Disposable

Aluminum foil, also called foil or tin foil, is important in a kitchen for grilling, baking, and more. Budget versions can cause a headache since it can be difficult to separate them from the roll. For this reason, I recommend purchasing foil sheets instead. There are already cut into convenient sizes and you can manipulate them more easily and faster. If you buy a restaurant-sized packaging, you will also save some money. I prefer to buy just the regular thickness, but you may like to also have the heavy-duty thickness available as it can be more durable when grilling.

Burger patty paper can be also called patty paper or patty liners and is a super helpful disposable product, that will make preparation of a burger a super easy process. If you have a burger press, you can adjust the further thickness of the burger between the two burger patty papers. If you do not have a burger press, you can simply form the balls from the burger meat and then press it between two papers to form a perfect burger patty.

I would recommend purchasing patty paper precut to convenient a size of about 5 x 5” that will save you time and allow you to do pretty much any size or shape of burger. Always select a square shape (the round can be a little harder to work with) and preferably without holes (patty paper with holes makes most sense in the restaurant industry when prepared on a flat grill). Make sure that the paper is waxed to make working with the burgers easier.

The great news is that burger patty papers are very inexpensive. Optionally, you can cut squares out of parchment paper at home, which means more work for you and is also a less-cost effective option.

Freezer bags are great in the kitchen since they can partially replace the usage of food containers and can do even more than that. I like to use them to store food in my pantry and refrigerator. I use them especially for partially used onion, tomatoes, precut fruit, and vegetables; for storing hard-boiled eggs, for marinating meat, for an easy way to prepare a butter slab for my croissant dough, for sandwiches to go, and much more.

Since they are freezer bags, they are also great to store most frozen food as well. I love the smaller sizes to store frozen burger patties (beef, veggie, or salmon), portions of meat or fish, or individual buns. Larger sizes are great for storing whole loaves of bread or a bunch of burger buns. To prevent the food from sticking together, freeze individual pieces on a baking sheet, and cover with a lid (or plastic wrap) before placing together into one freezer bag.

Select freezer bags that are easy to close, but at the same time don’t overpay for too overpriced bags. It is best to buy in bulk to lower the cost and make sure that you will never run out. The size you choose is what you prefer. I prefer to have only these three sizes at home: medium (1 QT- size about 8 x 8″), larger (1 Gallon- size about 10 x 12″), and extra-large (2 Gallons- size about 13 x 15″).

Tip – Always have a permanent marker ready in the kitchen to date and note what is on the freezer bag to track the expiration date and to follow the FIFO rule (First in, first out). A nice benefit of any freezer bag is the white area for writing.

For most baking, you will be just fine with parchment paper which performs great and is disposable. Silicone mats need to be cleaned after every usage but provide you with better burn protection – more suitable for more sensitive baked goods, such as macarons.

Are you tired of cutting parchment paper to fit the size of your baking sheet? There is a simple solution. If you are using commercial baking sheets (read more about baking sheets here), simply purchase parchment paper to perfectly fit your baking sheet – you will save lot of many and time.

Always purchase unbleached so you save yourself from potentially harmful chemicals and help out the environment. Unbleached versions can be recognized by their natural brown color.

Plastic wrap, sometimes called food wrap or just simply film, is a very important kitchen tool, not only for wrapping your bowls, platters, and dough, but also for cold roulade preparation and more. The best diameter of plastic wrap for household use is a 12″ length roll.

For convenience and to get a better price, order a roll with at least 2000 feet and avoid buying short and extremely overpriced rolls in your local grocery store. A roll like that will last years and will still be very inexpensive. You will save up to $100 dollars in comparison to buying the same length in smaller quantities from your grocery store. Also, the long roll will always be ready and will last a long time.