Can You Identify All of These Items Used by Professional Chefs?

Jennifer Post

Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Being a professional chef means giving up a lot of the things that make a life normal. Of course, you can try to have it all, but it gets more complicated the more well-known you get. One of the perks of the job, though, is all of the high-end equipment and kitchen gadgets you have access to. The best knives, the most powerful blender, high end, hand crafted pans, the list goes on. While a lot of professional chef tools are actually available to the general population now, some of them are still meant for professional kitchens. 

We are in the peak of celebrity chefs. They are everywhere. They are on TV, in your grocery stores, in your home decor and big box stores, and all over your social media. With this comes chef-designed lines of cookware and such that is marketed and sold to the everyday home chef. This means you can get higher quality (usually) products at approachable prices.

But what are those items that are reserved specially for professional chefs and the kitchens they work in, or the items that professional chefs use at home and can't live without? Take this quiz and try to identify all the items used by professional chefs!

The item above creates uniform lines on whatever you put inside. Can you name it?

Chef Alton Brown says he can't live without a panini press, and neither should you. This machine heats up and creates the perfect environment for melty cheese sandwiches and crispy, buttery bread.

What is the item above, that can take the place of a big blender?

Immersion blenders are the type of blender that you can stick right in your pot of soup or a sauce you're making to smooth it out without having to transfer it to an actual blender. It's also a heck of a lot easier to clean.

This product is used for drying out food. What is it?

A dehydrator can serve many purposes, and is becoming more popular with adventurist home cooks. You can dehydrate meat for jerky, or even vegetables and liquids to make flavored powders.

The utensil shown above has many uses, including scraping down the sides of a bowl. Do you know what it is?

A silicone spatula is the utensil of choice for scraping down the side of mixing bowls and getting every last drop out of whatever cooking vessel you're using. Silicone is great because it is flexible and allows you to get into every nook and cranny and is FAR more heat-resistant than plastic or rubber.

Used to make dumplings, what chef-loved kitchen item is pictured?

A bamboo steamer is the vessel of choice for properly steaming dumplings. It allows you to steam and serve all in the same container, and is the traditional way to cook steamed dumplings.

To dry out washed greens, use the item above. What is it, though?

A salad spinner is a great, and inexpensive way to dry out salad greens that you've just washed. They can be a bit bulky to store, but they really come in handy. As it spins, it throws all of the excess water into the catch-all bowl surrounding the spinner.

The item shown here can make an arduous task a little less so. Can you name it?

If you're someone who drinks a lot of fresh-pressed juice or makes a lot of sauces and marinades from scratch. a citrus presser is essential!

The high-end appliance here is frequently featured on wedding registries. What appliance is it?

A Vitamix blender is one of the most sought-after blenders for home cooks and professionals alike. It is powerful, attractive and lasts forever, according to many reviews. They're pricey, but worth it.

Used for almost any kitchen task that requires combining ingredients, the item above is a kitchen staple. What is it?

Stand mixers are an essential part of making bread, cake batters, cookie doughs, pretty much anything that needs to be mixed, hence the name. There are very popular brands that are worth the money, but you can also get really quality ones for more reasonable prices.

What item, shown above, is used in place of a blender or food processor to make things like pesto?

A mortar and pestle is like a mallet and a bowl that you use to crush spices, and make things like pesto if you want to do it the old-fashioned way, or if you don't have an electric appliance to make it in. It's also really fun.

If homemade chips are your thing, what appliance shown here can help you out?

A mandolin is an incredibly sharp slicing contraption that gets paper-thin slices of vegetables without electricity. Make sure to wear a glove or use the guard provided to protect your fingers from the blades.

Volume measuring isn't always right choice. Which tool, shown above, gets a more accurate measurement?

Volume measuring is better for liquids, but regular measuring cups don't always give the most accurate measurement for dry ingredients like flour. A digital scale will allow you to get accurate baking measurements in ounces or grams.

When you need to cut through tough things like chicken bone, use the tool above. What is it?

Kitchen shears are much stronger than normal scissors, have bigger, thicker blades, and can get through things like chicken bones. They are handy for breaking down whole chickens or cutting through tough cartilage.

What is the item shown above, that helps create smaller versions of food flavorings?

Buying whole spices like peppercorns, clove, coriander, etc. and grinding them yourself makes for much more intense flavor. Pre-ground spices lose their potency over time, so being able to grind them yourself increases the flavor profile.

If you're someone who bakes a lot, this pan liner will be a lifesaver. Can you name it?

Silpats are completely non-stick and the best option for lining a cookie sheet for any kind of baking or cooking anything sticky on a sheet pan. It's the silicon that provides the non-stick surface.

Using the palm method to test doneness isn't something everyone can get the hang of. What tool will help determine the difference between rare and well done?

There are different varieties of meat thermometers, like digital, in-oven, etc. It is important to put the thermometer at the thickets part of the meat because that will take the longest to reach temperature.

Even the highest caliber chefs can get on board with this appliance, used for cooking things all day while you're away. What is it?

Slow-cookers are designed to cook things at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, with indirect heat so you don't have to worry about burning what you're cooking. This method is good for tough cuts of meat and hard vegetables.

Chefs everywhere recommend this type of cooking vessel for even heating and its repeated seasoning. Can you identify it?

A cast iron skillet is great for cooking almost everything. It works for pancakes, burgers, searing scallops, etc. You'll get a good crust and added flavor from the seasoning of cooking with it for so long.

This item can sit on your countertop for easy use, and keep your knives in tip-top shape. What is it?

Knife sharpeners can get really elaborate, but there are simpler options that are loved by chefs and home-cooks alike. You just run your knife through each step a few times, and good as new.

