Chefs’ Favorite Kitchen & BBQ Tools

ARN: What are your top 5 kitchen tools/equipment?

Chef King Phojanakong, Kuma Inn, NY: My MAC Chef's knife, I can take care of most kitchen jobs with that one knife; A paring knife, for slicing Thai chilies; Japanese mandoline, to make the thinnest and most uniform cuts.  I use this to slice a majority of the vegetables that we pickle at Kuma Inn. My Japanese rice cooker, Makes perfect rice all the time and keeps it warm too.  My vita prep blender:  I make my infused oils, vinaigrettes and purees all in this one machine.

        

Chef Anita Lo, Annisa, NY: I have a spoon that I love. I‘m not really a tool person. I don’t focus so much on the tools, I focus more on the food. The one item that I’m really particular about, it’s about a half-ounce spoon that’s perfect for –spoons are so useful – everything from basting to making canapés, to saucing and so on.

Jake Klein, Pulse, NY: First and foremost, my imagination. After that, a grill, blender, my hands and my favorite knife—a 9-inch Masanobu chef's knife, and skewers.

 
Pichet Ong, P*ONG, NY: Assorted spatula, whisk, mixer, hand blender and juicer.

Jacqueline Newman, editor-in-chief of Flavor and Fortune: Long handled tongs, brush, knife, fork and double hand-held grate—the latter makes for easy flipping/handling.
 
ARN: What is your favorite new kitchen tool/equipment?

King: My vita prep blender is stronger and faster than my previous blender.

Anita: I have an egg opener that I think is really fun. You can take an egg in a shell, raw, and press it over the top, and its percussive action will cut a precise round over top of the egg. So then you can fill the egg back up and use it as a vessel.

Jake: My new rectangular grill.  It's made with the dimensions perfect for grilling satays, yakitori, and anything I want to put on a skewer.

Pichet: Pacojet, dehydrator, thermo-mixer, vacuum sealer, and the stainless steel ball whisk.
 

Jaqueline: I like old friends in tools.

ARN: What do you think is most important kitchen tool/equipment for new chefs?
  
King: A sharp chef's knife.

Jake: Imagination is the most important tool for any chef, young or old.

Pichet: Thermometer

Jacqueline: Good—no, great knives; and a great electric sharpener—to be used before each use.

ARN: What is the most important tool for BBQ?
     
King: Sturdy tongs to work over the high heat.

Jake: I would say depending on what you are making and whether you're
barbecuing (slow long cooking over smoke), or grilling (high heat with
direct contact) the fuel and the grill.

Pichet:  Tongs to pick up grill that goes up in flames.

Jaqueline: Great meat beats great tools!

ARN: Do you have a special technique for BBQ?

King: I like marinating chicken thighs in nam pla and palm sugar.  Thighs are flavorful to begin with and they won't dry out on the grill like breasts do.  Make sure you can identify your hot spots and warm spots on the grill.  It's important to start the chicken on the hotspot to mark it and then to move it to a warm spot to finish cooking it through.  Keep a spray bottle filled with water handy to spray out flare ups. 

Pichet: My special technique for BBQ is to turn and glaze the meats often. The caramelization of the aromatics and sugar from the sauce gives the meats a bittersweet taste that is hallmark of the flavor of BBQ.  And covering the grill is also great because it creates a smoking effect that enhances the flavor of the BBQ.

Jacqueline: Marinating meats really makes a difference. One of the best all-around marinades includes equal parts of dark (black) soy sauce, orange juice, and sugar; to this, add a dozen cloves of minced garlic (or more) and let the meat stay covered in this for four hours to overnight ... the longer the better. During barbecuing, baste with the soy mixture every ten minutes. We began using this goodie with spare ribs and now use it for veal, chicken, fish, and even vegetables.

ARN: What is your favorite BBQ dish?

King: I love marinating thin cut pork chops in a Filipino marinade of soy, vinegar and garlic. It's a 1:1 ratio of soy:vinegar with the addition of water to cut the saltiness and acidity.

Jake: The world of barbecue is too big for me to pick a favorite.

Pichet: My favorite meat of choice for BBQ is baby back ribs, which you don't see very often in Asian restaurants.  But I love it glazed with ginger, sweet sake and hoisin marinade. Chef Ian Kittichai makes a dreamy one with chocolate.

Jacqueline: Korean spare ribs. Use the above marinade, but with a Korean soy sauce, and change the orange juice for ponzu sauce ... all other things remain the same. We love doing short ribs with this marinade, and before marinating them, I like to cut the ribs though the meat and almost to the bone every half-inch (lengthwise and widthwise).  Ask the butcher to cut the bones into two- to three-inch pieces for easier handling.