Accessories
A proper kitchen knife makes cooking so much easier. There are knives and there are cooking knives. I’ve been a Wüsthof fan for over three decades, with the same knife! Yes, that’s right. I bought a pro level knife decades ago and still use it daily. Look for a knife with a thick blade that extends all the way through the handle. It’s called “full tang”. Yes, it’s more expensive. It will be more secure and cut better. You’ll appreciate it most when slicing tough roots like yucca. The 8 inch classic is great for nearly everything. Note the rounded area where blade meets handle, this is an important feature to allow proper hand grip. Beware of knives with a sharp angle at that spot. If your budget just can’t get into a Wüsthof, at least look at one before buying so you can get similar features on the one you choose.
Good kitchen scissors are a real help. This pair from Cutco is a splurge but will last forever. The best part is that the blades separate easily for cleaning. Kitchen scissors must separate to avoid getting contamination between the blades.
A strong stainless steel spatula is great for scraping the stainless steel pots and pans to loosen those little bits of flavor. Always use steel on steel and never use steel on nonstick. I like this one from All-Clad but any strong spatula will do. Hint hint, check Ebay for used ones at prices better than you can buy a lesser quality one for new.
Yes it’s a little silly but this squeezer is great. I make a traditional guacamole (avocado, lemon, salt) all the time and having the seeds captured by the basket without juice spurting from the sides is a pleasure. Other squeezers leak or spurt out the sides. I haven’t found one that can match this one and it’s not expensive.
Also in the not needed but fun to have category is a popcorn popper. I don’t use it for popcorn though, I pop sorghum seed with it! I traded the lectin loaded popcorn for popped sorghum. I’m totally hooked on it and it is healthy food. I would choose any of the stainless steel models over aluminum.
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