or freezer tape, customize your own on your home computer, or order small quantities from online companies. Sometimes office supply stores have a nice selection of labels.
Cutting board: A good cutting board protects your knives while providing you with a movable work surface. Wooden cutting boards are my (Amy) material of choice. They are easier on your knives, are self-healing, and withstand a good cleaning. Plastic cutting boards are lighter in weight and less expensive, but they are hard on knives, and the gouges made by knives remain, providing a place for bacteria to hide. Their light weight can also make a plastic board less stable as it can easily move around on your prep surface. You can counter this by placing a kitchen towel down before using a plastic cutting board.
Candy thermometer: A candy thermometer accurately registers the temperature of candy and sugar. In canning, it’s used to check the temperature of cooked items. Some candy thermometers have marks indicating the gel point for jelly (220 degrees). Purchase a candy thermometer that’s easy to read, with a base to support the thermometer so the bulb portion doesn’t touch the bottom of your pan. If this occurs, your temperature reading won’t be accurate. Many come with a clip attached to keep the bulb off of the bottom. If you can, store a second thermometer in a handy location. If you accidentally break one while canning, you will have a backup.
Food scale: A food scale is essential when your canning recipe lists your fruit or vegetables by weight. The two most common types of food scales are spring and electric. Examples of these are shown in Figure 2-4.A spring scale (sometimes referred to as a manual scale) allows you to place a bowl on the scale and manually adjust the weight setting to 0 before weighing your food. After placing your food on the scale, read the indicator on the dial to determine the weight.An electric scale is battery operated with a digital readout. It’s more costly than a spring scale but easier to read. Look for one with a tare feature. This allows you to set the scale to 0 if you add a bowl to hold your food. If you have a choice, choose an electric scale. A food scale with metric quantity markings makes converting recipe ingredients a breeze.
FIGURE 2-4: Two types of food scales: spring and electric.
Important pots, pans, mixing bowls, and more
You probably already have an assortment of pots, pans, and mixing bowls. If not, don’t worry: You don’t need to purchase everything at one time. Start with a basic assortment and add pieces as you find a need for them.
Pots: Pots have two looped handles (one on each side of the pot), range in size from 5 to 8 quarts, are deep, and allow ample space for the expansion of your food during a hard-rolling boil. A good-quality, heavy-bottomed pot provides even heat distribution for cooking jams, jellies, or other condiments.
Saucepans: Saucepans range in size from 1 to 3 quarts. They have a long handle on one side of the pan and usually come with a fitted lid.
Mixing bowls: Keep a variety of mixing bowl sizes in your kitchen. Look for sets in graduated sizes that stack inside each other for easy storage. Bowls made from glass and stainless steel are the most durable. Purchase mixing bowls with flat, not curved, bases. They won’t slide all over your kitchen counter while you work. When mixing vigorously, place a damp dishtowel under the bowl. This prevents the filled bowl from sliding.
Colander: Colanders aren’t just for draining pasta. They’re perfect for washing and draining fruits and vegetables. Simply fill your colander with food and immerse it in a sink full of water. Remove the colander from the water and let your food drain while you move on to other tasks.
Wire basket: A collapsible wire or mesh basket with a lifting handle makes blanching a breeze. (Blanching helps stop the enzyme action in the food, so it stays fresher longer.) Place your filled basket of food into your pot of boiling water. When the blanching time is up, lift the food-filled basket out of the boiling water and then place it into ice water to stop the blanching process.
Specialty equipment to make work easier
All the items in this list are indispensable for your canning chores. They all save you loads of time.
Food processor: Purchase the best-quality food processor you can afford. It should be heavy and sturdy so that it doesn’t bounce around on your kitchen counter as it’s processing away. Figure 2-5 shows one example of a food processor.FIGURE 2-5: A food processor.
Food mill: A food mill (see Figure 2-6) purées fruits and vegetables as it removes the peel and seeds. You accomplish this by manually cranking the blade, which forces the pulp through the mill. Look for a food mill that rests on the edge of your bowl or pot, which enables you to use one hand to stabilize the mill while you crank the blade with your other hand.FIGURE 2-6: A food mill.
Blender: A blender purées fruits and vegetables in a hurry, but you need to remove the peel and seeds first. Be cautious of incorporating too much air into your food with a blender, because trapped air can also trap bacteria.
Vacuum-sealing machines: A vacuum sealer is the most efficient appliance around for removing air from food-storage bags. Use vacuum sealers for packaging dried foods or for storing raw or cooked foods in the freezer. Although it takes up room and can be costly, you’ll realize its full value after you own one. New on the market are hand-held vacuum sealers. They can provide a less-expensive alternative to purchasing a counter-top model.
Add as needed: Handy but nonessential items
The following items aren’t absolutely mandatory, but they’re certainly nice to have (check out Figure 2-7 for a visual). If you don’t already have these items in your kitchen, add them as you find the need for them. They don’t take up a lot of room, and you’ll find yourself constantly reaching for them when you can.
Vegetable peeler: Use this for peeling carrots, potatoes, and apples.
Potato masher: This makes quick work of smashing your cooked fruits or vegetables.
Lemon juicer: This tool works on any citrus fruit and allows you to extract the juice in a hurry. Just cut your fruit in half, insert the juicer point into the fruit, and press away. Measure your juice and keep seeds and pulp out at the same time by squeezing your fruit into a mesh strainer resting on the edge of a measuring cup.
Melon baller: With a melon baller, you can easily remove the seeds from a halved cucumber without having the seeds end up all over your kitchen.FIGURE 2-7: Other handy but nonessential items.
Corer: This tool removes apple cores without damaging the fruit. This is a real timesaver when you’re handling pounds of apples.
Cherry/olive pitter: There’s nothing better for removing cherry and olive pits. Purchase the size of pitter that holds your fruit size.
Canning Equipment
The equipment in this section is especially designed for canning, which means you’ll use it during canning season but not much otherwise. Make sure you store these items in a safe, clean location. And be sure to look over every piece each time you use it to check for wear and tear.
Canning vessels
The kind of food you’ll be canning determines the type of vessel you’ll be using: a water-bath canner or a pressure canner. Refer to Chapters