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Chapter 2

Knowing Which Supplies You Need

IN THIS CHAPTER

Stocking your kitchen with the best tools for meal prep

Identifying some tools to add to your wish list

Having the right tool for the job can really help save time and energy when meal prepping. You may already have on hand some tools; others you may need to buy. Assess your kitchen and see if you have the storage space for some fancier items. A cluttered kitchen will leave you less inspired to cook, so skip any unnecessary tools and stick to the basics.

Must-Haves: Tools You Need for Meal Prep

When you’re committed to meal prep, certain tools are just a requirement. The following sections cover those tools you need to meal-prep with ease.

Chef’s knife

A chef’s knife is an all-purpose knife, perfect for slicing and dicing vegetables, chopping meats, or chopping nuts. A 6- or 8-inch version is a great tool to have on hand, especially as your knife skills improve (see the nearby sidebar). For most home kitchens, a mid-priced knife is good enough. Many great brands are out there, from Wüsthof (www.wusthof.com) to Henckels (www.zwilling.com/us/henckels-international/cutlery).

SHARPENING YOUR KNIFE SKILLS

Learning how to hold and work a knife can make you much more efficient in the kitchen. In culinary school, knife skills are always taught within the first week and emphasized throughout all courses. The following photo shows how to hold a knife. In order to have a stable grip on a chef knife, grip the handle and inch your hand up toward the blade. Your thumb should be on the metal part of the blade, and your index finger should be gripped over the top of the knife. If you just hold the handle, the knife isn’t as stable and can slip.

Photograph by Wendy Jo Peterson and Geri Goodale

Learning how to cut foods evenly helps with aesthetics but also with improved cooking times. Here are some popular cuts referred to in cookbooks, including this one (see the following photograph for what the cuts look like):

 Julienne (top left): Also referred to as matchsticks, these are narrow strips that are the same length and width. A thicker julienne cut could be referred to as a bâtonnet.

 Chiffonade (top right): This is when you roll up greens, like basil or kale or spinach, and do thin cuts to give a shredded appearance.

 Brunoise (bottom left): This is a tiny dice. Typically, you start with the julienne cut and then do a small dice from the narrow strips. These create uniformity in salads or soups.

 Dice (bottom right): Small, medium, or large diced items are squared pieces that are of equal size.

 Rounds (bottom middle): From carrots to cucumbers, slicing rounds is keeping the round shape, but slicing of equal thickness.

Photograph by Wendy Jo Peterson and Geri Goodale

Be sure to keep your knives sharp. A sharp knife is less likely to cause an accident than a dull blade. A dull blade can slip with pressure, possibly causing injury.

A knife that has the metal blade extend throughout the handle is more stable and less likely to break over time. Be sure to hand-wash a good knife and dry it immediately to extend the life of your knife.

Cutting board

Wooden cutting boards are my absolute favorite for cutting all foods. Using a good mineral oil on your clean cutting boards will help extend their life and prevent bacteria from inching its way into the grooves of the board. Wooden cutting boards are also friendly on your knives, unlike stone varieties.

If food contamination is an issue or concern, pick up colored plastic cutting boards and label them for the use (for example, green for vegetables and fruits, red for meats, yellow for poultry, blue for fish, and white for all other foods). A bonus to plastic cutting boards is that many are dishwasher safe!

Measuring spoons and cups

Pick up a set of volumetric measuring spoons and cups. The recipes in this book use the standard American tool for volumetric measuring.

Sheet pans

Having one good, heavy-duty aluminum sheet pan is especially useful if you enjoy sheet-pan meals! Nordic Ware (www.nordicware.com) is my top pick for sheet pans.

Baking dishes

Ideally, have a 9-x-13-inch casserole dish and either a 9-x-9-inch or an 8-x-8-inch casserole dish. Baking dishes are essential for meal prep and executing a fast meal.

Metal casserole dishes conduct heat better than tempered glass or stoneware, so depending on the pan you use, you may need to alter the bake time.

Muffin pans

Muffin pans aren’t just for baking muffins. They’re great for baking mini meat loaves, frittatas, or portioned-out items. If you’re short on storage space, consider picking up silicone individual muffin holders — they’re sturdy and they can be baked on a sheet pan instead.

Parchment paper

When it comes to easy clean up, parchment paper is a must-have kitchen buy. It’s safe at high oven temperatures, and it helps keep foods from sticking to sheet pans while baking. Just make sure you don’t mistake wax paper for parchment paper — they aren’t the same thing!

Digital thermometer

Blame it on my culinary training, but I’m a firm believer that every kitchen needs a digital thermometer, particularly the instant-read variety. Whether you’re checking to see if your meat loaf is fully cooked or whether your steak is cooked to perfection, having a thermometer on hand can save you from cutting into food to check for doneness and losing precious juices and drying out your food. Pick up a simple one by OXO (www.oxo.com) or a more expensive one by ThermoWorks (www.thermoworks.com); they range in price from $20 to $100.

