Kitchen Essentials

Back again. Two weeks now since I posted my very first write up for this blog. Sorry peeps, I have not got any idea what to write. Writer's block, ehhh?

Well, hari ni Iol nak bercerita pasal what do we need in the kitchen if you want to start cooking. You all can get these gadgets easily and cheaply in any stores or shopping malls. Dari yg se-grand macam Pavillion, hingga ke old market seperti di Chow Kit. Bila you all tak de benda-benda ni nak masak, mesti bengang kan dan terus terbantut and mula laa nak gi kedai mamak sebelah makan maggi goreng!!!

Here are the top gears that can make a difference in your kitchen, well at least mine :). These are what I ve got in my kitchen and they are my precious!!

Verangan nak Country English Kitchen cenggini with Aga Cooker & Oven.
Ada sapa nak sponsor ehh? 

Knives, Chopping Board, Can Opener, Peeler & Kitchen Scissors

Knives are the most essentials gear you need in the kitchen. Kalu tak de pisau, you all nak belah, potong, chopped dgn apa? Gigi? Kuku?? (euwww). Good quality knives are best to buy sbb tahan lama and bila beli yg ada jenama sket, barulaa confident bila memotong (walaupun bila potong bawang air mata dah mencurah-curah bagai menonton Ombak Rindu, eh??).

Bila dah ada pisau, kenelaa ada chopping board. Nowadays, there are many types of chopping board you could find in the market, from classic wooden to marbled chopping board. whatever it is, best to have small chopping board for different jobs, e.g. fish, vegetable and meat. Kalu tak nak membazer, just buy a big one for all tapi make sure you all bersihkan sebaiknya lepas masak. kalu tak, tak hygiene yerr.

Can Opener and Kitchen Scissors kene laa ada untuk bukak tin and potong baking sheet etc. Skrg kebykan makanan dlm tin dah ada pembuka sendiri on the top of the can, macam Susu Cap Junjung, Waitrose Chopped Tomatoes (love this!), Kimball Chick Peas tapi yg tak der macam Sardine Econsave or Giant Baked Beans, kene laa bukak dgn can opener yeh. Peeler bagus ada kalau you all tak reti nak kupas mangga atau ubi kentang guna pisau. Tak yah susah2 yer. Beli aje peeler and your peeling job is done in 30secs.

Kat Ikea banyak yg murah tapi lepas pakai 3 bulan kene buang oppssss

Ini bukan pisau utk bersunat yerr

Spatula, Tongs, Ladle and Sieves

Spatulas and ladle can be used both in cooking and baking. I found using silicone spatulas than wooden spoons are easier to scrap cake batter during baking. Ladle, of course, takkan nak pakai jari bila goreng telor kann and sieves are good for draining washed vegetables and when you want to sieve vegetables to make pureed soup. jugak boleh guna utk ayak tepung.

Best to have one coarse and one fine sieve. 

One not to forget is Tongs. bukan yg ehem ehem ehem tu yer. If you are a pasta lover, then you should have it. Senang nak amek and kacau pasta dgn sauce. Guna utk angkat laksa pun boleh atau nak hidang bihun goreng. Tongs give better control when you want to grill or turning meat on the barbeque.

Cantek tak I bercolorful cenggini???

L-R: Tongs, stainless steel spatula & plastic  spatula

Sieves

Measuring jug, Potato Ricer, Sieve, Colander and Grater

Setengah orang bila masak boleh campak2 je dalam kuali and periuk.Itu kira dah hari2 masak and dah tahu mcm mana rasa nak masak sorang, 5 org , 20 org or kenduri kendara. If you are not a great cook and even 1st timer, best to keep one measuring jug at home. Beli yg plastik pun boleh kalu yg kaca mcm di bawah mahal.

Colander senang guna bila nak drain pasta atau chunky vegetables mcm ubi kentang. kalu guna sieve nanti kang ada lak yg jatuh dalam lubang sinki. If you all suka eat mashed potato, Iol encourage you all keep one potato ricer or you can buy potato masher too. I like to use potato ricer sebb bila buat Seafood Pie or Shepherd's Pie, guna potato ricer gives a fluffy texture to cover the top of the pie..ermmm dah lama tak buat seafood pie :).

The sieve is for sieving flour when you bake. (tak sama dgn yg atas tadi).Esp bila bahan2 kering seperti tepung, baking soda, cocoa powder and bicarbonate soda kene bubuh sekali, you can use this miracle gadget to make sure all the ingredients mixed together and to avoid from lumpy batter. If you are a cheese lover and love pasta baked, grater is a must have!

L-R: Sieve, Measuring jug & Potato ricer

Grater for cheese. Boleh gak kalu nak grate hali dan bawang putih

Colander...merah lagik sbb nak match dgn mixer and scales 

Pans 

Ada banyak jenis pans yang you all boleh beli dan guna. One that is very versatile in the kitchen is frying pans. You can use to stir fry, deep fry or pan fry. The best one to buy is non-stick frying pans. It has non-stick coating, a nice thick bottom and an ovenproof handle (you can put in the oven esp when cooking steak or spanish omelette). Iol rasa worth investing in a few different sizes as they can be used for so many things.

Another pan that you could have is griddle pan. One of my dear friend called me last week, asking if I dont have an oven, how can I cook chicken without frying it (katernyer nak masak healthy dish). so i suggested to him to get a griddle pan. You can griddle meat, fish. vegetables etc easily and all the fat from the meat will drain into the deep line in the pan. Plus, bila griddle chicken breast or steak, the lines give a better decoration to the dish :).

