Kitchen Gift Lists: Prep Work

It’s been a while, but we’re almost to the end of 2020! The last month has been tough since we opted to not travel for Thanksgiving along with the stress and anger-inducing news headlines. While 2021 can’t come soon enough, I thought I’d help anyone out with some kitchen-related gift ideas over the next few posts because I always struggle to give gifts. If I’m giving a gift, I’m never sure of what they need in the kitchen, but I can always at least provide them with an upgrade as long as they aren’t already a professional. Here is a mix of things I use or would endorse. Good luck!

Knives-Chef/Serrated/Pairing

Everyone needs a Chef’s knife for general all-purpose knife work. I’d recommend an 8” Western-style knife for most people. Japanese knives are great for someone who wants a lighter, sharper knife and who doesn’t typically cut with a rocking motion. However, they tend to be more expensive and aren’t the best for heavy workloads. I could write a lot more about knives, but here are my go-to recommendations for starter knives.

Cutting Boards

I like using wooden cutting boards when possible for the sake of my knife and for the feel. I’ll use a plastic board for raw meats and fish. I used to like boards with grooves to catch the liquid, but lately, I’ve had second thoughts since the really wet messes you make are barely helped by the shallow grooves that are supposed to catch the liquid.

Peeler

I migrated to a Y-shaper peeler in culinary school and never looked back after growing up on a swivel peeler. These are great for someone getting started or just needs a fresh one. They’re cheap and can come in different colors.

Kitchen Scale

I started using a kitchen scale a lot more heavily in culinary school. It’s more precise in helping to create a consistent recipe and is important for bakers. Also, beyond traditional cooking and baking, it can help for dieting purposes, weighing packages for postage, …drugs… etc.

Tongs

Get something that can lock in place. Shorter tongs give you more control, longer tongs keep your hands further from the heat. Just don’t be using metal ones on non-stick. Every time you do, a breakfast line cook cries.

Wooden Spatula

This is my go-to utensil now for stir-frying in Western-style pots and pans since I don’t have a gas stove. It’s also helpful to scratch the bottom of a pan without scratching them. If you want to level up, provide some mineral oil so someone can learn to treat their wooden tools and cutting board.

Slotted Metal Spatula

When I was at culinary school, I started using a slotted metal fish spatula. I find it much more graceful to flip and turn using this compared to the versions you find bundled at a home goods store. Also, after working with a metal spatula with a narrower handle, the regular-sized handles just seem clumsy and chunky.

Rubber Spatula

Rubber Spatulas are pretty self-explanatory. They are great for bakers and cooks alike. It never hurts to have too many sturdy ones. Just try not to tear them up on blender and food processor blades or melt them over the stove.

Whisk

A nice whisk should be ergonomic and sized to whatever you’re mixing. We have a mix of metal and silicone handles.

Measuring Cup and Spoons

The only thing I look for in measuring cups and spoons is that they are sturdy, all stainless steel, and streamlined so that gunk won’t crust up in little grooves.

Thermometer

I still have trouble cooking meat to the correct doneness by touch, but using a thermometer is an easy way to take the guesswork out of making sure no one eats undercooked meat. It’s handy for baking bread as well.

Salad Spinner

A salad spinner was a huge difference-maker when I first picked up cooking as a hobby. Even if you don’t like eating Western-style salads, getting your produce dry before cooking could prevent extra water from getting into your dish, which can affect caramelization and water down your dish.

Bench/Bowl Scraper

Even if you don’t bake, bench scrapers are nice for scooping prep work and cleaning your cutting boards or the counter if you’re making pasta by hand. Get both a solid metal one with a comfortable handle and a flexible one for cleaning the prep bowl.

Mixing Bowls

Metal mixing bowls that are light, strong, and stackable are workhorses in any commercial kitchen. They won’t chip, clean easily, are light, and are usually cheap. If you are lucky enough to have a restaurant supply store nearby, they are a good resource to stock up. If you don’t these will do.

Greetings from Pandemic Travels: Vermont

The last 7 months have been a struggle in terms of knowing that travel would be a challenge for the foreseeable future. Other than 2 trips to visit my parents in PA, I haven’t stayed overnight anywhere like a hotel, Airbnb, or traveled via public transportation. After much debating with Weny, we finally decided to take an overnight trip with friends to Vermont this last weekend. Weny claims that I never told her about the touristy stuff in New England like seeing foliage. My researchers found these claims to be false.

After picking up friends, we drove through MA and the southern part of VT on scenic route 100. However, it got dark and we abandoned the local roads for the highway on our way to Woodstock. We ate at Worthy kitchen after about an hour wait since it was the most popular restaurant in town. Afterward, in the hotel, we played Monopoly while we sipped on wine and Cheez-its. I proceeded to win the game after being the only player to own a block of property and built up some houses. Someday I hope to quench my thirst for collecting rent from others.

After an early morning wake up, Weny and I ate at Mon Vert Café, while her friends finished up a challenging run hike in the cold. While it was a shame to miss some of the views on the trail, Weny’s knee wasn’t ready to take on the challenge. After making a stop at another coffee shop, we made our first stop to Sugarbush Farms to sample cheese and maple syrup. The sharp cheeses managed to knock some of us out. Weny and I ended up buying a small pack of the more mellow and smoked cheeses. We also got a bottle of dark robust syrup for some baking fun at home. The farm had a small exhibit with a history of maple syrup harvesting and overlooked some hills where we took plenty of pictures. They also had some smelly farm animals and a small trail among the maple trees.

