Home Cooking the Artisan Way
By Richard Thompson
New home cooking services like Earthivore are providing locally produced ingredients and healthy meal plans to busy consumers and new foodies. Earthivore, a Colorado-based home cooking and meal planning company, provides Paleo meal plans and culinary classes for burgeoning cooks right in their own kitchen. Katie Kuiter, Owner of Earthivore, shows customers how to achieve healthier eating habits and understand cooking techniques through home lessons, cooking classes and health coaching. Starting out as a business to support busy people and provide them help to become more efficient home cooks, Kuiter says that having the proper cookware in the kitchen is as essential as the ingredients being used.
“Personally I love the Cuisinart brand. A food processor is indispensable,” says Kuiter, “Also a slow cooker that has a digital timer is every home cook’s best friend.”
Kuiter uses a KitchenAid vegetable peeler and the Santoku knife at home for all of her chopping and dicing. Measuring cups and spoons are a necessity for any home cook and Kuiter recommends stainless steel due to its durability. For that added confidence in the kitchen, having cooking items like a silicon spatula, a garlic press and KitchenAid kitchen sheers make for a quality investment.
Using any kind of cutting board that is made of wood is not preferred since liquids will soak into the board, so she uses the Epicurean Cutting Board that’s made of materials that are green and environmentally conscientious. “I love that board the best,” says Kuiter.
Stressing the importance of having proper baking equipment to aid in home cooking success, Kuiter finds that having a three-quart Pyrex-baking dish is perfect – but if one can be found with a lid, that’s even better. Staying clear of aluminum and metal tins is also a great way to avoid unnecessary baking complications like sticking or burning.
“I love my silicone muffin tins because you don’t have to grease them or use paper cups,” says Kuiter, “I also use a 12X17 baking rack that fits in a baking sheet so I don’t have to cook in grease for cooking bacon, meatballs and hamburgers.”
Having pots and pans that are made from enameled cast iron will be an investment for any cook worth their salt since that cookware cooks more evenly, is more durable and prevents risk of cookware breakdown winding up in food. “Pretty much every cook will agree that they are the best,” says Kuiter. Le Creuset is Kuiter’s preferred brand.
Rounding out a prepared kitchen means having the proper storage solutions to hold the meals customers make and Kuiter is on the side of glass. “I always recommend glass storage containers instead of plastic. Plastic breaks down,” she says. Mason jars are great for storing, as are varying sizes of rectangular and circular glass containers.
Thinking of what cookware to buy is like finding the right ingredients to cook with, and not skimping on that makes for best preparation according to Kuiter. “It’s going to run people a few hundred dollars….maybe 500 dollars, but it will be really good investment and it will be done right.”
