Hammer, Pliers, Screwdriver ... Let's Cook!

Workshop tools adapt for kitchen use?

There may come a time, maybe you are vacationing at a camp or for some other reason have gone remote, or maybe it is too late to go shopping, when you need to improvise kitchen tools. Being a clever person, you just might turn to a standard toolbox in search of what you need. Very good, because in some cases the workshop tool will out-perform the kitchen tool.

   
I recall times in my own experience when I have gone from the kitchen to the work-shed to fetch a pair of pliers. Something needed to be opened, pulled or twisted. There are specialty pliers for deboning fish but many people are quite satisfied with needle nose pliers as a substitute. Prices vary but it is quite possible to find hardware store pliers at about five times cheaper than good chefs pliers.

   Hammers, or more likely wooden or rubber mallets, are adaptable for smashing things -- crackers, nuts, peppercorns or whatever, or for busting up things from the freezer. Of course, a hammer is useful for tenderizing meat. Also good for cracking claws.

   Most folks – certainly those who live inland – are unlikely to have an oyster knife at hand.    A flathead screwdriver can be used for shucking. It isn’t ideal but will do.

Pastry or basting brushes are not so very expensive but a good paintbrush that has not been used for other purposes could substitute if needed. The cheaper paint brushes are likely to shed.

   A butcher’s saw is quite an expensive specialty item. Those who work with bone-in meat can use a hacksaw, just buy a hacksaw blade rated safe for bone use. The package should state acceptable uses.

   Probably the most celebrated of crossovers from workshop to kitchen is the rasp. Grace Manufacturing was established to make woodworker tools such as rasps. Chefs found that their microplane wood-working tools accomplished shredding more delicately than graters produced for kitchen use. This discovery has been especially appreciated by chefs working with hard cheeses, not to mention chocolate, garlic, ginger and various fruits and vegetables. The company adapted to the new market and now produces more than 40 kitchen products such as graters, pizza cutters and various shavers and zesters -- as well as a wide range of other metal products.

   It would certainly be tempting to grab any old piece of string to truss up a chicken. That is not a good idea. The best and safest type of twine for cooking is made of 100-percent natural cotton and labeled as butcher, kitchen or cooking twine. You want a natural fiber. Other varieties of string or thin rope that may appear safe but often contain synthetic materials — including plastics, polyester or nylon -- that would affect the flavor of the food or even melt into your roast. I did see mention of dental floss as a possible stand-in for proper twine…

   The Epicurious site lists several of the items mentioned so far and also suggests the hardware store version of the soldering torch rather than the little “professional kitchen torch” sold in cooking shops. The larger torches are much more handy for any serious amount of flaming, according to Epicurious. I take their word, I am not one to experiment with flaming devices.

On the Instructables web site it is suggested to use a kitchen mix or whisk attachment with a cordless hand-held power drill. There are also instructions for grinding pepper, scrubbing pots and pans, grating cheese with a power drill. It should be noted that scrubbing with great force can strip Teflon from pans.

An interesting idea but my guess is you’d be following up with many hours of cleaning splatters off walls and ceilings.