What non-knives do you use regularly?

[Ericfg]

This is what comes out of my kit every day when I start work. The board scraper I use all day moving product from the cutting board to a container. The rubber spat I us a lot as well since I'm in the Robot Coupe often and we only have the full size spatulas at my current gig. The timer I use quite often, and it still surprises me so few of my coworkers use a timer.
Anyhow, what do you guys use?

 

[GorillaGrunt]

Tweezers, fish bone tweezers, Thermapen. Peeler I don’t use too often but I keep my good one in my bag so I have it when I need it, the good fish spat is technically mine but I’ve let that loose into circulation.

 

[daveb]

Rosle tongs are always in my bag. Next to a good knife I want a good set of tongs. I carry a couple spoons, Y peeler, zester, other stuff.

 

[orangehero]

The timer I use quite often, and it still surprises me so few of my coworkers use a timer.

At some point you get an internal timer

 

[Ericfg]

At some point you get an internal timer

I had a low-level "chef" tell me that years ago when discussing dinner rolls and the timer on the oven said rolls were cooked in.
'Chef' Kiko is now doing construction or retail work and 30 years later I am still not burning anything because I use a timer.

I get that some can stand in front of the oven and wait for their project to get done. But I've got the day's protein, starch and veg to get cooked, plus the day's second special to get done and I've got one helper for all that. And, I've got tomorrow' soup to prep, and sometimes dessert to get done. And tonight's app; that ain't gonna prep itself.
So yeah, I need a reminder that something's in the oven or on high on the stove. Or worse, I need to remember when to clock out and back in for my corporate break.

I watched my lunch cook today scraping the burned bread off a grilled pastrami sandi because she had no timer, either internal or external. Either you know enough to stand there and watch it, or you set a timer. Or, as a shoemaker, you get burnt shite.

Internal timer forsooth.

 

[orangehero]

Honestly I've only ever seen shoemaker's with their own personal timer. Maybe not relying on a timer is a macho thing with the Hispanics? The timer on the oven does get used but I've seen it fail plenty of times too.

 

[Kippington]

"Hey Google, set a timer for 5 minutes."

 

[Alder26]

Rosle tongs are always in my bag. Next to a good knife I want a good set of tongs. I carry a couple spoons, Y peeler, zester, other stuff.

One of my first chefs made the very good point that tongs are in your hand as much, or more than your knife, so you might as well buy a pair you like.

 

[Alder26]

My knife tray usually had a Lavatools Pro thermo, GIR silicon mini spat (for cleaning the last 2oz of a vitamin), sharpies, Joyce Chen snips (if we were running shrimp), fish tweezer. We were lucky enough to have timers provided.

Now I just stare at my knife rack for ten minutes before I cook dinner, trying to figure out which one knife gets a few min of game time. . . .

 

[GorillaGrunt]

Yeah the timer isn’t so much for not overcooking things as for not forgetting they exist. lets say 90-something percent of the time I walk over to the timer and it’s a few seconds from beeping ... and then every so often a timer goes off and it’s like oh yeah, I sure was doing something.

brief aside: worked with a cook once that was such a nice guy, but not actually smart enough. He burned some crostini and I suggested that while cooking during setup and cleanup he set a timer that didn’t have to be exact, merely to remind him that he was cooking. He put new crostini in the oven and set the timer for seven minutes. “Okay,” I said, “but you have to set it for less time than it takes to burn the food.”

 

[Michi]

This bench scraper is probably the most-used tool in my kitchen, other than knives.

It's good for lots of things. Cleaning residue off the cutting board, transferring ingredients from the board into a pot or pan, dividing and shaping dough, pushing stuff around on a board, scraping down the bench after making bread, etc.

 

[daveb]

M, You really should get that thing rehandled......

 

[Chuckles]

I really don’t cook that much at work. When I do it is for small intimate private events. The kitchens are set up to do 600 people so cooking for ten is awkward. This is the little roll I keep for these scenarios. I can roll up my 180 Gengetsu petty in the middle and am good to go.

