Hand Tools & Small Equipment

Bench Scraper – Rigid, Small sheet of stainless steel with metal blade. Used scrape off a work surface. Also used to portion breads or dough.

Bowl Scraper – flexible piece of rubber used to combine ingredients then scape them out.

Can opener – commercial (#10 cans) versus home use

Channel Knife – puts grooves lengthwise in a vegetable

Cheesecloth- a light, fine mesh gauze for straining liquis such as stocks, or for bundling herbs, or making cheese.

China cap or chinois – A metal, cone-shaped strainer used to strain soups, stocks, and other liquids to remove all solid ingredients.

Colander – drains liquid from cooked pasta and vegetables. They stand on feet while strainers are hand held

Cook’s Fork – has 2 longs pointed tines to test doneness of braised meats and vegetables, to lift items to the plate, and steady and item being cut. Do not use it to turn meats that are dry cooked because it will pierce the meat and release juices.

Corer – Use a corer to remove the core of an apple or pear in one long, round piece.

Fish scaler – removes scales from a fish.

Food Mill – a machine that puree’s food to different consistencies.

Funnel – Use a funnel to pour liquid from a larger to a smaller container.

Grater – Grates cheese, veggies, potatoes, etc.

Kitchen shears – strong scissors used to cut twine, etc.

Offset Spatula – Turns food on a griddle or broiler. Has a short handle and a wide blade.

Parisienne (Pah-ree-see-en) – A melon baller

Pastry Bag – Made of canvas, plastic, or nylon and used to pipe out frostings, creams, and pureed foods. Different pastry tips create a variety of decorations.

Pastry Brush – Use a pastry brush to egg wash, melted butter, glazes, etc.

Peeler – A peeler cuts a thick layer from veggies & fruits more effectively than a paring knife.

Pie Server – a specially shaped spatula made for lifting out and serving pieces of p8ie.

Pizza cutter – Cuts pizza and dough.

Ricer – creates rice-like pieces of cooked food by pressing the food through a pierced hopper. (celery root, potatoes, butternut squash, sweet potatoes)

Rolling pin – Used to roll over pastry to flatten or shape it.

Sandwich spreader – short, stubby spatula used to spread sandwich fillings and condiments.

Skimmer – Has a larger round, flat head with holes. Use it to remove foam from stock or soup and to remove solid ingredients from liquids.

Sieve – has a mesh screen to sift flour and other dry baking ingredients and to remove any large impurities.

Spoons – Solid and perforated. Perforated spoons allow liquids to flow through.

Tongs – Are a scissor like utensil used to pick up all kinds of solid food.

Wire whip – or whisks. Used to mix, beat, and stir foods.

Zester – Shreds small pieces of the outer peel of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes.

Measuring Utensils Balance scale – weighs dry ingredients in the bakeshop

Bimetallic stemmed thermometers – check temps of large or thick food

Digital Scale – Measures weight in both U.S. and metric systems.

Ladles – come in various sizes, measured in fluid ouces and milliliters to they can be used to portion out liquids.

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Portion scale – measures from ¼ ouce to 1 pound to 2 pounds

Scoop – Portions and measures food.

Volume measures – similar to liquid measuring cups but bigger

Pots and Pans – Cookware

Pots VS Pans Pots are available in a range of sizes based on volume. They are used for making stocks or soups, or for boiling or simmering food. Have tall sided with 2 handles.

Pans are usually smaller and shallower than pots. Pans are used for general stove-top cooking, especially sautéing, frying, or reducing liquids rapidly for baking and for holding food. Have 1 handle.

Potspage 285 Brazier – Medium to large pot, more shallow than sauce pots, has straight sides and 2 handles for lifting. Has a thick bottom for good heat distribution. Used to braise meat and veggies. Also called a rondeau.

Double Boiler – a pot that has an upper pot and a lower pot. The lower pot holds boiling or simmering water that gently cooks the food in the upper pot. Used for melting chocolate or heating milk or butter. (bowl method)

Sauce pot – used to prepare sauces, soups, and other liquids. Sauce pots are more shallow than stock pots, with straight sides and 2 loop handles for lifting.

Stock pot – large pot for preparing stocks. Some have spigots which allow the liquid to be poured out easily.

Pans Cake pan – Has straight sides. Come in a variety of shapes, but usually round.

Cast-iron skillet – thick pan made of cast iron. Used to grill, fry, and braise.

Hotel pan – Used to hold prepared food in a steam table, hot-holding cabinet, or refrigerator. Come in different depths.

Muffin tin – Small, round cups or molds used to make muffins, cupcakes,or other small baked goods.

Roasting pan – A shallow, rectangular pan with medium-high sides and 2 handles. Cooks use it to roast and bake foods such as meat and poultry.

