When we see a chef prepare a meal on T.V., the natural inclination is to want to replicate it. If you want to be a culinary genius in the kitchen, it helps to have the right tools.  Every cook needs a core set of utensils to use to prepare his meals But, in addition to this core set, there are other items, that while not mandatory, make life easier in the kitchen.

Basting brushes – these are used to baste meats, cooked vegetables, and so on with fat, stock, or some other liquid. This is not a necessary tool because you can baste with a spoon – as many home cooks regularly do. A brush does, however, let you baste with the liquids in a more even fashion. In addition, a bush lets you “paint” the liquid into places that would be hard to reach with a spoon.

Vegetable brush – nobody likes to eat dirty vegetables. Many cooks like to clean vegetables such as carrots and potatoes by scraping off their skin and rinsing them under water. But some cooks that are really into healthy eating, use organic vegetables and hate throwing away what they consider to be an essential part of the vegetable. In many vegetables the skin has more nutrients than the other parts of the plant. In addition, it contains roughage which is good for you. These cooks will simply use a vegetable brush to clean the dirt off the skin.

Tongs – the really experienced cooks may consider tongs a luxury as they do just fine using forks and even their fingers. For the less experienced cook, however, they prevent burns. They also make it easier to remove those pieces of chicken and other foods from the fryer. They are an excellent replacement for a person’s hands. When a piece of food is done cooking on one side, instead of using your hands and fingers to turn the food, you can use your tongs.

And like the items mentioned above, you may feel that you need the best stainless steel grills and appliances, or the most expensive calphalon stainless steel waterless cookware, or state of the art stainless steel bar sinks. And often you don’t these things. But they sure make the cooking experience fun.