Utensils Used in Russian Cooking
Russian cookery contains both basic and very labor intensive dishes that can be either easy or intricate to prepare. Foods range from simple broths to complicated pilafs with meat dumplings. Russian cooking generally uses the same equipment as other cultures, but some recipes require specialized tools and equipment. Older Russian cookbooks refer to certain equipment that may not be familiar. Here are some of the popular culinary tools and cooking equipment pieces that are used in Russian cooking today or were popular in the past.
Fish Cookery
Russians eat a lot of fish, and tools used to cook fish include a fish turner spatula and a fish poacher. A fish turner spatula is a long, flat, angular spatula with slots to allow for liquid or oil to drain from the fish as it is being lifted or turned over. A fish poacher is a pan with handles that is long and narrow so as to fit a full fillet of fish. Fish poachers generally have a rack that can be lifted out to gently remove fish fillets or steaks without breaking them.
Fresh Spices
Spices are important in Russian cookery. Since fresh spices have the most flavor, the use of a spice mill or grinder is very helpful. Dried herbs can also be ground to a powder and mixed into dishes.
Pech Stove
Before the convenience of a modern electric stove, Russian kitchens had a stove called the 'pech' stove. It allowed food to be cooked and it also was a warming vessel for the home. The cooking portion was contained in the kitchen, while flues from the stove extended into different rooms for heating.
Latki and Zharovnia
Latki, sometimes called zharovnia, were the precursors to the typical frying pan generally used now. Latki or zharovnia pots were generally made of clay and were shallow. They held foods to be fried. Food was covered in either oil or fat, and some latki or zharovnia had spouts to drain off excess oil during cooking.
Large Stock Pot
Soups and stews are a mainstay in Russian cookery, so a large stock pot or soup pot is used for cooking. Broths and stocks are also made in them. Stock pots are handy for boiling vegetables such as potatoes and for poaching dumplings in meat broths.
Tags: Russian cookery, fish poacher, fish turner, fish turner spatula, Russian Cooking, turner spatula
