Kitchen Tool Set – Four Basic Tools

There are several companies that bundle different basic kitchen tool sets. They can range from just a few pieces in the set, to more things that you can shake a rolling pin at. There are four basic kitchen tools that every set should have.

Ladle: Pouring hot liquids from heavy pans is not only difficult, it can be dangerous. Never forget, kitchens are places of fire and heat. Ladles are used for moving hot or cold liquids from on cooking pot to another, or for serving soups and stews. A good ladle will hold about 1/2 cup of liquid. I prefer a ladle that has a handle set at a bit of an angle. Those with handles that sit at, or nearly at, 90 degrees to the top of the ladle cup are a bit harder for me to control.

Serving/Basting Spoon: Essentially these are really big spoons. Some people say you should only use them for serving, because the handle can get hot if you use it for stirring things and leave it in the pot. My solution is simple. Don't leave it in the pot while you're cooking.

Spatula: I'm talking about the metal or plastic variety for turning food over, like flipping a hamburger on the grill, or lifting them gently from the pan to the serving plate. Again, I'm going with the hamburger example. They are nearly essential for flipping and moving more delicate foods, such as fish, that would have a tendency to break up under a set of tongs. I prefer slotted plastic ones to solid metal ones, to reduce the chance of it scratching my pans and to keep unwanted cooking liquids and oils in the pan, not on the serving dish.

Slotted Spoon: Perfect for removing foods from boiling water, either for serving or testing to find out if they're done. They're also great for skimming scum (schmutz) off the surface of liquids. Some are round, others are spoon shaped. Either way, I prefer a lot of smaller holes to a few larger ones. The spoon shaped ones can double as a serving spoon for some dishes.

Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions

Not too long ago the Tropical Traditions company sent me a bottle of their Gold Label Standard organic virgin coconut oil. I was excited to try it. I'd never cooked with coconut oil before, but it could easily become a welcome guest in my kitchen.

Coconut oil is harvested from the meat of the coconut in much the same way olive oil is harvested from olives. You smash it to death in mill. While my Northern European ancestors relied more on animals for their oils and fats, in the form of butter and lard, coconut oil was a primary source of fat for tropical regions.

While most coconut oil is harvested from dried coconuts, virgin coconut oil is not. Instead, fresh coconuts are minimally processed, helping the oil retain a coconut flavor and smell. Virgin coconut oil is regarded as the highest quality coconut oil and is preferred for cooking.

Coconut oil is thought to be healthier than some other fat sources, possibly due to it's smaller molecular size and blending of both saturated and unsaturated fats. It is thought to help in weight management and preventing arteriosclerosis and heart disease. I was surprised to find that it has slightly less calories than other fats, 117 calories per tablespoon vs. 120 calories per tablespoon. Not a huge difference, I know, but it did surprise me.

Virgin coconut oil melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting is some unusual opportunities for the home cook. When I first got the bottle in mail, it was a liquid. After sitting in my air-conditioned house for awhile, it turned into a something like soft butter. Putting some into the refrigerator created a very hard, almost waxy lump. After letting it sit on my counter for a time, it softened up nicely.

Cooking with it has been a joy, except in one case. The literature said it was great as an oil for frying, but I wasn't happy with it that way. I like frying with high heat and I think it may have gotten burned, much like butter can. It gave the dish a “cheap” flavor I wasn't happy with. I can't say it was the oil's fault, for sure, because I never tried it again when frying.

What I used it most for was as a condiment. I often used it as a replacement for butter on my morning toast, or mixed some in my oatmeal. Added to a peanut butter and honey sandwich it was remarkable. Replacing the olive oil with coconut oil in a mustard vinaigrette was interesting. It lightened the flavor and added a nice variation to my staple dressing recipe. It became so hard in my refrigerator, though, I started keeping the dressing in the cupboard. I don't like waiting an hour to dress the salad. Because it has a higher saturated fat content than olive oil, I think it helped extend the dressing's shelf life, though, and I never had a problem with rancidity.

