Shaker
It is an essential tool that is used to mix liquids that have different densities by shaking, and the aim is also to bring the temperature down and to incorporate vital dilution to the final result. It is preferred metal as a material for the shaker because it has a lower temperature compared to that of glass. So, the thermal mass is excellent and as they are also lighter, they need less energy to cool the drinks and you have also more control for the dilution; plus, they also have a longer-term duration. They come in different sizes and shapes. Here are the most common examples:
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Boston Shaker consisting of two pieces, the bottom is metal, and the top can be glass or metal.
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The Cobbler Shaker: also known as the three-piece shaker and the great aspect is that has a strainer incorporated. When used correctly with the shaking technique with the cobbler, the result is a magnificent show to see, plus positive effects on the cocktail.
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The French Shaker also known as Parisienne, consists of a two-piece shaker with a metal bottom and a metal cap. The mixing glass is a glass-like container, used together with a bar spoon and a strainer for the preparation of cocktails with the stir & strain technique. The mixing glass allows you to cool the drinks without watering them down. It is suitable for mixing those cocktails which, containing particularly delicate ingredients such as distilled spirits, wines, and liqueurs (defined in jargon ‘clear‘) that must be simply mixed and not shaken with the shaker.
Strainer
The strainer is a metal bar accessory used to separate ice from a mixed drink when is poured into the serving glass. It is used by placing it over the mouth of the glass or shaker in which the beverage was prepared and pour; the small holes in the device allow only liquids to pass as the beverage is poured. There are the most common types of strainers:
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The Hawthorne strainer is a disc (called ‘rim‘) with a handle and two or more stabilizing prongs. A metal spring fixed around the edge of the rim rolls inward to fit inside the glass or the shaker and allowed out only the liquid.
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The Julep strainer is shaped like a bowl with a handle and will fit tightly into a mixing glass or shaker when inserted at the proper angle. Liquid passes through holes.
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Fine mesh strainer is used when need to double strain the drink as is designed to stop any fine, unwanted particles from falling into the drink such as ice shards, fruit, seeds etc.
The cutting board allows you to chop fruits, herbs. A silicone cutting board is better because is durable, heat resistant, and non-slip; Easy to clean and doesn’t keep bacteria.
The knife is a tool with a cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with most having a different handle material. There are many styles and some types of knives are used as utensils and others are used in the ice’s processing.
The metal pour is the instrument that if used correctly allows pouring the quantity of prefixed liquid with extreme precision. Made with a base of rubber to fit in the neck of bottles of spirits or liqueurs and a part in stainless steel with an air filter.
Tongs are a type of tool used to grip fruits, herbs, and everything that goes inside the drink or used as a garnish, instead of holding them directly with hands. There are many forms of tongs adapted to their specific use. Again, different sizes but the purpose is always the same. Peeler. Useful not only to peel vegetables like potatoes and carrots or fruit but also to produce citrus peel to decorate your drink.
Mexican elbow squeezer is one of the best squeezers in the business for juicing instantly various citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and limes. The mechanism of the Mexican elbow works on a hinge, simply lift the top arm of the squeezer, place your cut fruit into the bowl (with the skin or outer edge of the fruit facing upwards) and push the top arm back down, squeezing together both handles tightly to juice your fruit of choice. So called because is related to the motion of how the squeezer works and because probably it was invented in Mexico.
Blender. Used for preparation that has more of a liquid consistency such as smoothies, milkshakes, frozen drinks but also sour drinks with egg white presence. Thanks to their tall, narrow jars and lids with a watertight seal, they can handle all those liquid ingredients.
The smoking gun adds a big, smoky flavour and aroma to foods and beverages in just a few seconds. The smoking gun works with a variety of wood smoking chips, teas, and spices, even hay, dried flowers and herbs. To use, simply fill the gun chamber with desired combustibles, turn it on, light combustibles with a match or lighter. The flexible extender hose makes it easy to apply the smoke directly where it’s wanted, even inside resealable bags and containers.
Fire torch is a precious little item for many chefs and bartenders, to create perfect finishing touches to a variety of different dishes, desserts, or used to add some world-class touches to your cocktail.
Instant read thermometer. Use the thermometer to find out a drink’s temperature in only few seconds. The idea is to serve the drink at its right temperature; there is nothing worse than a warm Martini. Usually, it offers a temperature range from -49oF to 392oF or -45oC to 200oC. Stick probe into drink then read the temperature out from the digital LCD display.
The AeroPress is a revolutionary new way to make perfect coffee every time. It is really simple to use: gentle air pressure will create a coffee with a smooth rich flavour with lower acidity and without bitterness. It was invented in 2005 by Aerobie president Alan Adler. The coffee is steeped for 10–50 seconds (depending on grind and preferred strength) and then forced through a filter by pressing the plunger through the tube. The filters used are either the AeroPress paper filters or disc-shaped thin metal filters. The device consists of two nesting cylinders. One cylinder has a flexible airtight seal and fits inside the larger cylinder, similar to a syringe. The cylinders are moulded of polypropylene. In addition can be used to make rapid infusion cocktails such as Coffee Negroni.
