![]() Today, scales are used regularly at Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse to measure everything from the smoked meats for sandwiches to the cheese that goes into the mac and cheese sauce. ![]() “It’s a humble tool, but simple things like that are the cornerstone of our kitchens,” says the chef, who first started using a scale to portion out roast turkey for sandwiches at Pangaea Bier Cafe a decade ago. The kitchen tool most favored by Greg Desmangles is perhaps underappreciated by home cooks: a scale. “We slice the plantains, then smash them and fry them again, and this thing really helps the whole process go so much quicker.” As for Serrano-Class, she loves that the simple gadget keeps her eatery “authentic to our Puerto Rican heritage.” Greg DesmanglesĬulinary director, Urban Roots Hospitality Group Chef Greg Desmangles. It has become my favorite tool,” proclaims Tozier, who had previously been using a metal tortilla press for the repetitive task. The small, paddle-shaped device, made of wood with brass hinges, has one job: to smash plantains for making tostones, those heavenly fried plantain disks that are a staple of Latin American cuisine. Photo by Tyler Mussetter.Īt Lola’s Lounge, the eclectic pan-Latin restaurant on the edge of midtown, chef Janey Tozier swears by the tostonera that owner Lola Serrano-Class picked up for her on a recent trip to Puerto Rico. Head chef, Lola’s Lounge Chef Janey Tozier. I’ve used this tool more than anything else in the world.” I’m far more precise with this knife than any other. “The weight and balance of a knife is the thing you get used to the most. He can’t imagine working with any other knife. It goes where I go.” In fact, Williams transports it back and forth to work in a Craftsman toolbox. “When it’s in my hand, it feels like it’s part of me. “I’ve had it for something like 30 years-so long that I don’t know the brand because the markings have long ago worn off,” he says. Deneb Williamsįor Deneb Williams, who helms the kitchen at upscale Allora in East Sacramento, there is no separating him from his most reliable tool: a 10-inch chef’s knife with a folded Damascus steel blade. Here’s what they had to say about the indispensable implements that make working in a hectic restaurant kitchen easier. For fun, we asked three local chefs about the one kitchen item they just can’t live without. Ask any serious cook if they have a favorite kitchen tool or gadget and you’re liable to hear plenty of strongly held opinions about the best silicone-tipped tongs, the perfect sauté pan or the ideal immersion blender.
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