The Big 4: Countertop Appliances To Up Your Cooking Game
Maybe you’ve been reading this blog for a while now. If that’s the case, thanks for sticking around! If not, then I’ll reiterate one of my missions here. I want to help you cook like a chef would at home. There’s a distinction there. I don’t want you to cook like a chef cooks at a restaurant. That kind of cooking is too precise, too delicate and too encompassing to make for good, soulful home food.
What I mean to say is that when you’re cooking at home you SHOULD BE more relaxed and bit more carefree than we would be at a restaurant. That doesn’t mean you should be sloppy or imprecise, but you should strive for comfort and love, not art and perfection. Cook to nourish and enjoy at home, not to impress and excite.
So, how can we take your home food up a notch? We’ve talked about skills and techniques. We talked about having a good pantry. We’ve delved a bit into your choice of knives. But, there’s certainly more equipment to look at than that.
Today we’re going to look at the BIG FOUR. The (admittedly expensive) countertop appliances that will take your food from home-cook fare to you-never-told-me-you-worked-in-a-restaurant-before quality. These are the appliances you want at home. Some may be pricey, but I swear that they’re worth it.
I’m providing links to all of these, and to be transparent they’re affiliate links. If I inspire you to buy any of these pieces of equipment and you use the link provided, well, I get a bit of a kickback. But I believe in these products, I honestly do. From years and years of using them in various kitchens, these stand the test of time.
#1) The Vitamix
What can I say here about a Vitamix blender that I didn’t say in the post I made after I finally got my own to keep at home? Not much, but I’ll reiterate. These blenders are reliable, super-powerful and a joy to use. They get soups and purées finer and silkier than anything else out there. They’re fast, hardy and simple to clean. It’s a machine you’ll use for many tasks: puréed or cream soups, vegetable or fruit purées, emulsified vinaigrettes, nut flours, nut milks, frozen drinks and smoothies, the list goes on. If you can afford one, get one. It’ll be the last blender you ever buy and you’ll wonder how you got along without one before.
#2) The Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Another workhorse, multipurpose machine, a Kitchenaid mixer is an industry standard for good reason. They’re heavy-duty, they look good and they last. This mixer is the last word when it comes to doughs, dealing with egg whites, whipping cream (who wants to do that by hand?) and even meat mixing for terrines or sausages. Whether you get a drop-top or a tilt-head is up to you (I favour the drop-top), but what you need to know is that these machines should last your whole cooking life, they look great and they perform. Plus, with so many attachments, you get a lot of bang for your buck. I can personally vouch for the pasta roller/cutter and the metal grinder as being great additions to an already smart purchase.
#3) A Cuisinart Food Processor
While a lot of restaurants swear by the Robo-Coupe (and I don’t blame them, these things are beasts), they’re too expensive and too giant for the home. If you want a great food processor for home use, Cuisinart is the name you should look for. They generally come with all the attachments you’ll need, they’re sharp and they last fivever (that’s one more than forever, get it?). Do you need a food processor when you already have a super-blender? Hell yes. They don’t overlap as much as you may think. Things I prefer to do in a food processor? Mayonnaise, pestos, starting thicker purées such as hummus or tahini, things that you want to pulse chop like salsas. With the attachments you can shred cheese or vegetables well enough if you’ve got more that you fancy grating on a box grater or slicing on a mandoline. A good food processor rocks, and Cuisinart is my personal brand of choice.
#4) An Escali Digital Scale
The most cost-friendly of the big four, a digital scale will change how you cook. Measuring ingredients by weight is the most accurate way to measure and ensures consistency in your recipes each time you make them. It’s not the sexiest piece of equipment, but a scale makes you a better cook because it makes you a more consistent cook. You shouldn’t even attempt pastry, bread or charcuterie without one. Escali makes great models, they’re accurate, easy-to-use and inexpensive. What’s not to like?
I hope you find this list useful. I realize that some of this equipment can seem expensive, but if you look at them as lifetime investments, it can make that cost easier to bear. Having great equipment goes along with having great ingredients and great technique. Do you swear by other appliances? Leave a comment or send an email and we can discuss!
