Cooking Tools

For starters, normal pots and pans will do. But as you learn more and cook more adventurously, you'll appreciate a few key additions to your tool set. The right tool for the right job, right? Please note that these are not all Thai cooking utensils and tools, but the ones that I have found work the best for me when I cook Thai food away from Thailand.

Wok and Spatula

One of the most important tools is the wok and a spatula. Finding the right wok here in the U.S. can be a challenging job. I have gone through so many woks.
Stainless Steel Wok - Teflon woks have never lived up to their promises for me. I have had ones with bumpy bottoms, smooth bottoms, even ones with a life time warranty. Sooner or later they all stick at one spot or another. I've even had Teflon coating peel, and I ended up eating it unknowingly. Yuk! Since then, I found my true love in Thailand, a light weight stainless steel wok. This wok is the best by far. I like a light weight wok because it is easy to move around on the burner and heats quickly. This wok is very easy to clean and has two good handles. Food rarely sticks, but if it does, I am not afraid to scrub it. For the handles, one is long and one short - just right for fancy maneuvers on the stove and in the sink.

For spatulas, I prefer a stainless steel spatula made for woks. They can be tough to find outside of a Chinatown, but are great because they make it easy to turn over the food. These spatulas have a long thin handle, a flat, rounded flipper with a small lip around the back and a rounded edge on the front that matches the rounded walls of the wok. Make sure that you don't get a spatula with a hole in the bottom of the handle where the metal from the handle wraps around -- otherwise, food and cooking residue gets stuck in the handle and can not be cleaned out. I also used to use, and be very happy with, wooden spatulas and still have several handy. I stick them in the dishwasher with no problem.

Rice Cooker

If you eat rice frequently, you'll love the ease and perfect success rate of a rice cooker. Like a bread maker, you pour in the rice, pour in the water, close the top and plug it in. 20 minutes later it's done. There are many models, and when you pick one out, look for:
- a non-stick pot,
- a solid feeling lid and handle that locks down when closed (otherwise the lid will rise up with the bubbles of the boiling rice)
- a lid that you can easily take apart to clean
- a painted outside that you would not mind keeping on your counter