Choice Christmas articles - 6 things you need to be a kitchen pro

This article seems to be a refresh of one very similar from two years ago.

The six things are:

  • Stand mixer
  • Food processor
  • Cookware
  • Stick blender
  • Pressure cooker
  • Pantry staples

We could spend all day making lists of the top six things you need and never agree. We have three electric gadgets, two kinds of cooking devices (pots and pans) and one collection of ingredients. A huge list has been left out for obvious reasons.

So how was the mega-list cut down to something manageable? Fairly obviously we are talking about things you can buy, it is the season of gift giving after all. I am guessing that the common thread is having a recent in-house review (or several) to link to. But are these anywhere near the six categories that will actually improve your cooking, or are they what is on the market and recently reviewed?

The humble cook’s knife is not mentioned. It is the one thing you cannot do without. It can be taken camping, out to the BBQ or whatever, and needs no electric power. It is required for hot food, cold food, and every style. A good knife will replace a slew of gadgets.

Maybe the list was not made by people who cook a lot but by people who test gadgets for a living. A knife was excluded two years ago too. Perhaps the problem is that all the rest work out of the box. You are not buying a product but an OOBE.

5 Likes

Happy that Pantry Staples made it to the list. Frankly I don’t want any kitchen gadgets, but for people “doing it tough” some ordinary food items (with one gourmet product to ritz it up) would take the sting out of an expensive time of year. Choose longer shelf life, healthy options, some of your own produce possibly made to last longer - dehydrated, preserved, frozen; or a “gift” voucher for more from your garden, or their grocer?

4 Likes