Using Great Inexpensive Tools
Disposable Single-Blade Razor
“I use drugstore razors for peeling delicate vegetables, like baby carrots, because they waste less,” explains Graham Elliot Bowles, who will be opening Graham Elliot in Chicago this summer.
Douglas Keane of Cyrus in Healdsburg, California, handles meat with a superflexible slotted Peltex fish spatula: “It keeps the meat juicier than tongs would, since you’re not pinching it” ($19; bridgekitchenware.com).
“I use metal Ateco cake testers to check the heat level inside everything from fish to meat, and yes, even cake occasionally,” says Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 in New York City. “There’s something pleasantly old-school about it” (70 cents; 800-645-7170).
Ian Schnoebelen of Iris in New Orleans is fond of his two-level bamboo steamer for cooking fish: “I put aromatics like ginger or star anise on the bottom level and fish like halibut on top,” he says (from $10; cooking.com).
Plus: More Lessons
- Lesson 1: Outstanding Bacon
- Lesson 2: Top Country Ham
- Lesson 3: Buying Fish
- Lesson 4: Cooking Like a Latino
- Lesson 5: Buying Chiles
- Lesson 6: Using Butter
- Lesson 7: Dukka
- Lesson 8: Tuna and Gruyère Panino
- Lesson 9: 10-Minute Tomato Sauce
- Lesson 10: Dressing a Salad
- Lesson 11: Choosing a Knife
- Lesson 12: Sharpening a Knife
- Lesson 13: Storing Cheese
- Lessons 14–17: Using Great Inexpensive Tools
- Lesson 18: Red Snapper Ceviche
- Lesson 19: How to Prepare Whole Fish
- Lesson 20: How to Prepare the Perfect Steak
- Lesson 21: Prepping Party Food
- Lesson 22: Creating a Wine Registry
- Lessons 23–25: Making Quick Desserts: Port-Mulled Cherries with Ricotta (plus two recipe variations)
- Lessons 26–28: Matching Wines
- Lesson 29: Tender Meat: Roast Chicken with Bread Salad
- Lesson 30: Tasty Broth