DIFFERENT COOKING TOOLS UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT AND THEIR USES

Alternative Purpose in food

Name Design Image
names preparation

To remove the core and

Apple
pips from apples and
corer
similar fruits

To cut apple and similar

Apple fruits easily while
Cf. peeler
cutter simultaneously removing
the core and pips.

An implement resembling a
simple pipette, consisting of a
tube to hold the liquid, and a
rubber top which makes use
of a partial vacuum to control
Used during cooking to
the liquid's intake and
Baster cover meat in its own
release. The process of
juices or with a sauce.
drizzling the liquid over meat
is called basting when a
pastry brush is used in place
of a baster, it is known as
a basting brush.

Beanpot

Generally made of metal or

plastic, with fairly sharp edges
Biscuit mould, to cut through dough. Some
Biscuit
Cookie cutter, Shaping biscuit dough biscuit cutters simply cut
cutter
Cookie mould through dough that has been
rolled flat, others also imprint
or mould the dough's surface.

It consists of a cylinder with a

plunger on one end which is
used to extrude cookie dough
through a small hole at the
A device for making other end. Typically the
Biscuit
Cookie press pressed cookies such cookie press has
press
as spritzgebck. interchangeable perforated
plates with holes in different
shapes, such as a star shape
or a narrow slit to extrude the
dough in ribbons.
 Commonly used to create
Blowtorch, a hard layer of
Blow torch
blowlamp caramelized sugar in
a crme brle.[2]

A disc with a raised rim,

designed to ensure an even
distribution of temperature
throughout the pot. This
Milk watcher, Preventing liquids from preventing bubbles from
Boil over
Milk guard, boiling over outside of the forming in liquids such as
preventer
Pot minder pot milk, or water which contains
starch (for instance if used to
cook pasta). Can be made of
metal, glass or ceramic
materials.

Bottle Twists the metal cap off

opener of a bottle

A round, open topped

container, capable of holding
To hold food, including
liquid. Materials used to make
Bowl food that is ready to be
bowls vary considerably, and
served
include wood, glass and
ceramic materials.

A serrated blade made of

metal, and long enough to
slice across a large loaf of
bread. Using a sawing
Bread knife To cut soft bread
motion, instead of pushing
force as with most knives, it is
possible to slice the loaf
without squashing it.

Generally made of glass or

Used in a microwave porcelain to absorb heat,
Browning Browning plate,
oven to help turn food which helps colour the layer
tray Browning bowl
brown of food in contact with its
surface.

Butter Used to produce

curler decorative butter shapes.
 This utensil typically features
a thin edge to assist with
To cut slices in pies or
Cake and Cake shovel, slicing, and a large face, to
cakes, and then transfer
pie server pie cutter hold the slice whilst
to a plate or container
transferring to a plate, bowl or
other container.

The cutting edge of cheese

Designed to cut soft,
Cheese cutters are typically a fine
sticky cheeses (moist and
cutter gauge stainless steel or
oily).
aluminium wire.

Cheese
Used to cut cheese.
knife

Used to cut semi-hard

Cheese and hard cheeses. It
slicer produces thin, even
slices.

A gauzed cotton cloth, used

to remove whey from cheese
Cheeseclot To assist in the formation
curds, and to help hold the
h of cheese
curds together as the cheese
is formed.

Originally used to slice

large cuts of beef, it is
Chef's
now the general utility
knife
knife for most Western
cooks.

Used for the removal of

Cherry
Olive stoner pits (stones) from
pitter
cherries or olives.
 Straining substances
such as custards, soups
Chinois Chinoise A conical sieve
and sauces, or to dust
food with powder

Clay pot

Hacking through bone or

slicing large vegetables
(such as squash). The
Cleaver knife's broad side can A large broad bladed knife.
also be used for crushing
in food preparation (such
as garlic).

A bowl-shaped container with

holes, typically made from
Used for draining plastic or metal. It differs from
Colander substances cooked in a sieve due to its larger holes,
water allowing larger pieces of food,
such as pasta, to be drained
quickly.

Pierces and removes a

Corkscrew
cork from a bottle.