Drip cold machine. Another alternative way to produce coffee. It consists of heat-resistant glass, permanent filter mesh, a lid handle strainer frame made of polypropylene. Add the coffee grounds and 24 hours later enjoy an aromatic and delicious cold coffee. Cold-brew is a super-slow method in which ground beans are steeped in room-temperature water for anything between 12 and 24 hours, drawing out different flavours to a hot brew.The method consists of placing water in a top compartment, grinds in the middle with a valve leading to the bottom where your cold-brew drips through. I recommend you to start with a 1:4 coffee to water ratio and then experimenting with different ratios to reach different strengths. Once the coffee is done, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week, diluting, reheating, or serving chilled as you prefer.
The French press is a cylindrical pot with a plunger and built- in filter screen that presses hot water through ground coffee. The French press is used to create an earthy, rich coffee cup. The secret is all in the grind: choose medium, with uniformity and consistency throughout. Very coarse grinds may clog the filter, while very fine grinds will pass through the filter, muddying the results.
Ice cream machine. With the help of these machines, you don’t have to be a culinary genius to create an exciting and delicious dessert or your favourite snack. A great idea is to use it in the cocktail making: olive ice cream to be served with your Martini, or perhaps a Negroni ice cream. There is a huge range of ice-cream makers that will enable you to create not only ice cream but sorbet and frozen yogurt too. To make sorbet is a similar process as making ice cream but is made without milk and is made with fruit. Make sure that you transform the fruit into a puree before putting it into the ice cream machine.
Thermomix. Often called the world’s most intelligent food processor, Thermomix lets you weigh, chop, blend, mix, grind, grate, cook, steam, whisk, knead and so much more all within one compact machine. With Thermomix, you can regularly make all sorts of dairy- free alternatives that were previously unaffordable and that you never would have considered making at home. (Think almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, hemp milk, rice milk, and milk from quinoa, coconut, sunflower seeds, and other nuts!) Air fryers are attractive for their convenience, safety, and health benefits. An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around the food. A mechanical fan circulates the hot air around the food at high speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy layer via the Maillard effect. Traditional frying methods induce the Maillard effect by completely submerging foods in hot oil. The air fryer works alternatively by coating the desired food while circulating air heated up to 200°C to confer energy and initiate the reaction. By doing this the appliance is able to fry foods like potato chips, chicken, fish, steak, French fries, or pastries while using between 70% and 80% less oil than a traditional deep-fryer. Most air fryers come with adjustable temperature and timer knobs that allow for more precise cooking. Food is cooked in a cooking basket that sits atop a drip tray. The basket and its contents must be periodically shaken to ensure uniform cooking; some models accomplish this by incorporating a food agitator that continuously churns the food during the cooking process while others require the user to perform the task manually.
Grass juicer. If you want to add a healthy dose to your cocktails, then you will need wheatgrass juicers. Wheatgrass juicers are low speed or hand-cranked juicers that exert a high pressing force on this nutritious but tough ingredient. Wheatgrass has a relatively low juice yield, so you need to choose an efficient wheatgrass juicer. Wheatgrass is the young grass of the common wheat plant called Triticum aestivum. This (gluten-free, of course!) edible grass is juiced into a ‘wheatgrass shot’, that can be consumed on its own, or used in combination with other juices to create a super healthy cocktail.
Centrifugal juicers. It is a very effective tool for filtering/ separation by the use of gravity. A centrifuge uses rotational forces to separate food into layers by density. It works by shredding ingredients using toothed blades on the bottom of a rapidly spinning sieve basket. The spinning force then separates the juice from the pulp, flinging the pulp into the pulp bin while the juice filters through to the container or jug. Centrifugal juicers often have different speeds and higher- end models sometimes include a ‘soft fruit’ disc too, allowing you to juice fruits such as berries, which centrifugal juicers are usually poor at juicing. Buying a more expensive model can mean you get a higher quality commercial-grade motor, more durable metal rather than plastic parts, and a longer warranty.
Vacuum packing is the process of extending the lifespan of food/drinks by removing air from the packaging. Commercially, professional kitchens use vac packing to prepare food in advance of service or for cooking using a sous vide machine. Sous vide, which is French for ‘under vacuum’ is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight containers in a water bath. It was developed in France in the early 1970s when George Pralus and a food scientist joined forces to devise the perfect method for producing foie gras. After numerous experiments, the best method proved to be sealing the food in a pouch by using a vacuum packing machine before cooking it very slowly at a controlled temperature. Food cooked in this way lasts longer than normal cooking times – 72 hours in some cases – at an accurately regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55°C to 60°C for meats and higher for vegetables. The intention is to cook the item evenly and to not overcook the outside while still keeping the inside at the same ‘doneness’, which keeps the food juicier. Sous vide allows chefs and bartenders to maximize advance preparation. It also reduces wastage, making sous vide a highly cost-effective cooking method.
The ice machine is a useful device for producing ice. A mould is filled automatically with water (through a tube that connects it to the water system) and, after a few hours, the mould is turned upside down so that the ice cubes fall into the appropriate container. The cycle repeats until the container fills, then the ice will push on a special lever which will stop the production of ice until the container is emptied.