Saucepan – A pan with medium height, straight sides, and a single long handle. Use it for general cooking, in particular liquid on ranges.

Saute Pan – The original French saute pan is slope-sided and made of thin metal for quick heating. It is used to saute items. In the US, the “fry pan” is generally referred to as a saute pan. A fry pan has curved sides and a long handle and is generally made of slightly thicker metal.

Sheet Pan – very shallow pan, about 1 inch deep, for just about anything. Cookies, veggies,….

Spring form pan – The bottom piece and ring secure with a spring to hold the bottom in place. It is a spring-loaded pan. Once an item is baked, the pastry chef can release the spring to make it easy to remove the cake from the pan.

Wok – a metal pan with a rounded bottom and curved sides. The curved sides make it easy to toss or stir food. Cooks use woks especially for frying and steaming in Asian cooking.

Food Preparation Equipmentpage289 Countertop blender – puree, liquefy, and blend foods. Consists of a base that houses the motor and a removable, lidded jar with a propeller-like blade in the bottom.

Immersion blender – A hand blender, stick blender, or burr mixer. It is a long, stick-like machine that houses a motor on one end of the machine with a blade on the other end. It purees and blends foods except the cook holds it manually in a container of food, whereas a countertop blender contains the food itself.

Food Processor – a machine that has a motor separate from the bowl, blades, and lid. They grind, puree, blend, crush, knead, or chop foods.

Mandoline – A manually operated slicer made of stainless steel with adjustable slicing blades to slice and julienne. VERY SHARP. They are hand held over a bowl.

Meat slicer – Most have a slanted, circular blade. Food either passes through the machine automatically or a cook pushes a hopper that holds the product along a carriage into the blade. You can adjust the thickness of the slices.

Mixers – come in 5 quart, 20 quart, 60 quart, and 80 quart sizes. Use to mix and process large amounts of food with any number of specialized attachments, including paddles, wire whips, dough hooks, meat grinders, shredders, slicers, and juicers.

Paddle attachment – used to mix, mash, and cream soft foods.

Wire whip – used to beat and add air to light foods such as egg whites and cake frosting.

Pastry knife – used to mix shortening into dough

Dough arm (hook) – Use to mix heavy, thick dough.

Large EquipmentPage 291

Steamer – Steam foods such as vegetables and grains. It uses a low or high steam pressure. Often consists of a set of stacked pots. The lower pot holds boiling water. The upper pot has perforated bottom that allows the steam to enter through and cook the food in the pot above. Cooks quickly in very hot water vapor. (see page 291 pics)

Tilted fry pan (tilt skillet) – Cooks use to grill, steam, braise, sauté, and stew many kinds of food. Some have lids that allow the unit to function as a steamer. Very easy to clean.

Charbroiler – uses gas electricity to mimic the effects of charcoal in a grill. Food juices drip onto the heat source to create flames and smoke which adds flavor to broiled foods.

Rotisserie – Food is on a stick or spit and roast it over or under a heat source.

Salamander – Use it to brown, finish, and melt foods to order.

Deep Fat Fryer – Cook foods in oil at temperatures between 300 and 400 degrees. Some computerized fryers lower & raise the food baskets automatically.

Griddle or Flat top – Heat source is located beneath a thick plate of metal. May have edges to drain the fat and collect waste. Sear meats, etc on this.

Open burner – what we cook on in lab

Convection oven – our main oven in lab. Convections have a fan that circulates heated air around the food as it cooks. Shortens cooking time. Remember this when using a home recipe.

Conventional oven – standard oven. Heat source is located in the floor of the oven.

Combi-oven: Our other large oven in kitchen. It combines convection with steam. Can use the Dry Heat OR the Steam OR a COMBInation of both.

Deck Oven – A type of conventional oven in which 2 to 4 shelves are stacked on top of each other. Cook food directly on these shelves or “decks”.

Holding and Serving Equipment

Once the food arrives in the holding & service area, it is usually ready to be presented to the guest. Depending on the type of service/dinner, food may need to be hot held.

We need to keep the food hot for quality and safety issues.

Bain-Marie: Any type of hot-water bath meant to keep foods warm. Place food in stainless steel inserts, such as hotel pans, and then place the inserts in a container holding hot water. Inserts come in many sizes, ranging from 1 quart-36 quarts. When set properly, it holds foods at 135 degrees.

Chafing Dishes – Use these to keep food items hot on a buffet table. Typically, the heat source for chaffers are filled with hot water.

Hot Holding Cabinet – Heavily insulated cabinet designed to hold either hotel pans or sheet pans on racks in the interior. A thermostat controls the temperature, so that the cabinet holds food at the desired temperature. Can control humidity to prevent food from drying out. Have wheels to move around service area.

Speed rack – can wheel around service areas and in and out of freezers and coolers. Can pre plate salads and desserts for storage.