Over the long history of culinary, mankind has come up with thousands of ways to cook the beloved meat by many. One of the most ancient is roasting over hot coals, but baking, stewing, salting and smoking, boiling, etc. have enjoyed no less popularity over the centuries. There are many recipes. It is good that much less equipment is needed to implement them.
The first thing you need, no matter what cut and according to what recipe you are going to cook - meat knives. Most often, when cutting meat products, the so-called chef's knife is used. It is suitable for chopping, slicing and dicing up and down the grain. It is easily recognizable by its wide, slightly curved blade. Usually the length of such a knife, together with the handle, is about 25-30 centimeters.
Cleavers are not only good for cutting through bones and tendons in large chunks of meat. With a little practice, you will be able to cut the meat into julienne with it better than with the chef's knife. For precise cutting, professionals prefer a Chinese or Spanish cleaver, on the wide blade of which, moreover, it is so convenient to deliver pieces of meat directly to a saucepan, frying pan or any other utensil.
A knife with a thin, pointed blade (at least 12 centimeters long) is called a boning knife. It is used to separate meat and connective tissue from bones during cutting and trimming. If you often deal with meat covered with skin or leather, then you may need a special blade with a curved blade along the entire length.
The knife, which is called that - for cutting meat - is intended for cutting an already finished product. It is used, as a rule, with a special two-pronged fork to cut boiled beef, roast beef, and ham into slices.
All knives should be comfortable and well-sharpened. Professionals know that it is almost impossible to get hurt with a well-sharpened knife, but a dull blade is the cause of many industrial injuries.
You will also need at least two meat cutting boards. One is for raw product, and the other is for cutting ready-made large pieces. Although plastic boards are recognized as hygienic, they often do not provide the required stability, moreover, they often deteriorate from prolonged use, "excised". Marble and glass boards are hygienic and stable, but knives on them quickly become dull, and the hand of an inept cook can slip off. Many people love heavy wooden boards, but it is important to remember that they are the ones that need especially thorough disinfection after each use.
Contrary to popular belief, a meat grinder is not at all a necessary equipment when preparing minced meat. Moreover, meat chopped by hand, with a knife or two, produces more juicy and tasty cutlets, sauces and filling.
A meat hammer is a useful tool, but it can be dispensed with as well. Shallow cuts along and across, which can be made on the piece intended for beating with a deboning knife, will have almost the same effect.
In order to properly bake meat or poultry in the oven, you will need a special thermometer. It is a thin and long needle, at the other end of which the measuring device itself is attached. By showing the internal temperature of the cut, it allows you to get the meat that is exactly the degree of doneness you need.
For stewing meat, pots with a thick bottom or special pots are used, for baking - baking trays and roasting pans, for boiling - deep pots with a large capacity. It is most convenient to fry meat in cast-iron grill pans. For dishes prepared according to recipes from the Asia-Pacific region, you need to buy a special deep skillet with a domed bottom - a wok.
