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The Hosting edit

Hosting

The last cookout, then people go home. A board worth putting on the table, mitts that actually block the heat, and the grinders and prep tools that cut the fiddly part of cooking for a crowd.

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The kit that actually gets used

Hosting goes wrong in the prep, not the cooking. The tools that earn their place are the ones that remove the fiddly, repetitive jobs you are doing while people are already in the kitchen — chopping, grinding, boiling, keeping your hands from being burnt.

Looking after a wooden board

A wooden board wants oiling every few weeks, or whenever it starts looking dry and pale. Use food-grade mineral oil, apply it generously, let it soak in for a few hours and wipe off what is left. Never use cooking oil — vegetable and olive oil go rancid and the board will smell.

Wash a wooden board by hand and stand it on edge to dry. This is the one rule with no exceptions: a dishwasher will crack, warp or split a wooden board, usually the first time.

Do boards dull knives?

Wood and plastic barely touch an edge. Glass, stone and ceramic destroy one — every cut lands on a surface harder than the steel. If your knives are going blunt quickly and you are using a glass board, that is the reason.

Grinders over shakers

Pre-ground pepper loses most of its aroma in the jar. A grinder is the single cheapest upgrade to how food tastes at the table, and a matched pair takes up less room than the collection of jars it replaces. Look for an adjustable coarseness setting — that is the part that decides whether it is useful.

Common questions about Hosting

Can you put a cutting board in the dishwasher?
Plastic boards generally yes; wooden boards never. Dishwasher heat and prolonged water will crack, warp or split wood, often the first time. Wash wooden boards by hand and stand them on edge to dry.
Do cutting boards need to be oiled?
Wooden ones do, every few weeks or whenever the surface looks dry and pale. Use food-grade mineral oil, let it soak in for a few hours, then wipe off the excess. Do not use olive or vegetable oil — they turn rancid and the board will smell.
Do cutting boards dull knives?
Wood and plastic barely affect an edge. Glass, stone and ceramic ruin one quickly because the surface is harder than the blade. If knives are going blunt fast, the board is the most likely cause.
How do you use a salt and pepper grinder?
Fill it with whole peppercorns or coarse salt — not fine table salt, which clogs the mechanism — and adjust the coarseness dial before you start. Most grinders tighten for fine and loosen for coarse. Grind directly over the dish rather than into a spoon.
What should I prep before guests arrive?
Anything involving chopping. Prep is the part that traps you in the kitchen once people are there, so use a chopper for the volume work in advance and leave yourself only the things that have to happen at the last minute.