So here we are, at the end of the whole chef school experience and a great time to talk about what was absolutely required and what pieces of kitchen paraphernalia are completely useless and shouldn’t be bought! And this is more than an open post so feel free to post your opinions and feedback! This is also written from the point of view of someone more pastry oriented so I need input from a butcher’s point of view…
To start off I’ll describe my ideal knife roll and its contents. DON’T ever make the excuse in buying the knife rolls sold at schools! They contain crappy knives that won’t really feel good in your hands. Remember that you have to become one with your chef’s knife and therefore a 2 foot long french knives will really do you no good (unless you’re 10 feet tall)… anyways here goes:
1. One good chef’s knife…. regardless of shape, size, price, etc this knife has to be the most comfortable knife you have ever held. The weight has to be just right and this is something that only YOU can really pick out. It’s a knife that you’ll use for everything in the kitchen, day in and day out and maybe its something that you might invest a little more into (but not necessary at all). Take your time picking it out and ask if you can return it if it doesn’t feel right when you bring it home.
2. A paring knife is a very handy little bugger. It fits in every pocket (especially the ones on the chef jacket sleeves) and comes in handy when you least expect it. I do believe that they’re almost disposable so the colourful KUHN paring knives sold at Winners for $15 will do more than a good job. But again, if you want to spend your money, go for a higher end model… but be prepared to watch your knife kit like a hawk wherever you work since these little things can easily walk away!
3. A really sharp bread knife…. otherwise you squish everything you slice. It’s a very important too to have if you’re a dessert person too…. A longer blade will do wonders for slicing layers in a sponge cake.
4. A boning knife
5. A higher end sharpening steel. This is a definite must and please don’t get cheap. Your knives must be in tip top shape and always sharp in order for them to do you justice.
6. Two or three tasting spoons, since most people think it’s gross to just shove your finger in their food
7. A sharpie! Labeling stored foods is a biggie overlooked by waaaaaay too many people in the industry
8. A heatproof spatula which will become your very best friend! Great for anything from sauces to mixing batters, etc. If possible get more than one colour coded for what you’re using it since sometimes strong flavours leak into the plastic.
9. A variety of sizes of off-set spatulas. At least a large and a small. They’re not only good for assembling desserts but also can double as fish spatulas and other handy kitchen tools.
10. A whisk. They come in a variety of sizes but go for whatever looks “averaged” sized. Winners (great place for affordable knick knacks for your roll) sells silicone covered whisks that are Uber helpful since nothing sticks to them!
11. A set of small measuring utensils. Usually you find cup measures in a kitchen but never the small stuff so grab a few for 1/2 tsp, 1tsp, 1/2 tbsp and 1tbsp measures. They’re the most common and you don’t need to have all the sizes in the world especially since guestimation is still practiced!
12. A pastry brush… silicone ones from the dollar store will suffice
13. A pastry bag (or disposables if you have money to spare) and two or three standard tips. It comes in handy quite a lot and you’ll b surprised how much more efficient you become once you befriend these funny things.
Well that’s it for now…. anything that I’ve missed I’ll include later…. Hope this helps!
Good call about the sharpie, it is over looked all the time.
Great Post!
I would add that for your chefs knife, while its all personal choice, spend the money on a blade that has good quality steel. A knife will always be sharp when you buy it, but keeping it sharp is key. Cheap knives tend to use cheap steel which tends to be hard to sharpen and looses its edge quickly.
Also, masking tape for labeling is always in short supply… you can never have enough…
Those are all good things to have for sure. I think that learning how to use a sharpening stone is very important as well. I just bought one a couple of months ago and am just learning to use it. I wish that I would have had one at the begining of my schooling and that the chefs at school spent more time teaching us how to use one.
Other than that, having a bunch of small containers to hold mise en place are very nice to have, if you live in Toronto Tap Phong is great, but any China town will have little shops just like it to buy cheap equipment. My last piece of advice would be to tell the people at the stores you are buying from that you are in the industry, you will almost always get some kind of discount.
One element that has become almost mandatory on your list is the calibrated thermometer.
Today, especially in Toronto, the law of public health almost imposes this one.
From the temperature of your hamburger (when it’s black it’s done), to the temperature of your sugar boiling in the pot for the buttercream.
Chosen efficiently it has many more options to it: it plays also the role of the needle to check if the poultry, sponge,… is cooked.
Other remark to the list, knives are like helmets, they are personal. When you will open the package, you will start using it and create it’s blade. So never lend them….