A clamping device, similar in

Crab Used to crack the shell of design to a nutcracker but
Lobster cracker
cracker a crab or lobster larger, with ridges on the
inside to grip the shell.[2]

Usually smaller and lighter

Cutting A portable board on than butcher's blocks,
board which food can be cut. generally made from wood or
plastic.

Most dough scrapers consist

Bench scraper, To shape or cut dough, of handle wide enough to be
Dough
Scraper, and remove dough from a held in one or two hands, and
scraper
Bench knife worksurface an equally wide, flat, steel
face.
 Tableware, such as plates,
Edible
glasses, utensils and cutlery,
tableware
that is edible

Pierces the air pocket of

an eggshell with a small
needle to keep the shell
from cracking during
Egg
hard-boiling. If both ends
piercer
of the shell are pierced,
the egg can be blown out
while preserving the shell
(for crafts).

Holds a raw egg, and is

Egg placed inside a pot of
poacher boiling water to poach an
egg.

A slotted spoon-like
Egg utensil used to separate
separator the yolk of an egg from
the egg white.

Consists of a slotted dish for

Slicing peeled, hard-
holding the egg and a hinged
Egg slicer boiled eggs quickly and
plate of wires or blades that
evenly.
can be closed to slice.[3]

Historical designs range

considerably,
from hourglasses, to
Used to correctly time the mechanical or electronic
Egg timer
process of boiling eggs. timers, to electronic devices
which sense the water
temperature and calculate the
boiling rate.
 A long, narrow knife with
a finely serrated blade,
Fillet knife
used to slice fine filet cuts
of fish or other meat.

Used to remove the

Fish scaler Urokotori scales from the skin of
fish before cooking

Used for lifting or turning

Fish slice Spatula, turner
food during cooking

Blends flour with other

Flour sifter ingredients and aerates it
in the process.[4]

Typically consists of a bowl, a

plate with holes like a
Used to mash or sieve colander, and a crank with a
Food mill
soft foods. bent metal blade which
crushes the food and forces it
through the holes.

Used to channel liquid or

fine-grained substances A pipe with a wide, conical
Funnel
into containers with a mouth and a narrow stem.
small opening.[2]

Presses garlic cloves to

Garlic create a puree,
press functioning like a
specialized ricer.

Finely serrated knife for

Grapefruit separating segments of
knife grapefruit or other citrus
fruit.[5]
 Cheese grater,
Grater
Shredder

A small pouring jug that

separates roast
Gravy Gravy
meat drippings from
strainer separator
melted fat, for making
gravy.[2]

Herb Chops or minces raw

chopper herbs.

Honey
Drizzles honey.
dipper

A ladle is a type
of serving spoon used
Ladle
for soup, stew, or other
foods.

Used to slash the tops of

Lame bread loaves
in artisan baking.

A juicer with a fluted peak

at the end of a short
Lemon
handle, where a half a
reamer
lemon is pressed to
release the juice.

A juicer, similar in Operated by pressing the fruit

Lemon function to a lemon against a fluted peak to
squeezer reamer, with an attached release the juice into the
bowl. bowl.
 A long-handled, narrow
pick, used to pull meat
Lobster
Lobster fork out of narrow legs and
pick
other parts of a lobster or
crab.[2]

Mandoline

Mated
colander
pot

The Pyrex-brand traditional

measuring cup (the Anchor
Hocking-brand look-alike is
shown, right) is available in 1
cup (8 ounce), 2 cup (16
Measuring Measuring jug,
ounce), 4 cup (32 ounce) and
cup Measuring jar
8 cup (64 ounce) sizes and
includes U.S. customary units
in quarter, third, half and two-
thirds cup increments, as well
as metric units.

Typically sold in a set that

measures dry or wet
Measuring ingredients in amounts
spoon from 1/4 teaspoon (1.25
ml) up to 1 tablespoon
(15 ml).[6]

Operated with a hand-

Meat crank, this presses meat
Mincer
grinder through a chopping
or pureeing attachment.

