Feature Article: Tools of the Trade

Wooden spoons are more versatile and durable than they first appear and are found in most professional kitchens. Diane Conroy’s spoon was a gift from her mother before Conroy got married, and she uses it to make many of her cookies and desserts. 

(This is a feature article that appeared in the Times Leader on Sunday, May 10, 2015)

From classic Julia Child to programs that feature weird foods in exotic places, Americans are obsessed with food and cooking. Their appetites aren’t satisfied there, but branch out to kitchen renovation shows and infomercials that tout the trendiest must-haves. An internet search for “kitchen gadgets” yields  a $20 egg topper (for soft-boiled eggs,) a $90 corkscrew, a $700 home espresso machine, a $100 tabletop unit that cuts potatoes into French fries and a $34 heated butter knife.  

A great craftsman, no matter what the task, is not determined by the latest or most expensive gadgets and utensils. But having the right tools and knowing how to use them can certainly contribute to success. The three cooking professionals interviewed for this article did not mention an avocado slicer/pitter or a $500 frozen smoothie maker in their lists of must-haves. Instead, their go-to tools of choice are practical and even humble.

 And it doesn’t get much more humble than a wooden spoon. Diane Conroy, caterer, baker and owner of A Cookie Jar, says one of her most prized tools is a wooden spoon that her mother gave her nearly 40 years ago. Conroy grew up in a Greek/Italian family where everyone learned their way around the kitchen practically as toddlers.

“This spoon has been through it all, seen it all and done it all,” she explains. “My hands, my children’s hands, and lots of friends and family have used this spoon throughout the years. Its handle is slightly bowed from all the use.”

Researchers speculate that spoon-like utensils have been around since the Paleolithic era, but were definitely utilized by the Egyptians 3,000 years ago. Wooden spoons were often part of the precious few possessions that settlers carried with them, and they were even passed down through generations. Native Americans carved spoons and sold them to the new colonists.

Cooks today still consider them important to have on hand, and there seems to be a resurgence in wooden spoon popularity. The best are made from hardwoods like apple, maple, teak, cherry, hickory, olive wood, birch and ebony for durability and wood density. Many cooks have one for sweet recipes and one for savory because strong foods or spices can flavor the wood. Wood doesn’t conduct heat, so it stays cool in the pan; it is non-reactive with acid and won’t taint the cooking foods; wood is safe for non-stick coatings and won’t scratch metal pots and pans.

“Every brownie I’ve ever made was made with a wooden spoon, never a mixer. I use the spoon instead of a mixer in a lot of recipes because it gives it a different texture.”

Diane Conroy, baker and caterer, with one of her favorite kitchen tools. This model of the KitchenAid mixer is made in Ohio and has been a standard with professionals for 80 years. 

Conroy, however, won’t part with her KitchenAid mixer, either, and considers it another kitchen essential for serious home cooks and bakers. With all of the attachments available, she not only uses it in much of her baking, but for making pasta and ravioli and grinding and stuffing sausage.

Chef Mark Glass, a chef for more than 35 years and now a chef instructor at West Virginia Northern Community College Culinary Arts program, agrees with Conroy and places his KitchenAid mixer in his top three kitchen tools. The one he uses at home once or twice a week is over 20 years old.

The first KitchenAid mixer was developed by the Hobart Company for Whirlpool in 1918 and was built at the Troy Metal Products factory in Springfield, Ohio. It was called the C-10 and was a 10 quart commercial grade developed for bakeries. It was soon added to US Navy ship galleys as standard equipment. KitchenAid’s first stand mixer was produced a year later and during the 1930s became the iconic “K” model with the familiar shape. Attachments from the first “K” mixers fit today’s model, and vice versa.

These first home mixers were sold door-to-door by women, and by the end of the decade the company sold out every Christmas. During World War II, the Springfield factory closed, but when production resumed after the war, it was moved to a larger facility in Greenville, Ohio, where they are still made today.

“They’re very well made. I couldn’t use it every day in a commercial kitchen, but for 20 years of home use—we’re talking about a whole generation,” Glass says.

Glass also uses his Cuisineart Food Processor often for chopping and pureeing. He notes, though, that all aspiring and accomplished cooks learn and develop knife skills first.

“That’s probably the most important kitchen tool for anyone—a good set of sharp knives,” he continues. “You need at least a chef’s knife, paring and boning knives and a sharpening stone. You can find good knives for $25 to $35 each, too. You don’t have to spend $100 on a knife. I don’t think I’ve ever paid $100 for a knife.”  

Chef Mark Glass, culinary arts chef and instructor at West Virginia Northern Community College, with a professional mandoline (used for slicing and cutting julienne strips) and one of his wish list items, a Robot Coupe, a super-charged food processor for commercial kitchens. 

In fact, Dean Baranth, chef/owner of Ideal Provisions food truck and catering, gave knives two of his top three slots when asked for his favorite tools: his off-set serrated knife and 10 inch chef’s knife.

“I can cut a loaf of bread, slice roast beef on a buffet line, slice a sandwich in half or open a can with [my serrated knife,]” says Baranth. “My mum bought me [the chef’s] knife when I was going off to college for culinary arts. I use this knife for everything. The tip broke off years ago, but sharpening it almost every day, you can't tell it was ever broken.”

Knives, like spoons, are thousands of years old and began as sharp rocks and shells. Around 3000 BCE, humans began fashioning copper then bronze into knives and swords. Eventually, because of their rich natural resources available for manufacturing, Germany and Japan emerged as world centers for swords and weaponry, which led to knives.

Their designs, philosophies and materials were different regarding swords and knives, though. Germany’s were made of softer but heavier, rugged steel, and the edges weren’t pinprick sharp, but got the job done. The knife blade had a slightly rounded shape, allowing the user to “rock” the blade and chop foods. The Japanese developed blades made from thin layers of different types of steel. This meant that they could be sharpened to precision without breaking and be lighter to carry and wield. Their knife blade was straighter across than the German counterpart, making it better for slicing, drawing the knife toward the user.

Today, knives have evolved into more hybrid versions with advancements in design and materials. Reviews and hundreds of options are available online, but anyone serious about starting a useful collection should hold the knives to gauge its ergonomics, comfort and weight in the hand.

Baranth’s business is, much of the time, barbeque, so his other favorite go-to tool is a “reverse flow, off-set stick burner smoker, used for “kissing” all their meats in a hickory, apple, cherry and Alabama peach wood smoke bath. A “bigger smoker” is on Baranth’s wish list of gadgets, so that he can better accommodate his growing clientele, and Glass also put a smoker on his wish list.

Glass and Conroy noted pumped-up versions of two of their favorite tools when it came to things they’d like to have someday. Glass picked out a Robot Coupe—a high-powered, “super Cuisineart” with all the attachments. Conroy says she’d like a KitchenAid Red Proline Series with a 7 quart bowl and lift.

“Imagine 16 cups of flour,” she adds. “Goosebumps!”      

For more information on culinary arts classes and dinners at West Virginia Northern Community College, visit www.wvncc.edu or call (304) 233-5900.

To find out where the Ideal Provisions truck will be daily or for catering information, see the Ideal Provisions Facebook page.

Conroy sells baked goods at the Ohio Valley Farmers Market from June to October and desserts at Food by Jane. See the Facebook pages for Diane Conroy or the Rock Hill Presbyterian Church for her upcoming cooking classes.   

Dean Baranth, chef/owner of Ideal Provisions, says his chef’s knife, a gift from his mother, is indispensable. Home cooks should be able to build their own sets affordably with a little research.