Kitchen machines can be everything from large appliances to small tools. All the different types of equipment and their uses are related to cooking and baking, but not every single one is necessary for every task. However, regardless of the kind of cooking that you do, you’ll probably need to have three of the major kitchen machines. The three largest kitchen machines are a refrigerator, an oven and a stove.
A refrigerator is perhaps the most critical piece of kitchen equipment. If you’re searching online for articles about kitchen tools and equipment and their uses with pictures, you’ll undoubtedly find several pictures of a refrigerator. A refrigerator’s purpose is to keep perishable food cold so that it doesn’t spoil. As most people know, perishable food like vegetables, milk, herbs and cheese can go bad if they’re not held in a temperature-controlled environment.
Choosing the right refrigerator depends on a lot of factors. In the United States, a full-sized refrigerator is the standard, especially for large families with a lot of kids. In places like Europe, a smaller half-size refrigerator is more normal, particularly for residents who live in a city. The assumption is that you’ll need to store very little in the refrigerator as you’ll buy the ingredients for meals and use many of them the same day. Use your family’s needs to help inform the size of refrigerator you get.
Other Major Kitchen Machines and Their Uses
When you’re doing the research of kitchen equipment names and their functions, you’ll most definitely read about ovens and stoves. In almost every case, a stove is positioned on top of an oven. While you can buy electric burners or “hot plates” separately, most often, you buy an oven with a stove built in. Most stoves come with a broiler as well. Stoves heat, bake and roast food and can be set at a low temperature to keep food warm.
Stoves are for cooking over an open flame. Sauteeing, frying and simmering all happen on stovetops. A stove is also the large kitchen machine that helps to boil water for tea and other cooking. Often, a recipe will require a cook to use both the oven and the stove for the same dish.
There are electrical stovetops and gas stovetops. Gas stovetops take less time to heat cooking utensils and pans than electrical stovetops do, and most chefs and home cooks prefer gas stoves because it’s easier to control the degree of heat.
Depending on your needs, you may decide you want a simple oven with a four-burner electric stovetop, especially if you’re not someone who cooks very often. If you cook regularly, have a large family and are used to putting together somewhat elaborate dishes, you may want to get a stove with six or even eight burners, all of which are powered by gas.
What Are Other Kinds of Kitchen Equipment?
Beyond the stove, oven and refrigerator, there are many more kitchen machines. Some other kitchen machines and their uses include microwaves, which are used to heat up food. Also popular are toasters and toaster ovens, which are used to heat things up and in some cases melt things like cheese, condiments or other spreads. These are probably the most common pieces of heat-related kitchen equipment besides a stove and oven. Heat conductors are critical for cooking any kind of food.
Blenders and food processors are two other kinds of kitchen equipment that are useful for mixing ingredients and chopping ingredients respectively. Nuts, herbs, meat and vegetables can be easily chopped and even minced in a food processor. Sauces, drinks and batters can be mixed using a blender. An electric mixer is another popular kitchen machine. Electric mixers can be used to mix batter, sauces, bread dough and other hard-to-mix-by-hand recipes.
A pasta maker is another popular machine for home cooks. A pasta machine flattens dough and feeds it through a machine until its completely flat. Then, various attachments can help to press the flattened dough into a variety of different shapes.