How to Identify Kitchen Tools

There are a countless number of kitchen tools on the market today. For every task you need to do to prepare and cook food, there's a specific tool to do it with. Take knives, for example. Instead of using one knife to cut everything with, there's a knife for each task. There is a French knife (also called a Chef's knife, used for dicing, slicing, chopping and slicing), a bread knife, oyster knife, paring knife and a boning knife. Kitchen tools can make the task of cooking quicker and easier. If you can figure out what they are, that is. Read on to learn how to identify kitchen tools.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Pick up and examine each tool separately. Try to determine if it looks like a kitchen tool you're already familiar with. For example, you'll recognize a pair of kitchen shears because they closely resemble a pair of regular scissors. Kitchen shears are used to cut foods like boned meat and chicken.

2. Hold each tool and try to determine what it's used for, and how it's used in the kitchen. A timer, scale and a meat thermometer are easy to identify since you can see what they do by their markings. You may have never seen a ceramic peeler before. But, you can determine by looking at it that it's designed to peel fruits and vegetables. (Its ceramic blade doesn't bruise like a metal blade can.)

3. Buy and read a copy of Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen (see Resources). This book will help you identify kitchen tools and tell you what they're used for.

4. Visit the "Equipment Category" on The Cook's Thesaurus website (see Resources). This site lists "Measuring Tools," "Cleaning Tools," "Cutting Tools" and many, many more. It lists pictures and names you can use to identify kitchen tools. There are also uses for the tools listed.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're not sure what a kitchen tool is, it's best not to use it. Wait until you can identify it and know exactly what it's used for.

References

• Kitchen Utensils Buying Guide

Resources

• Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen
• The Cook's Thesaurus

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