For me a basting brush, or a pastry brush, is an essential kitchen tool for low fat/low calorie cooking. I use it to lightly coat vegetables with olive oil and to brush oil onto my skillet or saucepan before cooking, this cuts back on the amount of oil I use which in turn cuts back on extra calories in my food. I also use it to baste long cooking cuts of meat with marinade or sauce before, during or after cooking.

A basting brush will have a long handle with bristles made of natural or synthetic fibers or silicon. Always be sure to clean your brush throughly in warm soapy water to remove any dirt that may have gotten trapped between the bristles.

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services

A Dutch oven is a large heavy casserole-type of cooking vessel.  There are two types of Dutch ovens.  One is made of cast iron and the other, a more modern version, is made of enamel covered aluminum.  The primary use of a Dutch oven is for long cooking, braising or stewing tough meats and vegetables.  It has a tight-fitting lid, so it will hold in moisture.  Most of the more modern versions are used on a stovetop.  However, the older cast-iron ones are more often used in an oven.  I love my Dutch oven, although it’s big and hard to store. I use it often, especially in the winter for soups, stews and chili.

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services

Baking sheets are used for many things such as roasting vegetables or baking cookies.  They are usually made of metal and may be non-stick and come in different sizes.  I recommend having 2 or 3 different sizes on hand, but 1 large one will be fine for all you needs.

 Baking sheets and cookie sheets are almost the same thing except a baking sheet will have four sizes and a cookie sheet usually has only one.

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services.

As with measuring cups, when you first begin cooking it’s important to use measuring spoons.  They come in a set, usually of 4 to measure 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon.  Larger sets may come with 1/8 teaspoon and 3/4 teaspoon.  You can even get spoons that will measure a dash, a pinch, a smidgen and a tad.

When using spoons, as with cups, fill your spoon to the top and level off dry ingredients with a knife or spatula.  Spoons can also be used to measure wet ingredients.  Never pour wet ingredients into the spoon while over the bowl or skillet you will be adding the ingredient to, as you can overpour into the bowl or skillet and ruin your dish.

When baking, it is essential to always measure ingredients with your cups and spoons at all times, don’t try to eyeball measurements as baking is based on the interaction of the ingredients in their proper protions.

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services.

A meat thermometer is something that I believe is essential to taking the guess work and fear factor out of cooking meat and poultry to perfection.  

There are two different types of thermometers, one has a long stem with the display on top and the other is digital with a probe attached.

All meats have different temperatures that relate to their “doneness”.  To cook meat rare the temperature should register to between 120 degrees and 125 degrees, medium rare is 130 degrees to 135 degrees, etc, turkey, chicken, lamb, pork, all have different “doneness” temperatures. 

To use a thermometer insert it  into the thickest part of the meat and wait for it to reach your desired temperature.

The stem type of thermometer, can have a very large display or a small one.  They can have the temperatures printed on the display or they can be digital.  These types of themometers are not oven safe.  The way to use them is to place the meat in the oven and cook for a period of time, open the oven, pull out the meat and place the thermomter in the thickest part of the meat.  Never stick your hand into a hot oven, learn from my mistakes, it’s not fun.

I love my digital thermometer with probe.  The probe is inserted into the thickest part of the meat and the display sits outside the oven.  Some digital thermometers have all the meat temperatures preset.  Just set the type of meat you are cooking and the doneness you desire and press start, the computer will beep when the meat reaches the correct temperature.  I highly recommed these digital thermometers over of the stem type.

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services.

A microplane is along thin razor sharp grater used to zest citrus fruits, hard cheeses, nutmeg, ginger and garlic.  I love mine and use it all the time.  They come in many shapes and sizes, some with handles, some without. 

When using a microplane for zesting citrus fruits, be sure to only take off the colored part of the peel, not any of the white as this part is bitter.  When grating small objects, such as garlic or nutmeg, it is essential to be very careful.  As I mentioned, a microplane is razor sharp, safety is essential.  When using your microplane to grate ginger or garlic keep in mind that these spices become more intense the finer they are cut.  If your recipe calls for 1 clove minced garlic and you are using a microplane, cut back to half the clove first and taste the dish after it has been incorporated.  If more garlic is needed, then simply add more.  Keep in mind, when cooking, you can always add, you can’t take out.

