Page 17 - Food Service Magazine March 2019

TOOL TALK
17
SINCE 2008
TOOL
TALK
THE KITCHEN EQUIPMENT I CAN’T COOK WITHOUT
NOT ALL KNIVES AND FORKS CAN STAND THE TEST OF TIME. AND NOT ALL PESTLES ARE EQUAL. FIVE CHEFS TALK TOOLS, WAXING LYRICAL OVER THE STURDY, WELL-LOVED INSTRUMENTS THEY'VE HAD FOR YEARS, BUT COULD NEVER GIVE UP.
IAN CURLEY'S 30-YEAR-OLD BLADES
Executive chef and co-owner at Melbourne's Kirk's Wine Bar and French Saloon
Being a chef for as long as I have, I’ve seen all different
kinds of culinary fads come and go. For myself, an essential tool in any kitchen would be a set of wooden-handled knives. My worn but trustworthy set of old wooden-handled Victorinox or Messermeister blades have accompanied me through my travels around the world for the past 30 years. They bring such ease and comfort when cooking and have stood the test of time. I could not work without them. I’ve collected hundreds of knives of all shapes and sizes, experiencing an array of brands, and still to this day find that my good old blades outdo even the most expensive forged blades. I always smile when I see young cooks with their luxury forged knives (usually blunt), while mine looks very used and bruised but gets the job done.
ANTHONY CHOI'S CLAY-AND-WOOD MORTAR AND PESTLE
Executive chef at Melbourne's Hanoi Hannah
Without hesitation, the kitchen tool I couldn't live without would be the mortar and pestle. There are a few different types on the market, usually stone, marble or steel, but my favourite is a clay mortar with a wooden pestle. It is deeper than a stone mortar and has a longer pestle, which makes pounding easier, and it's a lot lighter to carry around. All of my Hanoi Hannah kitchens have two or three of them as we make many types of pastes to marinate proteins. The big wooden pestle comes in handy a lot too. I use it to break palm sugar blocks to make caramel. I am always happy to spend more money on a decent M&P.
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1. IAN CURLEY
2. ANTHONY CHOI
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28.08.2018 09:22:51
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