What You Need in a Gourmet Kitchen

The best way to decide what you need in your kitchen is to first decide what it is you are going to be cooking in there. The best suggestion I ever heard on this matter is to find five dishes you really love. The dishes you like to find on menus at restaurants. The next thing you want to do is learn to prepare those dishes to your standards. This is going to take some time, and some research, but I promise you it is well worth the effort.

They say that professional cooks don't like to discuss the way they prepare a disk or recipe, and I find this to be a fallacy most of the time. People in general love to talk about what they do, and enjoy appreciation for their hard work. So don't be afraid to ask, politely, a chef how he makes a certain dish or what is in the recipe. Keep the question general, and you might be surprised about the tips you can pick up from a simple question. If she doesn't want to share her knowledge, thank her and be on your way. Its not like you can't find out from several other sources what is in a certain dish and how to prepare it. No harm no foul. Most of the time I get great results by paying attention to the chef if only taking a quick look at his pots and knives.

Each of our five dishes are going to have a few nuances regarding the items required in their creation. But there are some basics we want in our kitchen no matter what we are going to put on our home menu.

The first item on the list is a set of good cooking knives. You can't do much without chopping and slicing. A set of good knives is always worth the money. Generally they last forever. When ever I get offered something like a "life time warranty" I always wonder "whose life?" But in the case of a fine set of cutlery we don't have to worry about things like that. In the higher echelons of fine cooking, a chef's set of knives is part of the job interview process.

When you look at chef knives, you will notice they generally have a wide triangular blade which tapers to a "center tip", meaning both the back of the knife and the blade are gently angled to meet in a point at the tip.

This blade shape is perfect for allowing the blade to rock back and forth on the tip (using it as a fulcrum) when you are chopping. It is a great all-around, all-purpose knife for most of your kitchen. They tend to be a bit heavy, 6 to 10 inches long with the most popular being 8 inches. If you have never purchased or handled on on a regular bases, start with an 8 inch chef's knife and get used to how it feels before moving on to something bigger.

Another choice you will have to decide on is whether you want a French or German style chef's knife. The French version has a longer and thinner blade that is better for slicing while the German style is shorter and wider and better for chopping. To help you make this decision, check your list of five dishes and see what you are going to be doing the most of. Make sure the knife has a secure grip and a good feel in your hand, you're looking for balance. The handle should be riveted to the blade. Those would be real rivets, not the painted on kind.

The next items we are going to need are a good set of pans and pots. Which pots and pans can probably be decided by our list of five dishes we made before. However, the pans should be of good quality. We don't want a poor 'non-stick' application flaking off and ruining our dinner. There are plenty of things we can do to ruin our own dinners, we don't want to be required to worry about our Cookware.

You want pots and pans made of stainless steel or heavy-gauge aluminum with non-oxidizing surfaces. The base of the pan should be thick and flat on both the inside and out for better heat efficiency. You also want handles that are riveted to the pan not welded and certainly no plastic handles. The lids should fit snuggly. The most important aspect however is how they feel in your hands. Pick them up and handle them. Just because some bouncy gourmet said they were the best doesn't mean you are going to enjoy using them.

You probably want a good spice grinder. You might already have an electric grinder for your coffee beans and these are great, but don't use the same one for your spices. Mornings have enough surprises.

Once you have these basics, start going through your recipes and keep in mind the methods you have to use to get them prepared. The rest of your kitchen will fill out from there.

Jerry Powell is the Owner of a Popular site Know as Gourmet911.com. As you can see from our name, we are here to help you learn more about different kinds of Gourmet food and Wines, Coffees from all around the world. http://www.gourmet911.com

Related News

Festival offers flavour of modern Taiwan - Vancouver Sun Vancouver Sun Festival offers flavour of modern Taiwan Vancouver Sun,  Canada -Aug 27, 2008 ... be on hand to reveal some of the hidden tricks of night-market cooking. Chen will also offer a few tips on how to make some of these treats yourself. ... Try These 30 Expert Grilling Tips At Your Next Cookout - CattleNetwork.com Try These 30 Expert Grilling Tips At Your Next Cookout CattleNetwork.com, KS -Aug 26, 2008 Spread them out and use their radiant heat for cooking. 7. If you’re using a good cut of beef with lots of marbling, there’s no need to marinate or use ... Visit Britain offers tips on home exchange - The Eureka Reporter Visit Britain offers tips on home exchange The Eureka Reporter, CA -25 minutes ago Self-catering apartments have full-service kitchens with cooking utensils so you can buy food at a local grocery store and cook your own meals. ... Campfire cooking menu - Taste.com.au Taste.com.au Campfire cooking menu Taste.com.au, Australia -Aug 24, 2008 For campfire cooking instructions, look for the camping tips in the notes section of each recipe. Cooking times may vary according to the intensity of the ... Grant High teens learn healthy cooking tips - Sacramento Bee Grant High teens learn healthy cooking tips Sacramento Bee,  USA -Aug 2, 2008 His cooking partner, Kheyland McNeil, 14, didn't object. After all, Marcellous said, "It's supposed to be a pizza." True. But the goal this day inside Grant ... As Gustav Heads for the Gulf of Mexico, The Hanover Insurance ... - CNNMoney.com (press release) As Gustav Heads for the Gulf of Mexico, The Hanover Insurance ... CNNMoney.com (press release) -14 hours ago Some tips to keep in mind any time a hurricane approaches, include: During the Hurricane Watch -- Listen for advisories on the radio or TV. ... Funny Or Die sites expand into cooking, videogames - The Associated Press The Associated Press Funny Or Die sites expand into cooking, videogames The Associated Press -Aug 20, 2008 So cooking tips from Tom Colicchio of Bravo's "Top Chef" — a partner with the site — as well as other celebrity chefs, can stand next to the family recipe ... Chew on this! Tips on dorm cooking - MSNBC Chew on this! Tips on dorm cooking MSNBC -Aug 21, 2008 Cooking, however, required a piece of equipment that my university did not provide: an oven. I was shocked and dismayed to find that my dorm room was ... Local chefs serve up cooking tips on WMGM-TV 40 - Press of Atlantic City Press of Atlantic City Local chefs serve up cooking tips on WMGM-TV 40 Press of Atlantic City, NJ -Aug 6, 2008 Professional chefs from the Academy of Culinary Arts will offer their best cooking tips and advice through the new "What's Cooking" show, ... New Wii Cooking Game Test Your Multitasking Skills - NY1 New Wii Cooking Game Test Your Multitasking Skills NY1, NY -Aug 26, 2008 The restaurant starts off as a fast-food burger joint, but the better you do, the better tips you make, and your extra money can get you assistants in the ...