1. Basic skills and Equipment
Ch. 3
Basic skills and Equipment

2. Measuring Ingredients
Choose the correct tools for the specific task.
Measuring tools are essential for cooking and baking.
Using incorrect measuring tools can result in poor quality food products.

3. Measuring Ingredients
Liquid Measuring Cups
Dry Measuring Cups
Made of glass or clear plastic
Used to measure liquids such as: milk, water, oil, etc…
Have handles, pouring lips, and clear measurements.
Made of metal or plastic.
Measures dry ingredients such as: flour, sugar, solid ingredients(shortening), and peanut butter.

4. Measuring Ingredients
Liquid Measuring Cup
Dry Measuring Cup

5. Measuring Ingredients
Measuring Spoons:
Made of metal or plastic.
Measure small amounts of liquid and dry ingredients.
Comes in ¼ tsp., ½ tsp., 1 tsp.,1 tbsp.

6. Measuring Ingredients
Kitchen Scales:
Many professional kitchens use kitchen scales instead of measuring cups or spoons.
Scales give more precise measurements.

7. Measuring Dry Ingredients
Dry ingredients include sugar, flours, and grain products.
When measuring sugar, grain products, or any other dry ingredient except for flour: take the measuring cup and spoon in the dry ingredients and shake off any excess.
When measuring flour, you must over fill and level off with a straight edged spatula.
Brown sugar is measured a little different. You must pack it into the measuring cup.
Baking soda, baking powder, salt and other spices that are used in small amounts should be measured with measuring spoons.

8. Measuring Liquid Ingredients
Liquid ingredients include milk, water, oil, juices, food colorings, and extracts.
Use liquid measuring cup and measuring spoons.
Set liquid measuring cup on a flat surface. Measure at eye level.
When measuring less than ¼ cup, use measuring spoons.

9. Measuring Thick, Moist Ingredients
Solid fats such as butter, margarine, and shortening.
Also, jelly, sour cream, and peanut butter.
Butter and margarine have markings on the package to help you measure.
Each stick has 8 tbsp. or ½ cup.
Spray inside measuring cup when measuring thick ingredients and use rubber spatula to get out of measuring cup.
Solid fats like shortening can also be measured using the water displacement method.
Fill a 2-cup liquid measuring cup with 1 cup of cold water. Then carefully spoon in the solid fat until the water level rises by the amount you need.
Drain off the water before using the fat.
This method cannot be used for any ingredient that would dissolve in water.

10. Measuring by weight
Some recipes list amounts of ingredients by weight, such as ounces or grams, rather than volume, such as tablespoons and cups.
Before you weigh the ingredient you need to tare the scale.

11. Kitchen Utensils Choose tools that best meet needs and the budget.
Ask the following questions before buying equipment:
How is equipment designed and how does it work? What quality of materials is used to make the equipment? How are the handles constructed?
Store small equipment in a convenient location.

12. Mixing Tools
Mixing spoons are available in many sizes and shapes for stirring or mixing.
Spoons made from wood, nylon, and silicone will not scratch.
Metal spoons typically have deeper bowls. (good choice when scooping mixtures)
Slotted spoons to remove pieces of food from a liquid, such as peas from broth.
Whisk: mixing tool made of loops of wire attached to a handle, to incorporate air.

13. Baking Tools
Sifter: to blend dry ingredients, add air, and remove lumps from ingredients like powdered sugar.
Pastry blender: made of serval thin, curved pieces of metal attached to a handle. (solid fat with flour)
Pastry brushes: brush glazes on dough and baked goods.
Basting brush: similar tool with a longer handle. Used to baste sauces on foods on a grill or in an oven.
Rolling pin: roll dough or pastry.
Parchment paper: place of a baking mat.
Bent Edged spatulas: used to remove cookies from baking trays.
Straight edged spatulas: spread cake icings and meringues and to level ingredients in dry measuring cups.
Flexible spatulas: scrape bowls and saucepans and to fold one ingredient into another

14. Baking tools

15. Many foods contain harmful bacteria that can be killed by thorough cooking.
Use thermometers when cooking protein foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, egg dishes, and casseroles.
Meat thermometers: placed in meat or poultry
Instant read thermometers: inserted into a food at the end of cooking time.
Candy/fat thermometers: have a clip or hook so they can be attached to the side of a pan. (also use to register oil temps for deep frying foods)
Refrigerator freezer thermometer: keep track of temps at which foods are stored. (refrigerator: no more than 40 F, and freezer no more than 0 F)
Oven thermometer: make sure an oven heats to the temp for which it is set.
Thermometers

16. Cutting Tools Kitchen shears: snip herbs and trim vegetables.
Poultry shears: heavier and sharper than ordinary kitchen shears.
Peeler: remove the outer surface of fruits and vegetables. Only removes the thin layer, so nutrients lying near the surface are preserved.
Shredder-grater: is a four sided metal tool with openings of different sizes on each side.
Cutting boards: made of variety of materials and are usually rectangular in shape.

17. Other Preparation Tools
Tongs: made of metal or plastic. Turning meats and fried foods.
Kitchen Forks: made of heavy duty metal. Use when transferring heavy meats and poultry.
Ladles: round cups attached to long handles. Used for dipping and pouring.
Baster: long tube attached to a flexible bulb. Uses suction to collect juices from meat and poultry for basting.
Colander: perforated bowls used to drain fruits, vegetables, and pasta.
Can openers: remove the tops of cans. Manual or electric.

18. Types of knives Serrated blade: has a sawtooth edge.
Used for slicing tender foods that are firm on the outside, such as tomatoes and crusty breads.