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services.

Your sharp chef knife is the most important piece of equipment in your kithcen when it comes to getting healthy meals on the table fast and care for your knife is important.  A knife guard is a hard plastic case that fits over the blade of the knife.  If you keep your knife in a drawer where it can get knocked around, I highly suggest you get a knife guard to protect it.

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services.

If you read my blog about how to sharpen your chef knife I mentioned you need to use a “steel” and I even showed you how to use it, but I wanted to expand on this important kitchen tool.

A sharpening or honing steel is a magnetized straight piece of metal used to straighten the edge of a knife.  In my knife sharpening video I explained that you use a steel after you sharpen your knife, but in order to keep your knives in tip-top shape you should also use the steel each time you take your knife out for use.  If you do this you will rarely have to sharpen your knives.  If the knife seems dull while cutting, a few rubs on the steel should help.

How to Purchase a Chef Knife

How to Sharpen Your Chef Knife

Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that helps busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services.

When it comes to purchasing pots and pans for healthy meal prep the running theme is quality.  Quality will mean better results and with proper care and maintenance, they will last a lifetime.

There are many different materials to choose from and it can get a little confusing.  So I am going to make it as simple as possible.  First you need to decide what your budget is for pots and pans because I highly recommend that you buy the highest quality you can afford as cheap pans will warp, have hot spots or may not have flat bottoms. For the beginner cook I recommend non-stick oven –proof anodized aluminum cookware.

If you are just beginning buying your pots and pans this is where you want to buy a set.  A cookware set will come with the basic pieces you need to get started.  An eight piece set is a nice starter and usually includes an 8” – 10” skillet, a 1 quart sauce pan, a 2 quart sauce pan and 6 quart stock pot all with lids. A 10 piece set may include a 3 quart covered sauté pan.  A 13 piece set will have many extras such as a steamer basket or pasta dinner.

When it comes to the care of your pots and pans the better you take care of them the longer they will last.  Never use abrasives in non-stick cookware and never put them in the dishwasher.  Another thing to keep in mind is if you’re going to be stacking them for storage, place a paper towel between them so they don’t get scratched.

TIP: Never use metal utensils (such as spatulas and spoons) with non-stick cookware.  It will scratch the surface of your pans and it’s not a good idea to cook with non-stick cookware that is scratched.

A chef knife is the most important tool in your arsenal for making healthy food quickly a reality. Shopping for a knife is personal. Like a good pair of shoes, fit is everything so I recommend that you go to a store that will take the knives out of the display and allow you to hold them and do some mock chopping. There are a few things to look for, the way the knife is made, its weight and blade length.

There are 2 types of chef knives, French and Japanese (also called a Santoku). The difference between these knives is the shape of the blade and the way you use them. A French chef knife, the more commonly used knife, has a rounded blade and is used in a rocking manner, this is the one I use and the one I recommend you start with. A Santoku has an almost straight bottom, is used more in an up and down manner is a bit harder on the hand.

A well made chef knife has a blade that is one piece from the tip of the blade down through the tang (the part of the blade sandwiched between the two handles of the knife). There will be rivets in the handle that go through the tang. This gives you more control when cutting and gives your knife durability.

Size does matter when purchasing a knife, blade lengths range from 6” to 12”. Again it’s all about your comfort. If you are just starting out you might want to start with a smaller blade, 6” – 8”. You can judge if your comfortable by holding the knife and making a few chopping motions. I use a 6” blade.

TIP: if you’re just stocking your arsenal, buy one good knife. A knife set, although nice to have, is usually a waste of money. The only knives I use are a chef knife, a large serrated knife for bread, a small serrated knife for cutting tomatoes and a paring knife for small jobs. Always keep your knives sharpened, honed and, if stored in a drawer with other equipment, always use a knife guard.