List of food preparation utensils

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File:Kitchen utensils-01.jpg

An assortment of utensils

A kitchen utensil is a hand-held, typically small tool that is designed for food-related functions. Food preparation utensils are a specific type of kitchen utensil, designed for use in the preparation of food. Some utensils are both food preparation utensils and eating utensils; for instance some implements of cutlery – especially knives – can be used for both food preparation in a kitchen and as eating utensils when dining.

In the Western world, utensil invention accelerated in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was fuelled in part by the emergence of technologies such as the kitchen stove and refrigerator, but also by a desire to save time in the kitchen, in response to the demands of modern lifestyles.

List

List of food preparation utensils

Name	Alternative names	Purpose in food preparation	Design	Image
Apple corer		To remove the core and pips from apples and similar fruits		A plastic apple corer
Apple cutter		To cut apple and similar fruits easily while simultaneously removing the core and pips.	Cf. peeler	An apple cutter
Baster		Used during cooking to cover meat in its own juices or with a sauce.	An implement resembling a simple pipette, consisting of a tube to hold the liquid, and a rubber top which makes use of a partial vacuum to control the liquid's intake and release. The process of drizzling the liquid over meat is called basting – when a pastry brush is used in place of a baster, it is known as a basting brush.	Baster
Biscuit cutter	Biscuit mould, Cookie cutter, Cookie mould	Shaping biscuit dough	Generally made of metal or plastic, with fairly sharp edges to cut through dough. Some biscuit cutters simply cut through dough that has been rolled flat, others also imprint or mould the dough's surface.
Biscuit press	Cookie press	A device for making pressed cookies such as spritzgebäck.	It consists of a cylinder with a plunger on one end which is used to extrude cookie dough through a small hole at the other end. Typically the cookie press has interchangeable perforated plates with holes in different shapes, such as a star shape or a narrow slit to extrude the dough in ribbons.	Biscuit press with a number of shaped plates
Blow torch	Blowtorch, blowlamp	Commonly used to create a hard layer of caramelized sugar in a crème brûlée.		A small blowtorch
Boil over preventer	Milk watcher, Milk guard, Pot minder	Preventing liquids from boiling over outside of the pot	A disc with a raised rim, designed to ensure an even distribution of temperature throughout the pot. This preventing bubbles from forming in liquids such as milk, or water which contains starch (for instance if used to cook pasta). Can be made of metal, glass or ceramic materials.	Stainless steel boil over preventer
Bottle opener		Twists the metal cap off of a bottle		Bottle opener
Bowl		To hold food, including food that is ready to be served	A round, open topped container, capable of holding liquid. Materials used to make bowls vary considerably, and include wood, glass and ceramic materials.
Bread knife		To cut soft bread	A serrated blade made of metal, and long enough to slice across a large loaf of bread. Using a sawing motion, instead of pushing force as with most knives, it is possible to slice the loaf without squashing it.	Bread knife
Browning tray	Browning plate, Browning bowl	Used in a microwave oven to help turn food brown	Generally made of glass or porcelain to absorb heat, which helps colour the layer of food in contact with its surface.
Butter curler		Used to produce decorative butter shapes.		Butter curler
Cake and pie server	Cake shovel, pie cutter	To cut slices in pies or cakes, and then transfer to a plate or container	This utensil typically features a thin edge to assist with slicing, and a large face, to hold the slice whilst transferring to a plate, bowl or other container.	An assortment of cake and pie servers
Cheese knife		Used to cut cheese.
Cheesecloth		To assist in the formation of cheese	A gauzed cotton cloth, used to remove whey from cheese curds, and to help hold the curds together as the cheese is formed.
Chef's knife		Originally used to slice large cuts of beef, it is now the general utility knife for most Western cooks.
Cherry pitter	Olive stoner	Used for the removal of pits (stones) from cherries or olives.		Metal cherry pitter
Chinois	Chinoise	Straining substances such as custards, soups and sauces, or to dust food with powder	A conical sieve
