Daily work in the kitchen is much easier to do if all the necessary items and equipment are available. Each of them is designed to perform a specific operation. For example, a slotted spoon is something almost no housewife can do without in everyday life. What is this device, and why does it have such an unusual name?
Detailed description
A variety of kitchen utensils allows you to facilitate the work of the hostess and make the cooking process more comfortable. That's what they are for. After all, even the simplest broth cannot be prepared without such basic accessories as a spoon and a slotted spoon. What are they needed for?
With a spoon, everything is clear. It is usually used for mixing and sampling. But the skimmer is a special-purpose kitchen utensil. It is a medium-diameter disk with a large number of holes along the entire plane, equipped with a long handle.
How to use such a device? During cooking, a large amount of foam usually appears on the surface. If you do not touch it, then the broth usually turns muddy. A skimmer is a device that is designed to remove foam. Of course, it can be removed with a spoon. But in this case, along with the foam, part of the fat and the broth itself is lost. There are special openings in the slotted spoon through which these components freely flow back into the pan. Only foam remains on the surface of the disc. As a result, the broth is clean and transparent.
What do skimmers make of?
Manufacturers, as a rule, make kitchen utensils from environmentally friendly and high-quality materials. After all, such devices usually come in contact with food and should not create dangerous compounds when heated. Otherwise, food can harm the human body, and this is absolutely unacceptable. A modern skimmer is the safest device possible. If earlier it was often made of stainless steel and food aluminum, today manufacturers use the latest materials:
- heat resistant plastic;
- stainless steel.
They have a number of significant advantages:
- Withstand the temperature of heating up to 230 degrees.
- Do not stain when interacting with food.
- Do not absorb odors.
The handles of such devices are increasingly made of treated wood or anti-slip silicone materials. Additionally, they are equipped with a slot or a special loop for hanging the product. According to experts, a modern slotted spoon should be:
- ergonomic;
- hygienic;
- aesthetic;
- stylish;
- durable
- safe for health.
Any housewife can only dream of such a device.
Application area
Answering the question of what a slotted spoon is, it is easy to guess where this device is used. Initially, its name came from the Polish szumowaฤ, which means "to remove foam." To perform this operation, it is most convenient to use a device with a flat surface. Therefore, the first skimmers had just such an appearance.
But over time, this type of kitchen utensil was found and another application. After all, a spoon with holes is very convenient to get pieces of meat or, for example, prepared dumplings from the pan. Specialists have developed new skimmers with a curved work surface. And so that the liquid drains faster, the round holes were replaced by slots in the form of slots.
The sizes of such products may vary depending on where they are used. So, in dining rooms and restaurants, larger skimmers are used to work with large equipment. And for home cooking, of course, it is better to take smaller appliances. They are easy to handle and easy to clean.