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6 Essential Kitchen Tools to Elevate Your Cooking – CNET

March 6, 2024 Admin

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The single best investment in my kitchen over the past four years has been a mandoline. Essentially, it’s an adjustable slicer for fruits and veggies, and it makes preparing salads a breeze. All the intricate slicing you normally have to do for good salads is so much easier with a mandoline, and prepping veggies for pickling is just as easy. Not only does this make everything you slice look uniform and beautiful, it also gives you fantastic opportunities to punch up textures in your typical dishes. This particular model was unavailable at time of writing, but it’s an example of what to look for.

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<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="For better sears on your meat" description="

If you cook steak with any regularity, you probably already have a cast-iron skillet. But those skillets are just as helpful for making all kinds of meat, from chicken to octopus. One of my favorite recipes I’ve been honing over the years is an octopus-lime bagna cauda — and well-seared baby octopus is one of the most important components. When it’s too cold, or I’m too lazy, to use the grill, my cast-iron skillet is perfect for searing those tiny tentacles.

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A well-seasoned skillet is easier to clean and develops better flavor in your meats.

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A well-seasoned skillet is easier to clean and develops better flavor in your meats.

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A well-seasoned skillet is easier to clean and develops better flavor in your meats.

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<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="For easier prep" description="

One of the biggest roadblocks to preparing complex dishes is the prep. If you have to mince, dice or roughly chop a half dozen ingredients, having a spacious cutting board makes a world of difference. Yes, you can pick up small, plastic cutting boards for crazy cheap on clearance at T.J. Maxx, but it’s a better investment to just spring the $20 for a board that’s at least in the range of 18 by 14 inches. You’ll immediately be grateful when you can keep three separate piles of herbs on it, plus chop carrots without the slices rolling onto the floor.

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A cutting board shouldn’t limit your creativity.

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A cutting board shouldn’t limit your creativity.

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A cutting board shouldn’t limit your creativity.

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<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="For perfect results" description="

Five degrees can separate a good steak from a perfect one, and unless you’re a seasoned chef, cooking by eye isn’t a reliable way to get those perfect results. Especially if you’re experimenting with different meats, a meat thermometer will be one of the most-used tools in your drawers. Three years after buying my first one, I honestly don’t know how I attempted to cook meat without it.

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A meat thermometer makes hitting medium rare every time a breeze.

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A meat thermometer makes hitting medium rare every time a breeze.

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A meat thermometer makes hitting medium rare every time a breeze.

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