We've been talking a lot lately about our favorite and least-favorite kitchen tools, but we've forgotten to mention one tool that we use all the time, every day, and without fail: our hands! They're useful for a lot more than just holding a knife or stealing a taste of whipped cream. Do you use your fingers and hands a lot while cooking?
The Ultimate Best Kitchen Tool? Your Hands
We were reminded of what a big role our hands play while listening to an interview with Chef Daniel Patterson on the Splendid Table this weekend. Here are just a few ways that we (and Chef Patterson) use our hands and sense of touch in the kitchen:
• To Toss Salad - Tongs can tear and bruise salad greens, while our fingers are gentle and soft. Plus, we can actually feel when the leaves are adequately coated with dressing.
• To Measure Spices - Using the palm of our hand to measure a tablespoon of spice or a three-finger pinch to grab some extra seasoning is actually a lot quicker and easier than rummaging for the right measuring spoon.
• To Test Doneness of Meat - Cutting into a steak to see how far it has cooked lets those yummy juices seep out and mangles the meat. A simple touch is a lot more delicate - and trustworthy. With some practice and a few tricks, it's easy to tell when a steak is rare, medium, or well-done.
• To Plate Food - Again, tongs can rip food as we transfer it from the cooking dish to the plate. Besides being more gentle, using our fingers gives us a lot more control over where the food goes and how it is arranged on the plate.
Of course, it's just as important to practice proper sanitation when using our hands as with any other piece of kitchen equipment. We are constantly giving our hands a good scrub as we move around the kitchen.
What other ways do you use your hands as a tool during cooking?
• Download and listen to the entire interview with Chef Patterson and the rest of this episode on the Splendid Table website.
Related: Cooking by Feel: Use Your Ears!
(Image: Flickr member ginnerobot licensed under Creative Commons)
Tags
Tips & Techniques, Cookware & Tools, Roundup - Food Radio, cooking by feel, best tool, handsShare
Comments (11)
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I find that hands ALWAYS mix better than a spoon/fork. Always. Maybe there's also something gratifying about gettin' in there and not being afraid to get a lil' dirty.
view abc123's profile
Great post!
My man-crush Alton Brown taught me this lesson a few years back and it has really changed the way I cook a lot of things! Your hands are the best tool you could ever hope for!
Also, with my cello playing and rock climbing calluses, I am finding my hands suitable for a lot of quick contact hot food applications as well (hotdogs or chickien breasts on the grill, homemade tortillas, etc).
view ScottyT's profile
I learned to cook from my Grandmother and she always used her hands. She didn't have any fancy gadgets just fancy fingers. I cook the same way and have never thought of doing it any other way. No fancy gadgets in my kitchen either.
view hartley30782's profile
I had guests over the other night and proceeded to mix the pesto and the pasta by hand. I just can't do it any other way. They didn't seem to mind - and frankly if they did, they don't have to come back for fabulous homegrown, homemade pesto. Yurm.
view theskyisfalling's profile
My eccentric gardening Granny used to love rubbing in flour and butter as it got her nails really clean...
view Madame Is's profile
I am a sushi chef, so my hands are pretty dang important. Scratches and cuts on them can make my job very very difficult.
view johndoughy's profile
If you cook enough meats/ chicken, nothing tells me how cooked through they are like light pushing on it with my fingers.
I use my hands for everything. Heck, I make chocolate chip cookies without a spoon sometimes. I definitely agree your hands should be your most used cooking "tool" Mine sure are and have scars and imperfections to prove it.
view jmorri26's profile
I am always using my hands!! Always.
Emily
view Emily Sneds's profile
Absolutely. I use my hands for everything, which means I wash my hands about every other minute, which means my hands are always dry. Oh, and they're absolutely riddled with little burn marks and scars, too.
Hands do such a better job at tossing things than any utensil ever could. You can use such a light touch, and actually feel when things are done right. I'd be lost without them; especially with all the bread-making I'm doing this year. You have to feel that dough to know how it's doing!
http://www.abreadaday.com
view eprewitt's profile
When I make cookies (more specifically, Anzac Biscuits - an Australian favourite), I make a circle with my thumb and forefinger, place a bit of the cookie mix into it and flatten with my other hand's fingers. Hard to describe, easy to do, and makes perfect circular cookies!
view NadyaN's profile
I use my hands for a lot of things too, but my favorite way is mashing potatoes! I can really control the consistency better that way than with a fork. Also, mashing up veggie burger ingredients-- especially if using a little vital wheat gluten to hold them together, the kneading really helps.
view buffy415's profile