These essential kitchen tools come in all shapes and sizes and for different usage. What tools are they?

Whisks serve a bunch of purposes, with whipping things like cream being the most common. Balloon whisks are larger and can handle bigger quantities of liquid, but smaller versions can do just about anything.

What is the type of knife above that has more teeth than a normal blade?

Serrated knives are so great for things like bread, but they are also really handy for slicing tomatoes. The knife can cut right into it more efficiently than a smooth blade, unless that knife is razor-sharp, which most aren't.

If you prefer smooth mashed potatoes, this tool can help achieve that by performing a crucial task. Can you identify it?

The classic vegetable peeler is still making the rounds to this day because it is an essential kitchen tool. You can peel carrots, potatoes, the fibrous outside of asparagus, and more. They can dull after a while so it's important to keep an eye on that.

Grabbing a hold of things in a pan can be difficult without the right tools. The item shown here can help. What is it?

Metal tongs, rubber tongs, silicone tongs, whatever tong you choose is a great help when flipping meat or taking heavier or uneven things out of a pan that would be hard to a spatula to get up. Pro tip: Get a long-handled one to avoid oil splatter on your hands and arms.

What item above protects your countertops and makes cleaning up food prep a breeze?

Cutting boards make for easy prep and easy cleanup. Once you've chopped and cut and portioned everything you need to on the cutting board, you can just put it right in the dishwasher. This isn't recommended for bamboo or other wooden boards, though.

You can never have too many of these, whether they're glass or plastic. What are they?

Glass mixing bowls come in every size you could possible need, and you can never have enough. A lot of them can even be used for storage of leftovers if they come with airtight lids.

Tough cuts of meat could use a little help to be enjoyable. What is the tool shown above that makes those cuts less tough?

A meat tenderizer is a special tool with little needles in it that punch holes in the meat in order to break up the tissue and ligaments in order to make the cut of meat more tender. Cuts like skirt steak and brisket respond really well to this tool.

Professional kitchens get notoriously messy. What item above will wipe up any mess that can be made?

Side towels come in packs of like, 100, and good thing too because chefs go through them very quickly. Wiping up messes is just part of working in, or just being in, a kitchen, so being prepared with enough towels is key. Chefs also use them to take things out of the oven.

Anyone who's melted chocolate on the stove has probably used a form of the above item. What is it?

Double boilers prevent chocolate from burning when melting on the stove. It's just one smaller bowl or pot set inside a bigger one so that the steam from the boiling water in the bigger one melts whatever is in the smaller one.

Store-bought is just fine, but to pair with your homemade bolognese, make your own. The tool here is useful. What is it called?

A pasta machine will help you get your dough thinner than a rolling pin ever could. You can get the attachment for your stand mixer, or buy a separate one that clips to the edge of your countertop.

What tool, shown above, help makes a vegetable alternative to pasta?

A spiralizer helps turn things like zucchini and carrots, as well as other long vegetables, into noodle-like strands. People use this as a low-carb alternative to pasta, as it can have a similar satisfying texture.

Pastry chefs use what type of tool to frost cakes smoothly?

An off-set spatula is better than an even spatula for icing cakes because the back part is raised off of the surface of the cake. This can prevent that part of the spatula from damaging nicely frosted cake, and having to do it twice.

Some fish is sold in stores with little bones still in it. They can easily be taken out with what tool?

Bone tweezers are a little heftier than your normal cosmetic tweezers as they need to be strong enough to take bones out of fish. The shape is also a little different. While not 100% a kitchen necessity, they are helpful.

Getting small diced ingredients like garlic and onion off of your work surface shouldn't be done with a knife. The item here should be used instead. What is it?

A bench scraper is usually metal, but they do make plastic ones. It is used to scrape things off your cutting board or counter-top in order to transfer them to a waiting pan. Doing this with a knife will dull your blade.

While normally used to cut a cheesy classic, it can be used for so many other kitchen tasks. Can you name it?

A pizza wheel, while used mostly to slice pizza, can also be used to cut and portion pasta, trim pie dough or even section a free-form pie. There's a few kinds of pizza wheels and they all work basically the same.

What tool, which is another that serves multiple purposes, is pictured here?

A rolling pin is most commonly used for rolling out dough, but it can also be used for crushing cookies for pie crusts and cracking peppercorns if you don't have a grinder. Whether you choose French style, marble or plastic, it's definitely a kitchen must-have.

An essential part of cooking is staying hydrated while you're doing it. What tool is best to open your cooking/drinking wine?

Drinking wine while cooking is very common. Cooking with wine is also very common. Using the right tool to take the cork out of your bottle is important. A corkscrew, whether mechanical or manual, gets the job done.

Can you identify the tool above, which helps take the hard and fibrous centers out of fruits?

A corer is a tool used to take the inedible core out of fruits like apples and pineapples. All you have to do is stick the sharp-edged tool into the fruit and push it through the other side to remove the core.

No matter which variety you choose, this kitchen item is essential for touching anything hot. What is it?

Oven mitts are given the name for a pretty simple reason: They are gloves you wear to take things out of the oven. There are so many different kinds, colors, sizes and materials, but they are definitely a necessity.

Not every project requires big equipment. What is the tool above that can whip as well as the stand version?

A hand mixer is a more compact, affordable option for those who like to whip up creations just like the pros. Even professional utilize hand mixers for smaller batches of things, or if their stand mixer is already in use.

If you're looking for bigger pieces of your citrus skin, use the tool above. Can you identify it just by a picture?

A zester is used to get long strands of citrus rind without getting any of the white, butter pith underneath the colored part. This is a good option if you are going to candy the zest, or want to use it as garnish for a dish.

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