A cooking utensil is typically a small handheld instrument used for food preparation. Common cooking tasks include chopping food items to precise size, cooking food in an oven, frying food on a skillet or in an electric fry pan, baking, grilling, making gravy, mincing food from vegetables, and testing the temperature of batter. Different utensils are designed for each specific task. For example, a mixing paddle is used for mixing sauces and soups, a whisk is used to mix ingredients, a cookie cutter is used for baking cookies, a basting brush is used for cooking a recipe, a blender is used for whipping cream, and a can opener is used to take out prepared beverages.
When speaking of kitchen utensils, spoons always come first. The word “spoon” comes from Latin, where “spoon” means blade. In the context of cooking, a spoon is the first tool used to stir the ingredients in a liquid. Many kitchen utensils designed for this purpose have flat surfaces with sharp points at the end, which allow for stirring ingredients directly into the liquids. Other utensils called spoons also have long handles that enable individuals to hold the spoon in their hands, allowing them to mix, puree, and puree ice cream. To create a cake, individuals often use a fork.
Cooks were not always able to get along with kitchen utensils. As time went by, the need for kitchen utensils developed. Some changes were made to the designs, shapes, and materials used for the utensils. For example, in the early 19th century, aluminum began to be used for kitchen utensils, as it was light, had no foul odor, and could be molded. Since then, other types of metal, such as stainless steel, have been used for this purpose.
A utensil, when chosen wisely, will make the difference between a great meal and an average one. In the kitchen, the utensils used for the task at hand are essential kitchen tools and should be one of the first items purchased if you plan on buying cookware. One of the first utensils used by cooks all over is the frying pan, as it can help reduce the amount of fat in the food preparation and speed up the process. Frying pans are also very useful for making scrambled eggs.
One of the oldest cooking utensils is still in widespread use today – the skillet. These utensils were originally made from clay and copper and still are highly sought after by cooks around the world. The pans themselves were used to protect the food during the cooking process. These utensils made from copper are the most commonly seen utensils, as they tend to be the most durable. Metal utensils such as the copper saucepan were used more for their ability to withstand high temperatures than for their ability to retain heat. However, there are a number of utensils made from either metal or glass, which have proved to be less popular with cookware users.
As technology has changed, so have the cooking utensils used in kitchens, and often this change has not been for the better. Many traditional utensils, such as the wooden spoon, the metal spatula and the wooden fork, are still used in many modern kitchens. Other kitchenware vocabulary includes the peeler, the electric peeler, the juicer, the potato masher and the food processor. Kitchenware manufacturers even exist that offer a complete line of accessories to assist the cooks in the kitchen.
