The Kitchen Decoded: Tools, Tricks, and Recipes for Great Food by Logan Levant Hilary Hattenbach

Author:Logan Levant, Hilary Hattenbach [Logan Levant, Hilary Hattenbach]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Perseus Books, LLC
Published: 2013-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

A BIT OF HISTORY

In 1990, Richard and Jeff Grace, brothers and founders of a photochemical machining company, spent a lot of time avoiding bumping into the super sharp scrap metal lying around their shop. But then it occurred to them that the metal might actually be used to cut something on purpose. After etching small holes into a piece of metal, they ran it across different surfaces to see how well it could cut and shave. It turned out to be the ultimate tool for shaping and cutting wood, and PRESTO, the Microplane wood rasp came to be. So what does this have to do with cooking? Well, in 1994, a woman named Lorraine Lee attempted to make an Armenian orange cake. She became fed up with the imprecision of her box grater, grabbed her husband’s brand new Microplane wood rasp, slid it across the orange peel and was stunned by how deftly it zested the orange into thin shreds. Her husband was selling the rasps at his hardware store, and after Lorraine’s discovery, they updated the tool description to include zesting. Now tons of chefs and home cooks are extremely grateful.

SO WHAT CAN IT DO? AND WHY DO YOU NEED IT?

Available in a range of sizes and colors, this affordable zester/grater, ranging in price from $8–$20, is a favorite amongst pros and home cooks, because it does such a beautiful job of shredding ingredients into super fine threads. Long and sleek, it fits right into a drawer or in a countertop gadget container.

HOW TO USE A MICROPLANE

1. Set up a cutting board, large bowl, or plate under your Microplane to catch all the fine shavings.

2. Hold the grater by the handle at an angle. Make sure the smooth side is facing up and the sharp grating blades face the back.

3. Press the food against the smooth side and move the food down the blade. Hold the Microplane steady.

4. You should only grate down; otherwise you push in the teeth and dull them against the blade.

ITEMS WE LOVE TO MICROPLANE

CHEESE: For hard cheese, use a medium Microplane. For soft cheese, use a wider version. Grate cheese right after you remove it from the fridge. Once it warms up, it softens and is much harder to grate evenly.

CITRUS: Microplane makes a version just for citrus that has two peeling blades on the opposite end of the handle. Make sure to use only the yellow or orange skin/rind of lemons and oranges for zesting, and avoid the white pith, which tastes bitter.

GARLIC: Use the finer texture tool to grate cloves of garlic, but to avoid “garlicifying” all your future ingredients, be sure to clean your Microplane well.

GINGER: Use the fine to medium Microplane for ginger. Freeze ginger ahead of time for easier grating.

JALAPEÑO PEPPERS: Use a medium textured grater. Be sure to clean well after use to avoid transferring heat to other ingredients.

WHOLE NUTMEG: Use a super fine Microplane to grate this spice into your fall desserts and dark bitter greens.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR MICROPLANE

Use a dish brush and dish soap to remove bits of food.

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