19. Types of Knives
Chefs knife: also known as a French knife, is the most versatile of all kitchen knives.
Long smooth blade for slicing, dicing, and mincing fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

20. Types of Knives
Paring Knife: one of the smallest knives used in the kitchen.
Smooth blade for peeling and trimming fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

21. Types of Knives
Boning knife: think, smooth blade to easily cut and remove bones from raw meat and poultry.

22. Types of Knives Utility Knife: good all around knife.
Used to trim fat from meat and cut tender vegetables, cheese, and cold cuts.

23. Buying knives Can be purchased individually or in sets.
Choosing good knives is worth the investment.
When choosing: look at the materials from which they are made. Knife blades are made of carbon steel, stainless steel, or ceramic.
Carbon steel is easy to sharpen because it is soft. Will stain and rust easily unless the knife is washed and dried soon after each use.
Stainless steel: durable and will not rust, but it is so hard that its hard to sharpen.
Ceramic: very hard and will hold a sharp edge for a long time. Excellent for slicing. Not flexible and can chip or break with misuse.

24. Knife Skills 1st step when using a chef’s knife is have a firm grip.
Place you thumb on one side of the blade near the handle. Place your index finger on the other side of the blade. Then wrap your middle finger, ring finger, and pinkie around the handle.
Slicing foods into thin, flat pieces is a basic cutting technique.
Curl fingers of the hand that is holding the food under like a claw to protect them from getting cut.
Hold the food item firmly between your thumb and pinkie. Rest the other three fingers on top of the food with your knuckles forward.
Hold the knife perpendicular to the cutting board with the tip pointed down.
Try to make all pieces of food the same thickness. Foods will look more appealing and cook more evenly.

25. Caring For Knives
Always keep knives sharp so they will slice easily through foods.
Different tools to sharpen knives: steel (hold at 20 degree angle and only moderate pressure), Whetstone: when knives become very dull.
Cut on wooden or plastic cutting boards.
Always wash knives by hand. Never put in dishwasher because detergents can cause damage to the knives.
When storing, store alone in another drawer or compartment, in a knife block, or on a magnetic strip.

26. Cooking and Baking Equipment
Cookware: various types of saucepans and pots used for cooking foods in water or other liquids over direct surface heat.
Saucepans: generally have one handle.
Pots: have 2 handles. (sizes range from 1-pint saucepan to a 12 quart stockpot.)
Double-boiler: small pan that fits into a larger pan.
Pressure cooker: cooks foods more quickly than conventional saucepans. ( pressure increases, temperature increases.
Skillets (fry pan) and sauté pans: used for cooking foods in a small amount of fat. Have wide bottoms and low sides.
Griddles: skillet with very low or no sides. Often coated with non stick finish. (make French toast and pancakes.

27. Cookware

28. Bakeware
Bakeware: various pieces of equipment used when cooking in an oven.
When selecting bakeware, consider whether the pan’s surface is shiny or dull. The other surface of a pan affects the amount of heat the pan absorbs. A shiny or bright surface reflects part of the heat away from the food. (dull or dark surface absorbs heat)
Products baked in bright, shiny pans will have softer, lighter crusts.
Products baked in dull, dark pans will have darker and crisper crusts. (reducing the oven temp by 25F will help avoid overbrowning when baking in dark pans.

29. Types of Bakeware Insulated Bakeware: made from two sheets of metal.
Cookie Sheets: often made of aluminum. Flat sheets of metal with a low rim on one or more sides for strength. (cookies, toasting bread, supporting small containers.)
Cake pans: round, square, or oblong.
Tube pans: deep, round pans with smooth or fluted sides and a tube in the center.
Springform pan: round and has a latch or spring. (cheesecakes, tortes, and other desserts that are delicate and difficult to remove from the pan.)
Pizza pans: large and round
Muffin pans: oblong pans with round depressions. (muffins and cupcakes)
Loaf Pans: deep, narrow, oblong pans. (breads and loaf cakes)

30. Types of Bakeware Pie plates: round with sloping sides.
Casseroles: baking dishes with high sides.
Soufflé dishes: are a variation of a casserole. Have high, steep sides.
Roasting pan: oval or oblong. Most have high, dome lids, and many have racks to keep food from resting on the bottom of the pan.

31. Cookware and Bakeware Materials
Metal, glass, plastic, ceramic, and silicone are the most popular.
Cast iron: distributes and holds heat well. Rust very easily if it is not cared for properly.
Aluminum: lightweight, corrosion resistant cookware and bakeware material. Conducts heat rapidly and is reasonably priced.
Copper: good heat conductor. However, saucepans cannot be made from pure copper. Copper cookware has to be lined with another material to be safe for cooking.
Stainless steel: mixture of steel, nickel, and chromium. Resists stains, and is strong and durable. Does not distribute heat evenly. Relatively expensive.
Ceramic Materials: made from nonmetallic minerals that are fired at very high temperatures. Retain heat well. Good choice for baking.

32. Cookware and Bakeware Materials
Silicone: has a rubbery texture and comes in an array of bright colors.
Plastic materials: popular for microwave cookware.
Nonstick finishes: prevent foods from sticking. Nonstick cookware can release toxic chemicals when heated to high temps.
Microwave materials: Microwaves can pass through materials such as ceramic, plastics, glass, wood, and paper.

33. Use and care of cookware and Bakeware
Cast iron skillets: need to be seasoned. (treated for preparation use) Generally means washing and drying the piece then applying a thin coat of cooking oil or shortening and heating.
Always know if certain materials can be heated to certain temperatures.
Do not use steel wool pads or abrasive cleaners, which can scratch cookware and bakeware.