Where I truly fell in love with it was in baking. It gave a richness of flavor to the breads I baked that I simply didn't get with butter or cooking oil. It's no wonder to me, though. The coconut flavor is light and creamy, compared to the heavier flavors imparted by something like olive oil. I think I like it even better than butter!

The downside to my new love is that, like any woman who is lovely, virtuous, and of good report, she ain't cheap. Tropical Traditions Gold Label Standard retails at $37.00 a quart, making it a hard choice for most budget gourmets. That's two to three times the cost of Extra Virgin Olive oil at my grocer. Tropical Traditions does sell it for less, $27.00 a pint, but that's still pricey.

In spite of it's price, I'm curious about it as an effective food storage item. It's said that virgin coconut oil can last up to two years without going rancid, and you can buy it from Tropical Traditions in both 1 gallon, and 5 gallon HDPE plastic buckets, just like the ones I use to store flour, grains, and sugar in. They sell the one gallon buckets for $70.00, and the 5 gallon ones for $230.00. That's got to be better than powdered butter.

Tropical Traditions Green Label Organic Virgin Coconut oil is slightly cheaper, but not enough to make a real difference to my budget. It's machine processed, not made by hand. I don't know what the difference in taste is. Tropical Traditions will sell you dried coconut in bulk, too, and not just that shredded stuff. We're talking lovely flaked coconut. I need to think more about this for food storage, that's for sure.

If you can afford it, you'll want to check out Tropical Traditions Gold Label Standard Virgin Coconut Oil. It's an amazing oil, and I want to thank Tropical Traditions for letting me try it. I wish I could give this product a higher rating, but because of the price, I'm reluctant. But only because of the price. The flavor is incredible, it's uses are amazing. I'm going to have to pick up more of it one of these days. Just not today.

3 1/2 zucchinis

Home-Canned Tomato Soup

One of our readers, Donna, found that my family was from Redmond, Utah. She mentioned her Great Aunt Geniel Bowers participated in making a ward cookbook in Redmond. Even though I do have many of my grandmother, and great-grandmother's recipes, I don't have a copy of any Redmond Ward cookbooks. My immediate family hasn't lived in Redmond for well over sixty years.

Specifically she asked about a recipe for canned tomato soup. I scoured my family recipes, but I'm afraid I couldn't find anything. Looking through some older cookbooks, though, I did come across this recipe. I've updated some of the direction to suit the modern kitchen, and my own taste.

Donna, I hope it will be a good substitute until you can find your aunt's recipe. If you do find it, let me know. I'd love to share it, here.

Equipment Needed
Stockpot
kitchen knife
Either an immersion blender, standing blender, food processor, or food mill.
6 pint canning jars, with lids and rings
pressure cooker/canner

Ingredients
4 quarts peeled, cored, and chopped tomatoes (about 24 large tomatoes)
3 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 4 medium peppers)
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced (about 3 medium carots)
Salt and pepper as needed.
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil)
1 bay leaf.
cooking oil as needed (I like olive oil for this)

Directions
Add a little oil to a large, hot, stock pot. Add the tomatoes and a dash of salt, and cook until soft. Remove from the pot.

Rinse the pot, dry, and reheat. Add a bit more oil, the onions, celery, pepper, carrots, and another small dash of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft.

Return the tomatoes to the pot, with the vegetables. Add the dried basil. Using an immersion blender, puree the vegetables until smooth. Alternately, you can puree them in a standing blender, food processor, or food mill, although you'll have to do it batches.

Bring the heat back up boil, and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the bay leaf. Cover and cook slowly until the soup thickens, about 1 hour. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and to keep the cooking even. Add additional salt and pepper as needed - about 1 more teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper should do it. Make sure you taste as you go. You don't want the salt or pepper to overpower the vegetables. Remove from the heat, and remove the bay leaf.

Pour into clean, hot, pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head-space, and seal with canning lids and rings. Process in a pressure canner for 20 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

Yields about 6 pints.

For more information on pressure canning and food safety, visit the National Center of Home Food Preservation.

Picture by David Sawford