Utensils There are a few items that are "Must Have" for the serious home cook. Here are a the ones I find the most useful and essential...

All you need to do is turn on your television to see the tremendous interest in cooking today. When I grew up, there was only Julia Child to provide "spice" to ordinary cooking. Now, the food TV channel and www.foodnetwork.com have more information that you could begin to "digest" in a lifetime. However, because of this increased interest, many homes are now equipped with at least a few "professional" pieces of cookware.

Almost everyone knows that you need a good set of knives for nearly everything. The only reason I mentioned it here is that someone would say, "You didn't talk about knives" so, Henckel. Need I say more?

To cook the ribs you should have at least one half-sheet professional cookie sheet or more. You can still do it with a couple of 8X8 pans but it is much easier with the larger pan.

For making dishes such at the slaw, I find stainless steel bowls essential. My son gave me a set of "Wolfgang Puck" bowls that included stainless-steel measuring cups and spoons. They are fantastic for preparing, serving and storing food.

What Wok? The best woks are regular steel with no Teflon coating or flattened bottoms. I don't like Teflon on anything but especially not a Wok! The high temperatures needed to seal in flavors while maintaining tenderness in meat do not work with Teflon. Also, one of the features of a good Wok is it's ability to hold food up on the sides away from the highest temperature while having other items in the hottest part of the Wok. Season it well, like cast iron.

Cast Iron Pan: A good well seasoned cast iron pan is essential to making cornbread and searing large pieces of meet for braising. Every good kitchen has at least one.

Cookware Sets: Stay away from Teflon or other non-stick coatings. Weight and handles define the quality of cookware as much or more than brand. Yes, I do have some Calphalon cookware. However, most of mine is an eclectic assortment of heavy duty cookware of quality contraction. Extra thick bottoms and strong handles will save many a meal.

I will be adding to this page from time to time as there is time. You may wish to tell Uncle Ralph about your favorite utensil.

Thank you,
Uncle Ralph

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