Conscious Choice: Batterie de Cuisine

September 1999 | Cooking with the Seasons

Batterie de Cuisine

by Colette Christian

I don’t think I’ve ever been an obnoxious consumer; at least, I have tried not to be. But like most Americans, I do know that I take abundance for granted. It takes a conscious effort not to waste too much, and to reuse whatever one can. And lately I’ve been thinking, without a doubt, that less really is more — even when it comes to the kitchen.

Batterie de Cuisine is an elegant French term for the kitchen tools you need to accomplish basic cooking. It applies to both home and commercial kitchens. We have all been led to think that we need a lot of stuff to equip our kitchens properly. There is also the belief that all of this will and should cost a lot of money. But the reality is the list of what you don’t need is longer then what you do.

Even the most elegant French restaurants are stocked only with useful tools. I remember cooking at a new restaurant in Chicago, a hip theme joint with more consultants than dessert choices. We opened with a plethora of equipment and gadgets. By the middle of our first week, 75 percent of the heavy equipment had been examined by a repair person, and the smalls (kitchen slang for gadgets) were for the most part missing in action. We were feeding three hundred people a day with rudimentary equipment, and the restaurant thrived despite the loss of the stainless steel grater and the box of German paring knives.

The same principle works at home. You don’t need fancy gadgets to cook delicious meals. The following summary is a list of must-have items for cooks who are just getting started or who want to get back to basics.

Good knives are by far the most important tool in the kitchen. Always buy the best you can afford. Knife sets often include knives that you won’t use very often. It’s more economical to purchase knives individually. An eight-inch chef’s knife for chopping, a serrated bread knife, and a paring knife are usually all you need. Look for blades made of high-carbon stainless steel, which combines softness with rust resistance. The best blades are forged and beaten into shape by hand with an anvil and a hammer. Less expensive blades are stamped out by machine.

A sharpening steel is a must. Dull knives are far more dangerous then sharp ones. The brutal truth is that a cut from a dull knife is more difficult for a doctor to stitch than a cut from a sharp one. A sharp knife will gracefully slice through whatever it is that you are slicing or chopping. Serrated knives stay sharp for years; never sharpen them yourself.

Also, good knives have no place in the dishwasher, it dulls and spots the blades. Wash your knives in hot soapy water and dry them carefully. A wall mounted magnetic strip is a space saving alternative to a chopping-block holder.

You will need a real chopping block or cutting board to go with those knives. A good cutting board is not too big or too small. Heavy polyethylene is a popular choice, but wooden cutting boards, if you wash them well, are actually more sanitary. To stabilize your board put a damp towel underneath it before you start chopping.

A few basic pots and pans are essential. It is easy to get swept away by the many choices available. One rule of thumb: purchase only multi-purpose pots. You need an eight-quart stockpot for cooking pasta and soup. I like the kind with the strainer insert. A four-quart saucepan works well for sauces, soups, and chilis. A two-quart pot is perfect for small jobs like cooking rice or oatmeal.

Two skillets, one eight-inch and one twelve-inch, are helpful. The eight-inch is perfect for preparing omelets and vegetables. The twelve-inch is perfect for big jobs, like making veggie stir-frys and chunky sauces or sautéing chicken breasts.

As for small items, you can get by with two wooden spoons, two spatulas, a medium sized whisk, a colander, and an offset spatula. One small tool often overlooked by the home cook is a pair of tongs. Tongs are useful for dozens of cooking jobs. They toss, turn, and lift food without piercing it.

Chopsticks are great for mixing sauces and slurries. Years ago, I bought two oversized chopsticks at Woks and Things, down in Chinatown, for sixty-nine cents! I stir my pasta with these. Nothing works better.

Three mixing bowls, small, medium, and large are good for a start. I like bowls that can also double as serving pieces. For baking, you can get by with two cookie sheets, an eight-inch or nine-inch square pan, and a couple of pie tins, unless you really enjoy baking — and then you can add equipment according to your interests. I will say that I got rid of my baking stone and marble pastry slab years ago. I cannot detect any real difference in my pizzas or pastries.

As for appliances, I’ve never owned a blender but I love my food processor. A hand-held mixer is useful for pureeing soups or making salad dressings. A stand mixer becomes important if you get hooked on baking. I gave up on toasters after my Boston neighbor blew hers up and filled both our apartments with smoke. I make toast under the broiler. Of course, broiler toasting requires vigilance, but it doesn’t clutter the counter.

My kitchen is pretty pared down for a cook so thoroughly in love with cooking. I do get seduced by all the great kitchen toys out there. I can spend hours browsing through a cookware shop. The possibilities are overwhelming. But there is always the problem of time and space. Do I have room for a fish poacher? Is there time to make homemade spatzle?

If you stick to a basic multi-use rule and build on your own culinary interest you will have a kitchen full of loved and used tools with no guilt and less dust. And when the Y2K frenzy hits, there will be much less to bury in the back yard.

Here is a quick and easy pasta sauce. It takes only one pan to prepare.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 small onion, cut into medium dice
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (1 teaspoon dried)
1 15-ounce can tomatoes, drain off half of the juice
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into medium dice
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6-8 ounces cooked pasta

1. In a large sauté pan (twelve-inch) sauté the onions in the olive oil until soft and translucent (three to five minutes)

2. Add the garlic and basil, cook until you can smell the garlic and herbs (one to two minutes)

3. Add the tomatoes, reserved juice, and the roasted red peppers. Cook for ten minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

5. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, allow to heat through, and serve.

Homemade House Dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil, oregano or Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
few grinds fresh ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil or 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup olive oil

1. Put the first seven ingredients in a medium bowl. Put a towel under the bowl so that it doesn’t slide around.

2. Slowly whisk in olive oil until incorporated. The dressing will be thick and delicious.

If you have one of those hand-held blenders, you can use it when you make this dressing: Put the first seven ingredients in the cup that came with the blender, use the blender to whirl everything together, then slowly add the oil. This recipe will keep the blender from gathering dust.

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