 

[daveb]

Fish spat is going back in mine. If I don't carry one, I need one. If I do carry one, I don't need one. Seared and plated 40 portions of swordfish last nite with a house grill spat. What a POS. Life is too short.

 

[Illyria]

What is everyone's go to fish spatula?

I somehow don't have one, haha.

 

[LazerTornado]

What is everyone's go to fish spatula?

I somehow don't have one, haha.

I quite like my Mercer Hell's Handle. I've also got a Wusthof I was given as a gift that I despise.

 

[GorillaGrunt]

I don’t like fat handles, skinny wood ones like Winco or Victorinox all the way

 

[btbyrd]

In nonstick pans I use a Matfer exoglass fish spatula. In stainless or carbon, I use a Global GS-27. It costs the most, so it must be the best.

 

[juice]

It costs the most, so it must be the best.

Perfectly reasonable metric to use.

"Hey Google, set a timer for 5 minutes."

Yeah, I do the same with Madam A. Extremely useful in all parts of my life: "Alexa, remind me in 40 minutes to hang out the washing" #ADHDlife

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Timers had wind up & set with ringer next to my cutting station. As Eric said might have three diff. things cooking at once while cutting prep for banquets. Also red handle spatula, 1 qt. measuring cup, tongs, chinese bamboo handle strainer, fish tweezers.

These days retired still use wind up timer with loud ring I'd be lost without it watching TV
Still use fish tweezers too & Tanaka fish Deba that Dave posted about a year ago.

 

[M1k3]

Perfectly reasonable metric to use.


Yeah, I do the same with Madam A. Extremely useful in all parts of my life: "Alexa, remind me in 40 minutes to hang out the washing" #ADHDlife

"Alexa, play something my wife doesn't find amusing on tablet in 15 minutes."

 

[juice]

"Alexa, play something my wife doesn't find amusing on tablet in 15 minutes."

I've been married twice as long as you, bloke, and I have learned not to do that sort of thing

 

[M1k3]

I've been married twice as long as you, bloke, and I have learned not to do that sort of thing

34+ years? Congratulations.

 

[juice]

34+ years? Congratulations.

26, close enough

 

[YumYumSauce]

I really like using the smaller whisk, offset and rubber spat for the line. Much less bulky and nimbler to use. Also have a collection of spoons, smaller twizzers, and broken 4k splash and go just in case.

 

[Ericfg]

I really like using the smaller whisk,

That reminds me... I used to have a small whisk like that and it was so handy dandy. Even had silicone covered wires. It mysteriously disappeared one day when my back was turned.
Thankfully only that whisk, a cheapo Chinese ceramic paring knife and Peterson's 'Sauces' are my biggest losses through theft in my 20+ years in the kitchens.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Your lucky Eric, small whisks, red handle spatulas, measuring pitchers, pepper mill. I'd find stuff with my initials on it in outlet above us. Never lost a knife mine were carbon most used stainless.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Sorry mistake earlier post meant Watanabe fish Deba Dave posted. We eat a lot of fish it gets used great tool for good size mahi mahi use it most for smaller fish.

 

[dough]

Man this is a fun thread. I carry so little anymore. Honestly I carry more legit tools anymore. The kitchen tasks sure exist but fixing ridiculous **** like the breaker bar or the drain for the pasta cooker or the pilot on the fryer isn’t working right or the rivets on the pot we use are too loose... those are the things that own my time and thoughts anymore. I love when my day is hey clean these fish and filet but all too often anymore that’s for my guys/girls. Also I love their excitement to do that stuff. So I’ll stick to the crap jobs like unclogging the sinks and remounting the soap dispenser.
Just adding my favorite non-knife tools are a small shop vac and a small impact drill.

 

[kidsos]

Could not survive without these tools!