The festive season is a wonderful time of year, as families and friends reconnect, reminisce and recharge over the holiday period. However, the festive season can also bring an array of challenges within itself. One of the biggest challenges is cooking meals for loved ones and ensuring that everyone leaves the dinner table elated and satisfied with the dishes that they have been served.
As the palates and preferences of the consumer becomes more varied, the need to expand our culinary skills to keep up with demands has become more important than ever. With dietary requirements also becoming broader, the need to be more creative in the kitchen is very important in order to successfully cater to the needs of guests. This is why it is important to ensure that your kitchen is fully equipped, in order for you to have a smooth cooking session. No longer will just a chopping knife and wooden spoon suffice, as most foods require different preparation tools in order to bring out the best flavours in your meals. There are essential cooking utilities that all households should have on hand in their kitchen.
Firstly, a quality pan with a tempered glass lid is essential to boil or steam your vegetables to go with your festive meal. A bonded steel-based pan will allow you to have freshly boiled or steamed sprouts and carrots that are evenly cooked.
When it comes to knives, using the most appropriate type is key in order for you to have the best cooking preparation experience. For example, a chef’s knife is sturdy, universal and can be used to chop, dice or slice your ingredients to your preferred size and is easy to handle. It also has the universal appeal of being very adaptable as the point end of the knife allows for a smooth incision into your ingredients. A paring knife is on the opposite side of the chef’s knife, as this knife is more ideal for preparing smaller ingredients that require more precision such as a lemon to be dressed on top of salmon. Lastly, you have a utility knife which is smaller than a chef’s knife but still has the same universal purpose for chopping, dicing and slicing your ingredients. This is ideal for those who find the chef’s knife a little intimidating but still want to be able to prepare their meals with more confidence. To get the best from your cooking use a spectrum of knives as this will bring out the different texture of your meals. The texture of your vegetables will completely differ from the texture of meats such as a steak and having the right knife to do the job will save you time and will be a smart investment.
For those who prefer an alternative approach to traditional festive meals, swap the Christmas turkey for a fine cut of steak to go with your vegetables and sauces. In order to achieve that even colour and grilled texture, turn to a non-stick griddle pan as it requires little or no oil, giving your steak the evenly heated texture that you want.
A sauté pan is an underrated tool that will elevate the flavours of any sauce for a meal. If you would like to include a traditional cranberry sauce to go with your festive feast, a sauté pan will provide even heat distribution to gradually soften the cranberry to a purée-like texture which will top off your plate for the full Christmas meal experience.
Maintaining the quality of kitchen essentials after use is equally as important in order for you to get great meals every time. Where possible, try to avoid placing items in the dishwasher. Although the dishwasher is a quick and easy solution to a common household chore, it will deteriorate the quality of your kitchenware over time.
Tower provide kitchen equipment that will help you make excellent quality meals. The Cerastone Gold Forged Pans have a Cerastone coating that allows for even heat distribution.
