Whether you are planning to open your own restaurant or looking to perfect your own kitchen, it is important to know the difference between the most common types of cooking appliances and tools. There is a world of difference between the electric meat cutter and an electric meat grinder, after all.
But it can be hard to get acclimated when there are so many different products out there serving an almost infinite number of purposes. So we’ve put together a simple glossary of common tools you will find in both professional and home kitchens.
Blender:
While the current smoothie craze has shines a one sided light on blenders, hand held blenders are actually an incredibly versatile and useful tool for the home kitchen. Whether you need to make a puree for beneath your protein, give a soup more flavor and texture, or simply cut onions without crying, the blender is a great tool.
Dough Mixer:
If, like most of Americans according to a Harris Poll, Pizza is your favorite food, a dough mixer might be a must have for you. This handy tool can help, not just with pizza dough but all sort of applications: pies, tarte tatins, cookies.
Dough Sheeter
A dough sheeter is the perfect tool, whether you are making cookies or pizza. The sheeter works by flattening dough into a nice, consistent, even shape.
Meat Cutting Machine:
The electric meat cutter slices large amounts of meat into neat strips that can be used in a wide number of applications, specifically if you like to prepare a lot of ethnic food or soup in your household.
Meat Grinder:
This one is fairly self explanatory. It takes meat and grinds it down. The most common form would obviously be the commercial meat grinder, as it is fairly easy to find ground meat in your supermarket. But if you are a hunter, then you might want to purchase yourself a meat grinder for your venison.
Sous Vide
Sous vide is both a cooking method and an appliance. It requires that the food to be vacuum sealed and then cooked either in warm water or a steam bath. While this equipment is very popular, it can also be expensive.
Hopefully this glossary will help you understand the ins and outs of kitchen utensils better.