Storage containers

When it comes to storage containers, you need two types:

 Silicone: Reusable silicone storage containers are dishwasher, microwave, and often oven safe. They’re also free of the harmful chemicals found in plastic products that can leach into your foods. Some of my favorite products are Souper Cubes (www.soupercubes.com) for portioning out pasta sauce, soups, or stews and freezing to enjoy later. (re)zip (https://rezip.com) storage bags are leakproof and stand up for easy storage organization in the refrigerator. Net Zero Company (www.netzerocompany.com) makes stretchable silicone storage lids, which helps minimize the use of plastic wrap.

 Glass: Glass storage containers are heat and cold safe. Glass is incredibly useful for storing prepped items and can be stacked neatly in the refrigerator for clean storage and food identification.

If you enjoy meal-prepping lunches, consider bento-box-style food storage containers like the ones from Bentgo (https://bentgo.com).

Mason jars

Mason jars are great for food storage and as a cooking vessel in both the oven and microwave. You can also save glass jars, such as pickle jars or jam jars, and use them for food storage, but don’t assume you can heat them in the microwave or oven. Wide-mouthed Mason jars are great for soups and salads in a jar!

Never heat or cook in jars that aren’t tempered and oven safe. If you aren’t sure whether your jar is oven safe, just use it for food storage.

Nice-to-Haves: Tools to Add to Your Wish List

Some kitchen tools make your life easier, but they aren’t absolutely essential for meal prep. On the other hand, it’s always nice to get a shiny new kitchen gadget… . So, if your family is asking for suggestions for your birthday, or you’re just looking to treat yourself, read on.

Mandoline

A mini mandoline is useful for quickly slicing fruits and vegetables. The OXO V-Blade Mandoline Slicer (www.oxo.com/oxo-good-grips-v-blade-mandoline-slicer.html) is a time-saving tool for fast meal prep.

Spiralizer

Spiralized hard fruits and vegetables are fun and popular in the meal-prep world. This tool is fun, but not necessary, especially if space is limited. Don’t fret if you don’t have the space; you can find many pre-spiralized vegetables at grocery stores.

Silicone baking mats

The silicone version of parchment paper is easy to use, easy to clean, and good for about two years of regular use. It’s best to only heat up to 450 degrees when using a silicone baking mat. Silicone is a nontoxic polymer made from sand. Silpat (www.silpat.com), a popular brand of silicone mats, can run from $15 to $30 per mat.

Food processor, blender, or immersion blender

This can be a splurge for many households, both in terms of price and space. But a high-powered blender or food processor is a time-saving tool for making salsas, soups, sauces, and smoothies. If space is limited, consider a handheld immersion blender (also referred to as a stick blender). Find one that fits your budget. Good brands to consider are Black & Decker (www.blackanddecker.com), Cuisinart (www.cuisinart.com), KitchenAid (www.kitchenaid.com), Ninja (www.ninjakitchen.com), and Vitamix (www.vitamix.com).

Food vacuum sealer

A food vacuum sealer removes air and vacuum seals food in plastic bags for long-term storage, whether freezing or in the pantry. Vacuum sealers are also useful for resealing cereal bags or cracker bags to keep them from going stale. My family buys our meats in bulk, and we use a vacuum sealer to help store them in our deep freezer.

If you have the space, a vacuum sealer can be useful. You can find a good one for less than $100.

Beeswax wraps

If you love to take sandwiches to go, pick up beeswax wraps or make your own! This is a great way to ditch single-use plastics.

To make your own beeswax wraps, you need 100 percent cotton fabric, scissors, beeswax pellets, a baking sheet, parchment paper, and a spatula. Then follow these steps:

1 Cut the fabric to your preferred size.

2 Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

3 Place the fabric on the parchment paper, and sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons beeswax pellets.

4 Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the beeswax pellets.

5 Place the baking sheet into the oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until the pellets have melted.

6 Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, with the parchment paper still on top, use a spatula to spread the beeswax.

7 After the beeswax has cooled, remove it from the parchment paper.

You can wash the towels in cold water up to 50 times before you need to toss them.

Multicooker

A multicooker utilizes pressure to quickly cook food. It’s a useful tool to get your typical slow-cooked foods on the table in a fraction of the time. If you’re cooking for two people, a mini 3-quart pot can be sufficient; if you’re cooking for a larger family, you may want to invest in an 8-quart multicooker.

For most of the recipes in this book, I used a 6-quart Instant Pot. Even if budget isn’t an issue, I still recommend the basic Duo Instant Pot over the newer, more expensive models.

When using a multicooker be sure to read the user manual that comes with your appliance. Pressure cookers take time to come to pressure and time for the pot to depressurize after cooking. This time varies based on the temperature of the food you’re cooking and your altitude.