Meat
tenderiser
Meat
thermomet
er

Small scoop used to

Melon make smooth balls of
baller melon or other fruit, or
potatoes.[5]

To finely and consistently

Mezzaluna chop/mince foods,
especially herbs.

To zest citrus fruits or

Microplane finely grate hard foods
such as cheese.

Generally made from either

porcelain or wood, the mortar
is shaped as a bowl. The
Mortar and To crush food, releasing pestle, generally shaped like
Molcajete
pestle flavours and aromas a small club, is used to
forcefully squeeze ingredients
such as herbs against the
mortar.[7]

To crack open the hard

Nutcracker outer shell of various
nuts.

Nutmeg A small, specialized

grater grating blade for nutmeg.
 To protect hands from
Oven glove Oven mitt burning when handling
hot pots or trays.

To evenly dispense soft

substances
Pastry bag
(doughs, icings, fillings,
etc.).

Cuts into pastry

ingredients, such as flour
and butter, for blending
Pastry and mixing while they are
blender in a bowl. It is made of
wires curved into a
crescent shape and held
by a rigid handle.[4]

Some brushes have wooden

handles and natural or
Pastry To spread oil, juices,
Basting brush plastic bristles, whilst others
brush sauce or glaze on food.
have metal or plastic handles
and silicone bristles.

Cuts straight or crimped

Pastry
lines through dough for
wheel
pastry or pasta.

Peel Pizza shovel

Peeler Potato peeler

Burr mill,
Pepper mill burr grinder,
pepper grinder
 Pie vent,
Pie bird
pie funnel

Pizza
Pizza slicer
cutter

Potato
masher

Presses very smooth

vegetable mashes
Potato
Ricer or purees, operates
ricer
similar to a meat
grinder/mincer.

Pot-holder

Used for dejointing and

cutting uncooked poultry;
Poultry
reinforced with a spring,
shears
they have one serrated
blade and pointed tips.

Roller
docker

A long, rounded wooden

Rolling pin or marble tool rolled
across dough to flatten it.
Salt shaker

Kitchen scales,
Scales Weighing scale
s

Kitchen scissor
Scissors
s

Ice cream scoo

Scoop
p

Sieve Sifter, Strainer

Slotted
Skimmer
spoon

Spatula
 Sieve, For removing hot food
spoon sieve, from a liquid or skimming A wide shallow wire-mesh
Spider
spoon skimmer, foam off when making basket with a long handle
basket skimmer broths

Sugar Measuring the

Candy
thermomet temperature, or stage, of
thermometer
er sugar

A tamis has a cylindrical

edge, made of metal or wood,
Used as that supports a disc of
Tamis Drum sieve a strainer, grater, or food fine metal, nylon,
mill. or horsehair mesh.
Ingredients are pushed
through the mesh.

Designs vary considerably;

the earliest tin openers were
Tin opener Can opener To open tins or cans
knives, adapted to open a tin
as easily as possible.

Tomato Used to slice through

A small serrated knife.
knife tomatoes.

For gripping and lifting.

Usually used to move
items on hot surfaces,
Two long arms with a pivot
Tongs such as barbecues, or to
near the handle.
select small or grouped
items, such as sugar
cubes or salad portions.

Needle, about 20 cm long and

For pinning, or sewing about 3mm in diameter,
Trussing
up, poultry and other sometimes with a blade at
needle
meat.[8] end for pushing through
poultry

Butcher's twine, Twine must be cottonnever

Cooking twine, For trussing roasts of syntheticand must be
Twine
Kitchen string, meat or poultry. naturalnever bleachedin
Kitchen twine order to be "food grade".
 Balloon whisk, To
Most whisks consist of a long,
gravy whisk, blend ingredients smooth,
narrow handle with a series of
flat whisk, flat or to incorporate air into a
Whisk wire loops joined at the end.
coil whisk, mixture, in a process
Whisks are also made
bell whisk, and known
from bamboo.
other types. as whisking or whipping

For mixing and stirring

Wooden
during cooking and
spoon
baking.

A handle and a curved metal

For
end, the top of which is
Zester obtaining zest from lemon
perforated with a row of round
s and other citrus fruit.[5]
holes with sharpened rims