In a small kitchen, you don’t need a lot of equipment to cook great food. Still, you do need some pots, pans, utensils, and dishes–obviously. In the BGSK book, you’ll find a bare bones list of necessary tools, but I’ve long wanted to bring you a similar resource on the web.
So we’re going one by one, stocking up our virtual pantries and maybe our real ones too. You can see the whole “set” here.
How I try to keep the specialized kitchen equipment to a minimum! One of the items I was strictest about for as long as I could remember was the thermometer. We won’t have one, I promised myself anytime I read instructions for checking the temperature on the inside of your roast beef. And then Alex and I researched one to get my mom for a gift for a very specific reason-grilling outdoors in the summer, after the light is gone, when it’s impossible to see what color the inside of your chicken is. We got her the ThermoWorks Thermapen
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Not long after, I committed. And I’m happy I did. The thermometer itself is tiny, so storage really isn’t an issue. It takes the guesswork out of cooking meats like the garlicky pork loin I’ve been obsessed with since October. You can stick it into hot oil for a reading, should you decide to make French fries. And you can finally make those finicky candies you’ve been eying, like marshmallows and caramel. The Thermapen gives accurate readings quickly. It’s cute, easy to clean, and, as I already told you, small enough for a small kitchen.
Here are a few ways you’ll use your digital thermometer:
- To get the oil the right temp for fried chicken
- To make your own Cappuccino Marshmallows
- To get your pork loin cooked just right
