizes and in
various mesh sizes. They are
used for mashing, purées and
draining. It is also used for sifting flour and other dry
ingredients. Also called a drum sieve or TAMIS
(pronounced tah-mee).
14. MANDOLINS are specialist pieces of equipment used for slicing
vegetables. The blade is made from stainless steel and is
adjustable to different widths, for thick or thin slices of food. They
are usually used to slice vegetables such as potatoes, courgettes,
cucumbers and carrots. The blade is particularly sharp, so you
should be very careful when using one. Modern mandolins have a
safety guard built in to them
15. SCALES is not just that you can weigh things down to the last gram, which is so
important in baking, but that you can weigh everything into the same
bowl, setting the scales to zero between each addition, which saves both
time and washing up.
16. MEASURING CUPS, SPOONS tools are among the most
important items found in any kitchen, since consistently good
cooking depends upon accurate measurements. This include,
Measuring Cup for Dry Ingredients, Measuring Cup for Liquid
Ingredients, Portion scales, Scoops or dippers, and Spoons.
17. THERMOMETER are two types: instant-read thermometers for a one-off reading, or
alarm thermometers that will tell you when the temperature reaches a preset level.
This is very useful if you are roasting meat, for example, and want to be sure, it is
cooked at the center.
18. ROLLING PINS are used for rolling pastry manually.
Today they are usually made from plastic, although
wooden ones are still available.
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
Kitchen equipment is expensive and to justify the expense it is essential that
maximum use is made of it. This can be done only if the equipment works efficiently and
this deposits upon care and maintenance.
5. RANGES and OVENS. A range is a collection of
equipment together, usually stoves and ovens. There
is a large variety of ranges available, fuelled by gas,
electricity, microwave or microwave plus convection.
Some have grills and wok cookers built in.
6. REFRIGERATORS/FREEZERS. Most refrigerators have
special compartment for meat, fruits and
vegetables to keep the moisture content of
each type of food. Butter
compartment holds butter
separately to prevent food
odors from spoiling its flavor. Basically, refrigerator or
freezer is an insulated box, equipped with refrigeration unit
and a control to maintain the proper
inside temperature for food storage.
ALUMINUM
STAINLESS STEEL
GLASS
CAST IRON
CUTTING TOOLS
MEASURING TOOLS
MIXING TOOLS
STRAINING TOOLS