Bobby Flay's Grill It! - Bobby Flay [4]
Fish spatula/heavy-duty metal spatula—These spatulas are wider and have a longer metal base than regular spatulas, which makes them perfect for sliding underneath food so that you can carefully turn whole fish and burgers without having them fall apart.
Meat thermometer—An instant-read thermometer is your best bet for making sure that meat and fish are cooked to the proper temperature.
Squeeze bottles—These inexpensive plastic bottles are perfect for storing sauces, oils, and vinaigrettes. They also allow you to control the amount of dressing you put on salads and other dishes. You can pick these up at restaurant supply stores as well as kitchen and housewares stores.
White terrycloth towels—I prefer to use these towels (also known as bar towels) instead of bulky potholders. They are perfect for cleaning off the edges of serving plates and tackling spills as well.
the pantry
The recipes in this book are inspired by a lot of different cuisines, but that doesn’t mean you need to stock your pantry with a hundred different items. In my opinion, if you cook frequently, the following list of ingredients should always be in your pantry. Not only will you be able to prepare any of the recipes in this book, but you can also experiment with the staples on your own and create new recipes. Remember that the refrigerator should be viewed as your pantry, too. I like to refer to it as a cold pantry, where things like fresh herbs, citrus, and ginger should always be on hand to add flavor to any recipe.
Dry Storage
Anchovies—I recommend anchovies packed in olive oil in glass jars, not cans.
Beans—Dried beans are my preference at my restaurants, but the ease of canned beans can’t be ignored at home and I definitely recommend them when time isn’t on your side.
Dried chiles and chile powder—It’s no secret that dried chiles play an important role in my cooking. They are available in almost every market today and online.
Garlic—Look for solid, firm heads. Don’t buy it if it feels light or hollow; it’s old.
Jams and preserves—I love creating glazes for meat and fish from jams and preserves. I particularly like apricot, orange, and plum.
Oils—I use a variety of oils in my cooking: canola oil (or a canola–olive oil blend), olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and sesame oil. I use canola for just about everything because of its neutral flavor and tolerance for high heat. I brush meat and vegetables with it just before putting them on the grill, add it to marinades, and use it the majority of the time in my full-flavored vinaigrettes. I turn to regular, or “pure,” olive oil when cooking a Mediterranean-inspired recipe over high heat. Extra-virgin olive oil is best saved for finishing off a dish and for making simple vinaigrettes where its fruity flavor won’t get overwhelmed by other ingredients. Sesame oil is another fantastic flavor enhancer for finished dishes and marinades. Make sure to get the dark, toasted sesame variety; it has much more flavor than light sesame oil.
Onions—I always have red and Spanish onions in my pantry because most of my recipes include one or the other. I also love sweet onions such as Vidalia for just grilling and eating.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes—I always have sweet potatoes and a few varieties of white-, yellow-, and red-skinned potatoes.
Shallots—The flavor of a shallot is a cross between that of onion and garlic. I love using shallots in sauces and vinaigrettes.
Soy sauce—I use a lot of kosher salt in my cooking, which has a milder flavor than iodized salt, so when I create a recipe that calls for soy sauce, I prefer using the low-sodium variety over the regular variety for the same reason.
Spices—I like to buy my spices whole and grind them in a coffee/spice grinder. Not only do they taste better when you do this, but whole spices will last longer in your pantry, too.
Sweeteners