Stocking Your Kitchen Like a Pro: Part Two.

Wow, this past week flew by! Which means it’s time to wrap up our two-part series on stocking your kitchen like a pro. Last week we mentioned that you probably wouldn’t find most of the items outside of a restautant supply store but this week is a little different — you’ll be able to find most of these pretty easily where you typically shop. For a few of them you’ll need to stick to the restaurant supply or the internet.

#protiptuesday

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11. Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet: I really cant say enough good things about this one. Cast iron is durable, versatile, and affordable. It will last forever if taken care of properly. In order to work to their full potential they do need to be seasoned — which isn’t difficult but we’ll have to save that for another time. In the mean time, you can find countless tutorials on Google. Once you’ve achieved said seasoning your skillet is unstoppable! A seasoned skillet yields a gorgeous golden brown crust on meats, veggies, and fish — it’s even got a naturally occurring non stick surface when ya need it. They’re a little heavy but I keep mine in the oven when it’s not in use for easy access.

12. Plating Spoons: I’ve been using Mercer Culinary brand spoons for as long as I can remember. You can buy them in a set or individually. There’s a spoon for all of your needs — saucing, drizzling, scooping, swooping, swooshing. These really help in putting together beautiful insta worthy plates. (photo from MErcer’s website).

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13. Cleaver: This knife is designed for breaking down larger cuts of meat, especially to cut through bones — so you’ll want to find one with some heft. That being said, this Wüsthof one in particular has a finely honed carbon steel edge for chopping through (and even mincing) tough root veggies. You might be thinking… “I’ll rarely use that, do I really need it?” The answer is yes. The edge on your chef’s knife will thank you and you’ll come to find it way more useful than you ever thought.

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14. Rubber Spatulas: These are one of my all-time favorite kitchen tools! They only cost a few bucks but they are worth sooo much more. They’re perfect for omelets and folding in whipped egg whites but I love them because their little rubber head scrapes every last bit from bowls, pots, pans, and food containers. In business spatulas can save you a lot of money, so why not do it at home? I promise you that once you get to scraping you’ll see just how much is actually clinging to the walls of that bowl!

15. Instant Read Thermometer: Stop worrying about overcooking the turkey, just temp it! With a digital probe thermometer all you need to do is set it anD … forget it. It’s that easy! Remember to account for carry over cooking when setting your final temperature.

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16. Squirt Bottles: These. Are. So. Practical. Keep the huge, awkward bottles in the back of the cabinet and fill squirt bottles for quick and easy access to your most used liquids. These Guys are efficient and help keep you clean and organized while working. Think: clarified butter, oils, aioli, sauces, simple syrup, water, dish soap.

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17. Cambro Food Storage Containers: We keep a few different sizes on hand — 2, 4, 12, and 22 QT to be exact. The smaller ones make storing dry goods like flour, sugar, and salt, easily accessible with plenty of room to measure. equally as useful in the fridge, they’re stackable and hold a good amount of product with a contained footprint. The 12 and 22 quart sizes are ideal for batching cocktails before a party, brining meats, and more.

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18. Food Service Plastic Wrap, Aluminum Foil, & Ziploc Bags: Okay, this seems like common sense, and you’ve probably got some on hand but it’s time for an upgrade. YoU will need to get these at the restaurant supply store but the larger rolls are far superior to whatever you can get your hands on in the supermarket — they actually cling to stuff and The wide roll allows for complete coverage without piecing sheets together keeping food fresher, longer. We also use the gallon size Ziploc freezer bags as another sure storage solution. They help keep herbs and salad greens around longer than usual, in addition to comact, identifiable storage for just about anything.

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19. Painter’s Tape and Sharpies: A practice that is required when working in food service helps to keep track of what you’ve got on hand and when it was made. Labeling doesn’t just help keep things fresh, IT is also another way to keep a clean and organized kitchen. We like to use painter’s tape because the glue is just sticky enough to hang onto things but doesn’t leave any residue behind.

20. A Clipboard & scrap paper: Where “the list” lives. We each have our own clipboard and we use them at work and at home to keep notes, lists, recipes, and receipts organized and accessible. We Strongly believe that mental preparation is an important component to being successful in the kitchen. When things don’t go as planned a game plan helps to get you back on track. Another pro-tip? Hang a small nail in the kitchen to hang this from so you can look things over while working.

Check back next Tuesday for more pro-tips!

Brian Oliveira