One key way to simplify your weeknight cooking is to have the right equipment. This doesn’t mean you must rush out and buy a whole new set of skillets and whisks. On the contrary! Review Michele Urvater’s list of essential items from Monday-to-Friday Cookbook below, then decide whether you need to add anything to what you already own.
We’ve added links to products similar to what Michele describes, but many retailers will have these items available!
1. Chopping Board: Dicing, slicing, and mincing with a sharp chef’s knife on a chopping board involves less clean-up than a food processor. One large chopping board is enough, and it should be made of durable hard plastic that is easy to keep clean and is dishwasher safe.
2. Knives: Although you can get away with owning only one high-quality sharp chef’s knife, having two or three knives is better. A paring knife, an all-purpose utility knife, and a chef’s knife make a good set. The best knives are made from carbon steel mixed with stainless steel.
3. Blender: If you don’t own a food processor, a blender is almost as handy. It doesn’t chop, but it does blend and liquefy, so you can mix salad dressings and purées. A blender, a chopping board, and a sharp knife is enough for Monday-to-Friday prep.
4. Saucepans: The ideal saucepan is made of heavy stainless steel, with an aluminum- or copper-reinforced bottom. Stainless steel doesn’t react with acidic ingredients as do iron and aluminum. The reinforced bottom is essential because stainless steel is a poor heat conductor and food burns. Also, try to purchase saucepans with metal handles so that, if need be, you can stick the pans in the oven without worrying about the plastic handles melting.
5. Skillets: Many of Urvater’s recipes involve two parts of a dinner being cooked in a single skillet. Therefore the skillets she relies on are at least 10 to 12 inches wide and preferably 2 inches deep. They have sloping high sides so lots of food will fit. These skillets should also be made of heavy reinforced stainless steel with metal handles so that you can stick them into the oven, and they should come with tight-fitting lids.
6. Ovenproof Casseroles or Baking Pans: If your saucepans aren’t ovenproof, you’ll have to invest in a couple of casseroles (4 and 6 quart). They should also be burner proof and have tight-fitting lids. The best of these pans are made of heavy-gauge stainless steel and have reinforced bottoms or they are enameled-lined so you can cook any ingredient without discoloration or reaction.
7. Pressure Cooker: When you crave the taste of long-simmering dishes but time is of the essence, you can make them in a pressure cooker. Pot roasts, dried beans (without pre-soaking), and long-simmering soups can be assembled and cooked in a pressure cooker in less than an hour.
8. Toaster Oven: A toaster oven (as opposed to an old-fashioned toaster) is great for reheating individual portions or baking small quantities of food for 1 or 2 people.
Monday-to-Friday Cookbook
by Michele Urvater
Winner of a James Beard award, The Monday-To-Friday Cookbook is the cookbook for working people. A professional chef and “excellent teacher” (New York Times) who faces the same problem we all face in coming home to feed her family, Michele Urvater has developed an inspired system of weeknight cuisine that really works. It provides a complete blueprint: pantry, equipment, techniques, dining strategies-and over 300 superb recipes. And special skills are definitely not required.
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