Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (9 page)

I keep three
vegetable peelers
in the kitchen: one with a regular blade, one with a serrated edge for grabbing on to smooth-skinned vegetables and fruit, and one that makes quick work of julienning zucchini into “spaghetti.” Always keep in mind that peelers aren’t just for peeling—they can also make fine edible shavings of vegetables for garnishes, pickles, and salads.

Rasp Grater

If you’re serious about cooking,
you need a rasp grater.
Originally designed for use by woodworkers, rasp graters have since been adopted by home cooks and culinary pros who use them to finely zest citrus and grate ginger. This grater’s tiny, sharp teeth slice food into delicate ribbons, thereby increasing the surface area of the food and intensifying the flavors that hit your tongue.

Spatulas

Are you tired of your cheap plastic spatulas melting into misshapen lumps of goo? Get some
spatulas with silicone heads.
They’re heat-resistant, non-stick, and food-safe. Pick spatulas with flat heads; that way, you can scrape food against the rim of a bowl or slip it cleanly under the edge of a fried egg.

Tongs

No need to buy anything fancy here; just get
a basic pair of locking tongs with wide-scalloped pincers.

Pepper Mill

If you don’t have one,
get one.
I’m serious. Just about every single one of my recipes demands ground black pepper. Besides, freshly cracked peppercorns taste a bazillion times more intense and flavorful than the stuff that comes out of a shaker.

Measuring Cups + Spoons

When buying liquid
measuring cups
, avoid plastic ones. Go with glass, which will withstand the heat of the steaming broths and sizzling oils you’re going to pour into them. And when selecting
measuring spoons
, choose the narrow, flat-bottomed ones; not only will they actually fit inside the mouths of your spice containers, but you can rest them on your kitchen counter without fear of spills.

Instant-Read Thermometer

Want to prepare perfectly cooked slow-roasted meats? Get yourself an
instant-read probe thermometer
with a display that sits outside the oven. It’s not expensive, so don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish: invest in a good thermometer so you don’t screw up your pricy meat.

Oven Mitts / Gloves

Got an oven? Then you’ll need oven mitts (unless, of course, you happen to be a robot). Yes, towels work fine, too, but I prefer to slip on a pair of
super-heat-resistant Kevlar or Nomex gloves
with five fingers for maximum dexterity.

Wire Racks

You can never have too many
wire racks
. Besides, they don’t take up much storage space. Use them to keep your roasted meats from sitting in a puddle of grease in the oven or to make sure your crispy chicken nuggets don’t go limp and soggy.

Rimmed Baking Sheets

Cookie sheets
can be used for much more than just baking cookies. Use ’em to roast meats and veggies or to crisp up batches of kale chips.

Skillets (8-inch + 12-inch)

For just a fraction of the cost of copper or clad metal cookware,
cast-iron skillets
offer super-efficient heat conduction and retention. Once properly seasoned, cast iron develops a natural nonstick finish, and doesn’t react to or absorb the flavors of the food you’re cooking. To maintain these skillets, scrub them clean with hot water (but no soap or detergent), and then wipe them dry before rubbing a bit of melted fat onto all surfaces. If you’re cooking acidic foods, however, use enameled cast-iron or stainless steel pans with copper or aluminum cores.

Saucepan

A
saucepan
is essentially a high-sided pan. This little pot is super-versatile: use a saucepan for everything from boiling eggs to heating leftovers.

Dutch Oven

A
Dutch oven
is a heavy, enamel-coated, high-sided pot made of cast iron. With excellent heat retention and tight-fitting lids, these pots help ensure even cooking and are perfect for soups, braises, and stews. Sear meat in a Dutch oven on the stove, and then pop it into the oven to finish cooking. Dutch ovens can be expensive, so if you’re still saving up for one, use a heavy-gauge pot with a lid for now.

Stockpot

You probably have room for just one stockpot, so
get one that’s big enough to handle a multitude of tasks
, from simmering broths to boiling crabs.

Food Processor

Food processors
can be expensive, but focus on value rather than cost. Think about it: Would you rather be hanging out with your family and friends, or weeping over a cutting board piled high with raw onions and wishing you’d bought a food processor?

Blender

Immersion blenders
(also known as stick blenders) aren’t expensive, and they’re perfect for quickly puréeing soups, sauces, marinades, and mashes—as well as for whipping up condiments like
Paleo Mayonnaise
. A
full-sized blender
can accomplish the same thing (I’m awfully fond of my high-powered Vitamix), but an immersion blender is often the best choice for lazy home cooks like me who don’t want to wash a bunch of extra stuff.

Pressure Cooker + Slow Cooker

Ready to read my love letters to these time-saving appliances?

P
ressure cooking is a game-changer—especially for home cooks with hectic schedules like me. When I’m pressed for time but craving foods that usually take forever to prepare (like bone broth, tough cuts of meat, or braised winter vegetables),
I turn to one of my pressure cookers
. Dinner will be on the table in minutes instead of hours.

B
ut what
is
a pressure cooker?

A
pressure cooker is a specialized pot with a locking, airtight lid and a valve system that regulates the internal temperature. These pots can raise the temperature of boiling water under pressure, thereby cooking food faster. When a sealed pot is heated, the pressure from the steam raises the temperature up to
250
°F, forcing the steam—a fantastically efficient heat conductor—through foods, thus shortening the cooking time by as much as two-thirds. What’s more, with all the liquids kept in the pot, the contents are guaranteed to be tender and concentrated with intense flavors. Pressure-cooked foods also retain all the nutrients that ordinarily get lost in the cooking process.

A
lthough pressure cookers are popular in many parts of the world, many home cooks in Western societies have never used one. If you’re among the uninitiated, don’t be afraid to try it. Pressure cookers have been around for
300
years, and modern versions are packed to the gills with safety features and back-up safety valves, so accidents are exceedingly rare. Like riding a bicycle, pressure cooking can seem tricky and daunting at first, but with just a little practice, you’ll soon revel in the freedom it affords you. Whee!