DIY Kitchen Wares: Food Gadgets for the Home

by Peter Barrett and photographs by Jennifer May, May 28, 2011

The publication this spring of Modernist Cuisine, a gorgeous, six-volume, 2,400-page behemoth encapsulating the sum total of scientific knowledge on the subject of gastronomy, has emphatically underscored just how much cooking has changed in recent years. The thorough understanding of how foods behave under all sorts of conditions lets professionals engage in astonishing flights of fancy while at the same time allowing for substantial improvements to everyday home cooking. Many of the new techniques require expensive appliances, some of which cost a small fortune, and which would seem to be a barrier to anyone wanting to employ these methods at home. But there are plenty of inexpensive tricks for turning regular household items into multi-purpose gadgets that can make a profound difference on the variety and quality of foods we make for ourselves.

Some hacks are simple common sense substitutions or dual uses for things we already have on hand. Fine cotton handkerchiefs provide an affordable and reusable alternative to cheesecloth for straining almost anything. Just about any liquid in the kitchen can be made better by passing it through a cloth at one or more points during cooking; put a hanky in your colander or basket strainer and enjoy clearer broths and sauces without having to dispose of filters.

An oven with a pilot light offers an excellent place to proof bread dough and make yogurt, and with the door cracked open a bit (especially with a convection fan) it can also serve as an excellent dehydrator. Use a thermometer to determine the ambient temperature inside your oven, and regulate it (up to a point) by propping the door open a little to cool it or turning the light on for a bit more heat. If your oven lacks a pilot, buy a heating pad at the drugstore and put it in the bottom of a cooler (the insulation also retains heat, after all) and make your yogurt in there. An old window and its screen will also serve for a dehydrator on a sunny day (wash them both before using). On a table in a sunny spot, put the screen horizontally on some bricks or wood so air can circulate underneath it and spread out halved tomatoes, herbs, or fruit on it. Put the window on top, making sure there’s space between the glass and the food. Check it periodically, and stick the probe from your kitchen thermometer in there to make sure it stays in dehydrator territory (about 110˚F) so the food doesn’t cook instead of dry out.