Tools and Equipment: Selection, Use and Care
Categories of equipment
Know three groups: large fixed equipment (ranges, ovens, bratt pans, steamers, fryers, refrigerators), powered small equipment (mixers, food processors, blenders, slicers, vacuum packers) and hand tools (knives, whisks, spatulas, mandolines, scales, thermometers). Each question usually asks for the correct tool for a task or the correct safety practice.
Knives and cuts
The chef's knife is the workhorse; the boning knife is flexible for meat; the filleting knife is long and flexible for fish; the serrated knife cuts bread and tomatoes; the palette knife lifts and spreads. Standard cuts: brunoise (3 mm dice), julienne (matchsticks about 3 mm × 40 mm), bâtonnet (about 6 mm × 40 mm), chiffonade (shredded leaves), paysanne (thin slices or triangles). A sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it does not slip.
Care and maintenance
Wash knives by hand, dry immediately, store on a magnetic strip or in a block, never in a sink. Wooden boards need oiling; plastic boards can be dishwashed. Refrigerators need daily temperature checks (0–5 °C for cold rooms, below −18 °C for freezers) and regular defrosting. Slicers and mincers must be unplugged and locked off before cleaning, and blades guarded.
Measuring tools
Use digital probe thermometers for core temperatures, scales for weight (never volume for dry ingredients), measuring jugs at eye level for liquids, and a saccharometer for sugar syrups.
Worked example
A recipe needs 500 g of carrot cut into 3 mm cubes. That is brunoise. Use the chef's knife, cut into 3 mm slices, then 3 mm batons, then 3 mm cubes - the same three-step logic applies to julienne and bâtonnet, just with different dimensions.
Traps
Confusing julienne with chiffonade; assuming a food processor replaces a knife for precision cuts; forgetting to unplug equipment before cleaning.