This section will familiarize you with various types of utensils, pans, & equipment used in a professional kitchen, why the different sizes what each is best used for, and how to use them.

Baking Trays – are large and small, aluminium or stainless steel trays used for baking purposes.

Boning Knife – is a six inches long blade knife, thinner and shorter than the chef’s knife, used to separate raw meat from bones.

Bread Knife – is usually an 8-9 inches long knife with serrated edges, used to cut bread.

Carving Knife – is usually a long knife with a narrow and long blade, used for slicing hot cooked meats.

Chef’s Knife – is an all purpose knife with an 8-14 inches long blade, used for chopping, slicing and mincing.

China Cap – is a cone shaped perforated strainer with a long handle and hook, used to strain sauces, chutneys or thick liquid products.

Cleaver – is a heavy knife with a rectangular blade which even cuts through bone, used for chopping.

Cling Film – a transparent food grade ultra thin plastic sheet used for covering cooked or uncooked food, kept in food trays, bowls etc. under room temperature or refrigerated conditions.

Cutting Boards – is a flat piece of board made of food grade fibre, available in different shapes, sizes, thickness and colours, used for cutting and chopping food items on it. (To keep the board from sliding put a flat damp cloth under it.)

Filleting Knife – is similar to a boning knife, with a flexible blade, used for filleting fish.

Foil – is a very thin aluminium sheet that can be easily moulded to shape and retains heat well. It is a multi-utility product where the use ranges from wrapping finished product to keeping semi processed food product in the refrigerator.

French Knife – is an all purpose knife with an 8-14 inches long blade, used for chopping, slicing and mincing.

Gateaux Slicer – is a flat spoon with a handle at an angle to help in lifting delicate pastries, especially fresh cream cake slices.

Grater – is a hollow box with different perforations on each side, used for reducing food to very small sizes.

Ladels – are either slotted or solid in numerous sizes ranging from .5 ounces to 72 ounces, used for dishing up liquids, soups, sauces, etc.

Moulds – are implements of different shapes and sizes, as required for the process of cooking, baking or setting of food items in a desired shape for cooking.

Muslin Cloth – is a thin loosely woven cotton cloth used for fine straining food products such as curds, juices, or tea.

Nozzle – is a small conical tool used with the piping bag, to force out pulp or batter in various floral, leaf or other fancy shapes.

Palette Knife – is a long, flat, blunt knife used for the purpose of creaming and icing cakes.

Palette Knife – is a long-handled wide knife with a rounded blade and blunt sides made from metal or plastic or a combination of the two, used to remove portions of food from baking trays, to turn food that is being cooked in a pan or to spread icing or whipped cream evenly over a cake.

Paring Knife – is a short knife with a 2-4 inch blade, used for paring and trimming vegetables and fruits.

Pastry Bag – is usually nylon with a removable tip available in a large variety of sizes, used in hot and cold kitchens for piping mashed potatoes, purees, canapés and other forms of decorations.

Peeler – is small tool with a sharp groove and a serrated edge on one side, used for peeling and trimming potatoes, apples, carrots and other fruits and vegetables.

Piping Bag – is a conical bag with an opening for a nozzle, made of cloth and lined with plastic, used for the purpose of piping or creating a fancy shape.

Round Spoon – is a steel spoon with rounded base to help in lifting off gravy or other liquid preparations.

Scooper – is a tool used to scoop out fruits, vegetables or ice-creams in spherical shapes of different sizes.

Sieve – is a tool of equal sized grooves, used for removing of impurities and separating grains of different sizes, it is available in various sized grooves for different purposes.

Skimmer – is a flat ladel with small holes, available in different shapes and sizes, used for removing scum from stocks or soups or items from a deep fryer or boiling water.

Slicer – is a knife which has a long blade with a round or pointed tip, is either flexible or rigid with a taper-ground or a fluted edge. It is used for slicing cooked meat.

Slicer Spoon – is a flat spoon with horizontal grooves on it.

Spatula – is a flat spoon of a definite shape made of plastic or rubber widely used in a bakery for the purpose of mixing ingredients.

Spoons – are in a variety of types - slotted, perforated or solid, used to dish up food.

Strainer (Colander) – is a type of sieve, available in a variety of shapes and offered with or without legs, used to drain items such as vegetables, cooked pastas, rice, etc; or to separate liquids and solids.

Tin Cutter – is a tool used for cutting open the lids of a food can or container.

Tongs – are V shaped gripping or lifting tools available in many lengths and spring action, mainly used for handling food without hand contact and to handle and turn hot foods that are being sautéed or grilled.

Tourne Knife – is similar to a paring knife with a curved blade.

Utility Knife – is 5 to 6-1/2 inches long and sometimes has a serrated edge, used for making clean cuts and if it has a serrated edge can grip tomatoes and soft-skinned fruits.

Whip – is a flexible beater made of stainless steel available in variety of sizes. It is used to hand beat cream or to work and stir sauces when thickening.

Whisk – is an accessory, usually in the form of thin wire loops attached to a handle, used to beat ingredients together until smooth.

Wire Whisk – is similar to a whisk, in which the wire is coiled in a balloon shape, used for beating eggs, cream etc. to incorporate air and make it lighter in texture or for blending of sauces.