Overlooking the hills at Sugerbush Farms

The next stop was at Quechee Village where we saw lots of antiques and browsed through a flea market. The indoor shops had nicely displayed items and included a pretty comprehensive toy museum. We marveled at some of the toys we played with as kids as well as some of the questionable toys like the creepy-ass dolls and realistic-looking guns. The antiques were highly-priced, but at least you don’t have to dig through piles. I was eying some old cast iron pans, but they were fetching a lot more than what I was willing to pay. At the end of our loop at the shops, some in our group fed the alpacas. Their fur was so soft and puffy.

Less crowded and disorganized alpacas

After antiquing, we drove to nearby Norwich where we got some baked goods and shopped at King Arthur Flour. The croissant was light and airy, without being greasy. The sourdough coconut loaf was also very soft, but the mix of sourdough and sweet was strange to both of us. I also wanted to declare that Weny’s brownies and cookies were superior. While we had to wait almost 45 minutes to get food and go to the store, it seemed like coming home to the motherland after so much baking during the pandemic. Weny and I are almost done with a 50-pound bag of King Arthur Flour we got near the start of the pandemic during the flour shortage at grocery stores. At the shop, we got some bread flour, a gnocchi board, vanilla bean paste, and a tote.

We're home at King Arthur Flour

After eating most carbs in the last couple of hours, we had lunch at Big Fatty’s BBQ. While you might not think of VT as being a hot spot for BBQ, I have to admit that the one thing they nailed was the tenderness in their brisket and pulled pork. The pulled pork was one of the best that Weny ever had in her brief experience of American BBQ. The texture of the brisket was the best I’ve had outside of Texas.

After Big Fatty’s, we started our drive home and made a stop at an apple orchard, Carter Hill Orchard, for some apple cider donuts and cider. The cider donuts ended up being the best apple cider donuts both of us had in quite some time. Between the two of us, we ate 7 donuts in the following 12 hours. They were legit. At the orchard, we took some more pictures and enjoyed the view on top of a lookout platform where you could see birds of prey migrate (We didn’t see any birds of prey migrate). The last couple of hours back home was filled with a lot of carpool karaoke of rap, power ballads, and Disney. I was wiped out after the long drives, but it was nice to get away and get some travel done even though the thought of the pandemic still looms over us. We’re going to be planning a few other small trips in New England before winter. Let us know if you have any suggestions!

Amazing Apple Cider Donuts at Carter Hill Orchard

Imposter Syndrome in the Kitchen

Over the last few months, I’ve been struggling again with imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is something I’ve felt my whole life whether it was academically, socially, or professionally. While changing careers has definitely drawn me away from that feeling, the feeling has crept back after all the uncertainty that 2020 has brought to the table. Going to culinary school and the year after has been a great experience, but I guess you can’t always completely escape from your own inner demons.

I grew up in a high achievement household where there was a huge emphasis on getting good grades and test scores. Good grades=good college. Good college=high paying job. High paying job=marrying a girl from a good family. Marrying a girl from a good family=having a good family. Having a good family=respect from others. Respect of others=happiness. Even when I was doing well in school, I never quite felt that I was smart enough since most of my friends grew up in similar families and nearly all of my friends ended up going to better colleges. Today, many of my friends are doctors, lawyers, and business professionals. I once attended a nerd camp (Center for Talented Youth) from the summer after 7th grade to the summer after 10th grade. One of the requirements was taking a standardized test (SAT), which is typically given to high school students before applying to colleges. My score in the 7th grade barely passed the required threshold and when I actually attended the camp, I quickly realized what it felt like to feel like the dumbest kid in the room.

Even though I got to a good college, I’m sure it wasn’t quite what my parents were expecting when I was younger. There were still a lot of smart students at BU, and it was much tougher for me to keep my grades up, especially in liberal arts classes that I had no interest in or in classes that placed a lot of emphasis on class participation (an introvert’s nightmare). After graduating, I began working in advertising agencies and still felt out of place at times. The imposter syndrome kicked back in when I had a larger client-facing role, and there was always the fear of being called out for mistakes in analysis or recommendations. After leaving advertising, culinary school was a nice break. I was surrounded by passionate students that shared my interests and most of us were learning the ropes together. I ended up graduating with the highest GPA in my start date, but it always felt pretty hollow when I compare myself to the best cooks in the industry. There are so many cooks that could run circles around me with their speed, palate, experience, etc. Now after not working for the last few months, R&D in the kitchen has been more stressful because of the pressure Weny and I place on ourselves. In order to stand out, we are really trying to find ways to execute our dishes with our version of the perfect taste, texture, and appearance. Sometimes confronting failures in the kitchen is a challenge and it’s something that we’re learning to deal with together.

Mental health is something that was always somewhat taboo in Asian culture, but it’s nice to see that it has become more mainstream today. I typically link imposter syndrome with my racial identity, anxiety, self-esteem, perfectionism, and family expectations. Once in a while when dealing with my insecurities, I’ve learned that you have to frame your situation differently and in a more positive or constructive manner. I don’t think I’ll ever really get over all my self-doubt, but hopefully, I can at least get it to a place where it pushes me to be a better chef and a better partner. Let us know if you ever suffered from imposter syndrome and what you do to help yourself overcome it.