"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." Julia Child

Thursday, February 21, 2013

getting started

My kitchen
It's small and galley style. I have bachelor sized appliances. My oven, for example, can only accommodate one 11 X 17 inch baking sheet at a time.


My tools
Stand mixer (225 w) , inherited from my grandmother
Hand mixer
Food processor, complete with slicer and grater blades
Baking sheets
Silpat
Silicon brush
Silicon muffin cups
An array of baking tins, pans, and cooking utensils

I'm thrifty and believe that high quality tools and ingredients shouldn't set you back an arm and a leg. I find a lot of things online, on-sale, and at places like Home Goods. While silpat has been a great addition to my tool collection, given that I'm set it and forget it and to set the timer to remind yourself it is in the oven type of girl, parchment paper can be purchased at a pretty low cost, especially at stores like Costco. 

I've also found that alternatives can be developed for kitchen tools that one rarely uses and am a strong proponent for multi-use electrics. Instead of buying a mandoline, food chopper, microplaner and grater, invest in a food processor. Why do by hand over 20 minutes what a machine could do for you in 2 minutes? Before acquiring a 60 piece cake decorating set, consider using ziplock bags. I've found that I have better control piping with a ziplock because I can get a better grip around the filling and the the hole can be cut more precisely. But hey, maybe you plan to create fancy decorations and, unlike me, are the mad skillz to regulate the frosting flow of your decorating tool. :)

No comments:

Post a Comment