Hot off the presses, my August column A Man’s Perspective for Simply KC Magazine: Building the Man’s Kitchen.

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A Man's Perspective - Building the Man's Kitchen, Simply KC Magazine, Aug 2011. p1

A Man's Perspective - Building the Man's Kitchen, Simply KC Magazine, Aug 2011. p2

Simply KC Magazine, August 2011
A Man’s Perspective
by Marshall Matlock

Building the Man’s Kitchen

Gentlemen: ask any woman and she’ll tell you, after actual sexiness and a sense of humor, there’s nothing more attractive than a man who can handle himself in the kitchen. Just like installing a garbage disposal or assembling your kid’s new bicycle on Christmas Eve, having the right tools is half the battle. While it’s certainly possible to drop some serious coin on high-end kitchen tools, it’s not required. There are some excellent, high-quality essentials out there at bargain prices for you to build a serviceable kitchen tool chest in no time.

The Knife
If you have only one knife, make it an 8-inch chef’s knife. It’s a kitchen workhorse that can perform nearly any cutting task you’ll need. Use it like a pro: pinch the blade between your thumb and forefinger, keep the tip on the board and rock it. You don’t need different sized knives for different jobs. A chef’s knife can accomplish any kitchen task…use the heel for chopping and the tip for paring. In the kitchen, the multitasker is king. Although wielding a heavy, expensive German chef’s knife sends a message to your dinner guests that you’re serious about your cooking, I get far more use out of my Victorinox. It’s light, easy to sharpen and the Fibrox handle maintains its grip even when wet or coated in chicken fat. The Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife is available for $33.95 at Index Restaurant Supply in Kansas City’s River Market (see footer for contact information). While you’re down there, pick up a plastic cutting board. Plastic is much easier to keep clean than wood so you won’t have to worry about the risk of cross-contamination after plopping down that 32 ounce raw porterhouse. Get the largest board that will fit in your dishwasher.

So you have your knife. Now what? It would help to know how to use it properly. The best recommendation I can make to the home cook to improve their knife skills is to pick up a copy of Jacques Pépin’s Complete Techniques. Pepin’s book illustrates the correct way to attack any knife-related task in the kitchen, but it’s also an encyclopedic reference for a multitude of cooking techniques. It will become an invaluable resource in your kitchen.

The Pot
There are a multitude of specialized pots out there that perform their tasks well, but if I had only one pot in my kitchen, it would be an enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven. It can perform any task a comparably sized stockpot can, but the cast iron adds a weight and thickness that produce a more efficient distribution of heat. It’s the one pot that can sear meat on the stovetop, then be lidded and moved to the oven to finish cooking. I use mine when I make beans, any stew or soup, chili, no-knead bread, when I deep fry and especially when I’m braising meat. You should be braising, if you aren’t. It’s the only way to transform cheap, flavorful cuts of meat into tender deliciousness. It’s also the cooking method most likely to elicit moans of pleasure from anyone entering your home wanting to know what smells so good. The best enameled dutch ovens are made by Le Creuset and cost over $200 for models over 6 quarts, which you want. If you’re looking for the best quality out there, one that you’ll pass down to your kids, stop by Pryde’s Old Westport (see footer) and pick one up. However, there is a good alternative available at Walmart: the Tramontina 6.5-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven for $39. This bargain model doesn’t have years of testing behind it to prove its durability, but it performed very well in recent testing by Cook’s Illustrated.

The Pan
Here’s where you’ll really get what you pay for. Cooking equipment manufacturers would like you to believe that you’re getting a great deal on that 16-piece celebrity chef-branded set of pots and pans, but you aren’t. Save that money and put it into one good 12-inch stainless steel skillet. This is the pan you will use to sear and roast meat and fish, make pan sauces, sauté vegetables and to properly reheat delivery pizza. The stainless steel surface is important because it allows the pan to collect those tasty brown bits (the pros call them “fond”) when searing meat that are essential to building a pan sauce. Nonstick can’t give you those. All Clad is the consensus brand favorite by people in the know, but it isn’t cheap (about $150 at Williams-Sonoma). If you’re looking for a bargain alternative, just make sure it’s stainless steel with a clad aluminum core, heavy-bottomed and has a metal handle so you can throw that thick ribeye under the broiler to finish cooking without worrying about melting the grip.

Once you have the tools, the only way to develop the proper technique is to practice. Pick up a subscription to Cook’s Illustrated magazine and start trying out the recipes that sound good to you. While there are certainly other tools that will become necessary as you become more adept in the kitchen, these basics will get you on your feet and allow you to include this line in your arsenal: “Hey, why don’t I make you dinner?”

Where to buy it?
Victorinox Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board
Index Restaurant Supply
521 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64105
816.842.9122

Le Creuset Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Pryde’s Old Westport
115 Westport Road
Kansas City, MO 64111
816.531.5588

Tramontina Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Walmart
(select locations)
800.925.6278

All-Clad Stainless Steel 12-inch Skillet
Williams-Sonoma
Country Club Plaza or Town Center
877.812.6235

“A Man’s Perspective” appears monthly in Simply KC Magazine. You can view my archived columns here. If you have any ideas you’d like me to explore, let me know. I’d love to investigate and include them in an upcoming column.