Last but not least is saucepans. Masak kari ke, lemak cili api or bolognese sauce etc sumer boleh guna saucepans. kalu yg suka buat sup ayam and daging, kene laa ada size yg besar sket. Again, good quality pans are best to buy. Kalau tak mampu beli Tefal, Anolon, Alessi or WMF, cap crocodile yg macam kat umah nenek and mak kita pun boleh and tahan lama lagik. Membesar pun you all sampai masuk university makan masakan yg di masak periuk cap buaya. Tapi lepas tuh jenuh laa nak menyental bontot periuk :D. *pengsannn

Frying pans

Frying pan

Griddle pan

Saucepans

Ovendish

Yang ni kalau selalu masak guna oven seperti baking and roasting kene laa ada. ada macam2 saiz dan bentuk. Triangle, square atau oblong. Kalu dah masak guna ovendish, tak yah nak salin dlm mangkuk, boleh hidang. terus aja atas meja. lebih2 lagi kalu ovendish tuh buatan nyer cantek dan colourful. tak malu nak hidang kat tetamu hihihih. tapi makesure bila beli ovendish yg tertulis kat bawah microwave and oven safe. kalu tak tengah2 dlm oven terbelah dua kang (penah terjadi kat iol and drama sgts!)and no melamine yerr...choii!

Boleh terus hidang lepas masak sebab Le Creuset *larikk

Food Processor

Kalau dah pakai lesung batu tuh carry on je la. or kalau ada blender moulinex kat umah tuh pun takper. Iol suka food processor macam Kenwood nih sebb dia ada pelbagai guna. tak semestinyer kene ada. kalu dah ada hand blender pun kira ok dah. Iol ada hand blander tp terlupa lak nak amik gambo hehehe.

Kene baca manual 2 minggu baru paham cemana nak guna

Barang untuk Baking

Iol memang suka baking. tak de laa pandai sgt tapi ok laa makan kek yg dibuat sendiri daripada yg beli kat kedai kek mcm Secret Recipe tuh. It was ok tp lama2 makan kek secret tuh jadi muak..cream aje yg byk tp kek nya nan adooo.

The Three Musketeers - Measuring cup, Measuring spoon and Whisker

Yes, I call this Three Musketeers sbb mmg berkawan rapat kann. Kalu tak de tiga benda nih cemana nak measure ingredients and nak whisk the batter???  In baking, doing right measurement is very important sebb kalu tak kek or pastries yg uols buat tak jadi..bantat ke, tak naik ke, keras ke..tak boleh campak2 mcm masak assam pedas yer. So get yourself these gears ok.

L-R: Measuring cup, Measuring spoon & Whisker

Nest of Mixing Bowls and Rolling Pin

I really want you to go for it with these mixing bowls and get a whole selection. tak kisah laa you all beli yg stainless still one sbb murah (macam yg you all nampak kat kedai nasi kandar) atau yg mahal macam porcelain.  Tak rugi beli sbb you will use them all the time for mixing, marinating, and simpan makanan dalam fridge!

Rolling pin tuh kalu jenis yg buat biskut raya, belilah satu, Yg kayu pun tak per. Iol punyer marble. Berat giler tp sbb masa beli tuh murah, £1 and nampak elegant bila nak roll dough ewahhhh.

Marbled Rolling pin yg boleh hentak org masuk pecah rumah

Scales

Again, measurement. Kalu resepi jenis measure pakai cup and spoon ok lagi so scales tak penting tapi kalu yg pakai gram segala, nak timbang pakai apa? so beli yg classic one macam kat bawah ni atau yg digital. yg murs2 pun byk skrg tp betul ke dia measure??? bayangkan you all timbang berat badan guna scales dari Watson dengan brand Tanita...yg mana satu betul??? Lu pikirlah sendiri!

Red scales by Typhoon 

Baking Tins

Yes, nak buat cake, muffins, cupcakes etc kene laa ada baking tins. Muffin tray, sandwich tins and cake tins are all the essentials in baking. Iol suker pakai jenis non-stick ones sbb senang basuh and mudah tanggal cake bila dah masak. sekarang ada yg jenis silicone. I have a few but I have not tried baking using the silicone ones. next time Iol tunjuk rupanya mcam mana and try guna utk baking.

L-R: Muffin tin, sandwich tin & Cake tin

Mother of All in Baking- Mixer!

Yes, this is my ultimate collection and possession! Mixer nih kalu nak dapur cantek and impress boleh dapatkan satu. Bak kata one of my friend, tak pakai pun tak per, display je kat dapur sbb bila org dtg tgk terus kagum hahaha (ko nak dapur ko jadi museum ke??).Kalu tak de, guna laa senduk kayu utk pukul bahan2. Merasa tangan lepas tuh bermaskuls and tak yah nak gi gym lepas tuh. This mixer helps me baking in no time.jimat masa and really useful. *Teringat kumpul duit dari macam2 keje..from floor engineer, sales assisstant kat Mark & Spencer sampailah duit invigilating examination kat uni. but in the end, it is worth waiting and I got the color I wanted, RED!

Masak kek mesti sedap kalu guna Iol yerrr 

I hope this info will help you all in setting up your own kitchen and inspire for you to start cooking or baking. Banyak lagi barang2 yg lain you will need in the kitchen but the list I ve got here is enough for you to enjoy cooking and baking as much as I do. Start browsing now in the shops and if you have generous amount of money, you can buy them all at once. If not, beli je laa sket2 yerr.

Ciao bella!! * Matilaa panjang sgt tulis