Cleaver		Hacking through bone or slicing large vegetables (such as squash). The knife's broad side can also be used for crushing in food preparation (such as garlic).	A large broad bladed knife.
Colander		Used for draining substances cooked in water	A bowl-shaped container with holes, typically made from plastic or metal. It differs from a sieve due to its larger holes, allowing larger pieces of food, such as pasta, to be drained quickly.	A metal colander
Corkscrew		Pierces and removes a cork from a bottle.
Crab cracker	Lobster cracker	Used to crack the shell of a crab or lobster	A clamping device, similar in design to a nutcracker but larger, with ridges on the inside to grip the shell.
Cutting board		A portable board on which food can be cut.	Usually smaller and lighter than butcher's blocks, generally made from wood or plastic.	A wooden chopping board
Dough scraper	Bench scraper, Scraper, Bench knife	To shape or cut dough, and remove dough from a worksurface	Most dough scrapers consist of handle wide enough to be held in one or two hands, and an equally wide, flat, steel face.
Egg piercer		Pierces the air pocket of an eggshell with a small needle to keep the shell from cracking during hard-boiling. If both ends of the shell are pierced, the egg can be blown out while preserving the shell (for crafts).		Egg piercer, "push down" variant
Egg poacher		Holds a raw egg, and is placed inside a pot of boiling water to poach an egg.		Metal single egg poacher
Egg separator		A slotted spoon-like utensil used to separate the yolk of an egg from the egg white.		Steel coiled egg separator
Egg slicer		Slicing peeled, hard-boiled eggs quickly and evenly.	Consists of a slotted dish for holding the egg and a hinged plate of wires or blades that can be closed to slice.
Egg timer		Used to correctly time the process of boiling eggs.	Historical designs range considerably, from hourglasses, to mechanical or electronic timers, to electronic devices which sense the water temperature and calculate the boiling rate.	Classic egg timer in hour glass model
Fillet knife		A long, narrow knife with a finely serrated blade, used to slice fine filet cuts of fish or other meat.		Filet knife
Fish scaler	Urokotori	Used to remove the scales from the skin of fish before cooking		A Fish Scaler
Fish slice	Spatula, turner	Used for lifting or turning food during cooking
Flour sifter		Blends flour with other ingredients and aerates it in the process.
Food mill		Used to mash or sieve soft foods.	Typically consists of a bowl, a plate with holes like a colander, and a crank with a bent metal blade which crushes the food and forces it through the holes.	Food mill
Funnel		Used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening.	A pipe with a wide, conical mouth and a narrow stem.
Garlic press		Presses garlic cloves to create a puree, functioning like a specialized ricer.		Garlic press
Grapefruit knife		Finely serrated knife for separating segments of grapefruit or other citrus fruit.
Grater	Cheese grater, Shredder			A box grater
Gravy strainer	Gravy separator	A small pouring jug that separates roast meat drippings from melted fat, for making gravy.
Herb chopper		Chops or minces raw herbs.
Honey dipper		Drizzles honey.
Ladle		A ladle is a type of serving spoon used for soup, stew, or other foods.
Lame		Used to slash the tops of bread loaves in artisan baking.
Lemon reamer		A juicer with a fluted peak at the end of a short handle, where a half a lemon is pressed to release the juice.		A wooden lemon reamer
Lemon squeezer		A juicer, similar in function to a lemon reamer, with an attached bowl.	Operated by pressing the fruit against a fluted peak to release the juice into the bowl.	A pressed glass lemon squeezer
Lobster pick	Lobster fork	A long-handled, narrow pick, used to pull meat out of narrow legs and other parts of a lobster or crab.		Three lobster forks
Mandoline				Mandoline
Mated colander pot
Measuring cup	Measuring jug, Measuring jar		The Pyrex-brand traditional measuring cup (the Anchor Hocking-brand look-alike is shown, right) is available in 1 cup (8 ounce), 2 cup (16 ounce), 4 cup (32 ounce) and 8 cup (64 ounce) sizes and includes U.S. customary units in quarter, third, half and two-thirds cup increments, as well as metric units.	A glass measuring jug
Measuring spoon		Typically sold in a set that measures dry or wet ingredients in amounts from 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) up to 1 tablespoon (15 ml).
Meat grinder	Mincer	Operated with a hand-crank, this presses meat through a chopping or pureeing attachment.		Meat grinder
