Kitchen Utensils Buying Guide

17 Sep Kitchen Utensils Buying Guide

Kitchen tools and utensils are used for preparing, baking, cooking and generally helping with a variety of tasks in the kitchen. As well as being practical, tools and utensils are now designed to be stylish, fitting in with a brand or range in your home. These tools have adapted and improved over the years to make the most laborious task easier and quicker with minimal mess and waste. Knowing what a tool is for and getting the maximum use from it is down to knowledge and know-how. We hope to shed some light on these questions here is our kitchen tools and utensils buying guide.

Tools and Utensils

Apple Corer
An apple or fruit corer is designed to cut through fruit, removing the core and pips in one piece. Some of these corers look like a knife, bit instead of a blade there is a cylindrical cutting blade to go through the centre of the fruit. Other corers are designed to core and slice the fruit in one go. These will be flatter in design with grip handles for applying downward pressure on the vertical blades to core and slice in once seamless action.

Butter
Tools for use with butter include butter curlers for creating decorative curls of butter, and butter paddles and churners for making your own butter at home.

Can Opener
Can openers vary from hand-held manual models to fully automatic electric models? The opener is attached to the can and sharp rotating wheels neatly open the can. Most modern can openers take the whole of the top off the can leaving a relatively safe edge, although care should always be taken when opening and removing lids.

Carving Fork
Carving forks are used to assist in carving hot and cold meats. They are designed with long, sharp prongs for securely holding the meat in place whilst carving and should have a strong and sturdy handle. Carving forks are normally made from stainless steel for strength and durability.

Fruit Baller
A fruit baller is used for scraping out a section of fruit, like melon or apple into perfect little balls. The tiny round metal scoop cuts through the fleshy part of the fruit and a perfect when making fresh fruit salads. These fruit ballers will more commonly be made from stainless steel for strength.

Funnel
A funnel is used for pouring liquids and grains into a small opening, such as a bottle or a jar. The funnel can be made from plastic or metal and are available in a variety of sizes. Funnels are available in sets of assorted sizes and can feature handles or a lip for hanging onto a utensil rack or hook.

Grapefruit Knife
A grapefruit knife is a specially shaped and serrated knife for cutting out segments of the fruit. The tip of the knife turns in slightly to allow the serrated edge to cut, this helps to get around all the segment easily. These knives can also be used for oranges and other citrus fruits with segments.

Jar Opener
Trying to open a jar with a stuck lid is one of life’s more annoying problems. When brute force alone won’t do the trick there a number of jar openers that can help you out. These range from simple rubber sheets that offer a secure grip to both the jar and lid (some brute force will still be needed!), to openers that clamp the lid securely as you turn its long handle for levering the lid open.