Worn and Tattered

From over a decade of use.

When Jeff asked me about my favorite tools, it didn't even occur to me to include Silpat on my list. These Silpats have been my everyday companion for so long that I have taken their existence for granted. Whether I bake kale, cheese crisps, cookies, galettes, turnovers, parmesan chicken, potato sticks, asparagus, broccoli, pizza, pate a choux, candied walnuts, or just plain bacon, my Silpats have been reliable safeguards from life's sticky mess. I don't remember the last time I had to scrape out burnt bits of food from a sheet pan. I barely ever reach out for parchment paper or foil.

And they aint wimps; Silpats can take the heat. Scones are baked at 450F without difficulty. Innumerable times, I poured sugar solution on a Silpat when I made toffee or brittle.

Durable. Steadfast. The only care they need is warm water and soap.

Scrapers

Heat resistant (up to 500F) rubber spatulas We find it easiest to use these to scrape every ounce of batter from a bowl. The heat resistant feature comes in handy when we cook scrambled eggs, crepes, sauces or pretty much anything on the stove.


Plastic bowl scraper When mixing large quantities of batter/dough (at the restaurant and bakery), it's more efficient to use these to scrape the side and bottom of the bowl and to move the mixture to a different container.


Bench scrapers These are for scraping the workbench/counter and dividing pieces of dough. I've seen them at the store labeled "food movers" because they are also used to transfer chopped vegetables, herbs, etc. from the cutting board to a bowl or pot. Because it has a slightly sharp edge, I use a bench scraper to roughly chop walnuts and pecans.

Most Frequently Used Tools

Jeff suggested I write a post on my favorite tools. I've been mulling about it for awhile and it is so difficult because there is so much! I look around my kitchen and get overwhelmed by the abundance of gadgets. I must note that most of what I see are gifts, very much appreciated gifts. From the luxurious single purpose apple peeler/corer/slicer ( from a friend, 2 years ago) and down to the the most basic thingamajigs such as liquid measuring cup (from a cousin, 12 years ago) have been given to me.

To simplify the selection process, I thought I'd feature the tools as Rosalind and I use them. We are about to make crepes and aptly enough, we will start with our most frequently used tools:

Whisk (Santa, 12 years ago). Whisking is the fastest, most efficient way to incorporate ingredients by hand.

Liquid Measuring Cup (4 cup capacity). Measure and mix ingredients in the same receptacle. Since it is made out of glass, we can pop it in the microwave to melt butter or chocolate if need be.

Dry measuring cups (Santa, 12 years ago). Besides using a scale, these are the most accurate measures of dry ingredients.