Meat tenderiser				Meat tenderiser
Meat thermometer
Melon baller		Small scoop used to make smooth balls of melon or other fruit, or potatoes.
Mezzaluna		To finely and consistently chop/mince foods, especially herbs.
Mortar and pestle	Molcajete	To crush food, releasing flavours and aromas	Generally made from either porcelain or wood, the mortar is shaped as a bowl. The pestle, generally shaped like a small club, is used to forcefully squeeze ingredients such as herbs against the mortar.
Nutcracker		To crack open the hard outer shell of various nuts.		A nutcracker made of metal
Nutmeg grater		A small, specialized grating blade for nutmeg.		Nutmeg grater, England, 1800-25
Oven glove	Oven mitt	To protect hands from burning when handling hot pots or trays.		Red oven glove
Pastry bag		To evenly dispense soft substances (doughs, icings, fillings, etc.).
Pastry blender		Cuts into pastry ingredients, such as flour and butter, for blending and mixing while they are in a bowl. It is made of wires curved into a crescent shape and held by a rigid handle.		A handheld pastry blender
Pastry brush	Basting brush	To spread oil, juices, sauce or glaze on food.	Some brushes have wooden handles and natural or plastic bristles, whilst others have metal or plastic handles and silicone bristles.
Pastry wheel		Cuts straight or crimped lines through dough for pastry or pasta.
Peel	Pizza shovel			A peel
Peeler	Potato peeler			An assortment of peelers
Pepper mill	Burr mill, burr grinder, pepper grinder
Pie bird	Pie vent, pie funnel
Pizza cutter	Pizza slicer			A wheel-type cutter
Potato masher				Potato masher
Potato ricer	Ricer	Presses very smooth vegetable mashes or purees, operates similar to a meat grinder/mincer.		Potato ricer
Pot-holder				Two square crocheted pot holders
Poultry shears		Used for dejointing and cutting uncooked poultry; reinforced with a spring, they have one serrated blade and pointed tips.		Poultry shears
Roller docker				Riller docker
Rolling pin		A long, rounded wooden or marble tool rolled across dough to flatten it.
Salt shaker				Salt shaker
Scales	Kitchen scales, Weighing scales
Scissors	Kitchen scissors
Scoop	Ice cream scoop			A metal scoop
Sieve	Sifter, Strainer			Sieve
Slotted spoon	Skimmer			A slotted spoon
Spatula				A plastic spatula
Spider	Sieve, spoon sieve, spoon skimmer, basket skimmer	For removing hot food from a liquid or skimming foam off when making broths	A wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle	Spider
Sugar thermometer	Candy thermometer	Measuring the temperature, or stage, of sugar		Sugar thermometer
Tamis	Drum sieve	Used as a strainer, grater, or food mill.	A tamis has a cylindrical edge, made of metal or wood, that supports a disc of fine metal, nylon, or horsehair mesh. Ingredients are pushed through the mesh.	Separated tamis parts
Tin opener	Can opener	To open tins or cans	Designs vary considerably; the earliest tin openers were knives, adapted to open a tin as easily as possible.	A modern tin opener
Tomato knife		Used to slice through tomatoes.	A small serrated knife.
Tongs		For gripping and lifting. Usually used to move items on hot surfaces, such as barbecues, or to select small or grouped items, such as sugar cubes or salad portions.	Two long arms with a pivot near the handle.
Trussing needle		For pinning, or sewing up, poultry and other meat.	Needle, about 20 cm long and about 3mm in diameter, sometimes with a blade at end for pushing through poultry	Trussing Needle
Twine	Butcher's twine, Cooking twine, Kitchen string, Kitchen twine	For trussing roasts of meat or poultry.	Twine must be cotton—never synthetic—and must be natural—never bleached—in order to be "food grade".
Whisk	Balloon whisk, gravy whisk, flat whisk, flat coil whisk, bell whisk, and other types.	To blend ingredients smooth, or to incorporate air into a mixture, in a process known as whisking or whipping	Most whisks consist of a long, narrow handle with a series of wire loops joined at the end. Whisks are also made from bamboo.
Wooden spoon		For mixing and stirring during cooking and baking.
Zester		For obtaining zest from lemons and other citrus fruit.	A handle and a curved metal end, the top of which is perforated with a row of round holes with sharpened rims	.

See also

• Cookware and bakeware
• Home appliance
• Kitchen utensil
• List of cooking appliances
• List of cooking techniques
• List of eating utensils
• List of food preparation techniques
• List of Japanese cooking utensils
• List of serving utensils