Kitchen Confidential

It’s a huge misconception that being a good cook means that you need to have loads of kitchen equipment. It is entirely possible to create elaborate and amazing meals without the latest food processor.

When you’re buying equipment for your kitchen, choose the best quality that you can afford – good quality products last longer and will be better value in the long run. Choose equipment that have more than one function, freeing up cupboard space and avoiding accumulating lots of utensils you just don’t need. The exact list of utensils you will need varies from person to person, depending on the kind and amount of cooking you do, but here’s our list of the best basic kit for a kitchen start up.

One good chef’s knife
This is the most essential piece of kit to have in your kitchen arsenal. Top quality knives are expensive, but investing in one multifunctional knife is economical and space saving.

A heavy-based frying pan
These pans regulate heat more than their cheaper, lighter cousins. Giving more control over the cooking process, these pans are brilliant and will last for years to come.

Stock Pot
A large, heavy-based stock pot is essential for soups, stews, purées and stocks. This pot will see you through everything, from the ham on Christmas day, to making your first batch of homemade baby food.

Flame-proof casserole dish
This is invaluable because it can be used on the hob as well as in the oven, make sure yours has a tight-fitting lid to retain moisture during the cooking process.

4 chopping boards
It is really important to have different chopping boards in a kitchen. Buy  inexpensive plastic ones in different colours that you can allocate to different food groups (Meat/Fish/Vegetables/Fruit). That way, your food will never taste tainted, and you won’t have to worry about cross-contamination

Tongs
Seasoned cooks use tongs, and for good reason. They are not only useful for cooking food, but also for serving. Choose one with non-slip handles and silicon tips.

Silicon Spatula
This heat-resistant multi-purpose tool can be used to mix cakes or scramble eggs. They are inexpensive and to our mind, essential.

Balloon Whisk
Choose an inexpensive, heavy balloon whisk that will not bend when you put pressure on it.

Stainless Steel or Glass Mixing Bowl
Essential for mixing or baking, choose steel or glass over plastic because it regulates the temperature of whatever you are mixing.

Pestle & Mortar
Choose a heavy, granite pestle and mortar if possible. This is an integral part of a confident cook’s kitchen. Use for grinding spices, bashing garlic, making spice pastes. After every use, don’t wash – rather, wipe clean and scatter in a handful of salt to soak up all of the spices left at the bottom. Before the next use, chuck out the salt, wipe with some kitchen towel, and start again!

Stick Blender
Inexpensive and crucial when it comes to creating soups or blitzing purées. A stick blender not only saves on washing up, but it also saves you money.

Weighing Scales
Electronic digital scales are accurate and can switch from metric to imperial measurements in an instant, but a standard scales will do the job just as well.

We love to store our utensils in cute little jugs which you can pick up in many places.