Baking tools

straight wooden rolling pin (without handles), cutters (for tarts, biscuits and scones), brushes (never to be put in the dishwasher), baking tins and trays (need to be solid to avoid buckling), wire cooling rack (for bread, cakes, tarts etc.) and a lattice cutter.

Casserole dishes

it would be wise to invest in a good quality, heavy casserole dish that can be used both in the oven and on the hob.

Chopping boards

a good, solid butchers block is ideal for chopping meat and vegetables whilst it’s always handy to have a thinner board on hand for cheese.

Colanders

highly necessary for draining without any hassle.

Dredgers

for sprinkling flour or icing sugar over large batches

Graters

four sided is ideal for cheese and vegetables whilst the flat graters (either fine or coarse) are good for grating ginger.

Grinders

pestle & mortar, salt & pepper mills

Knives

the best knives for home cooking should be light and flexible. Many appropriate shops stock good extensive sets of knives. Some may include scissors and a sharpener.

Measurers

kitchen scales, kitchen timer, measuring jugs and a set of measuring spoons

Roasting tins

most important to have solid tins so that they won’t buckle in the oven.

Saucepans

a heavy-gauge aluminium set is highly recommended because they are hardwearing, solid and reliable. They are also noted for their durability and for being a good conductor of heat.

Sieves

for sifting flour and icing sugar.

Spatulas

fish slice (needs to be flexible), cake slice (can be used for lifting pie wedges) and a rubber headed spatula.

Spoons, forks and whisks

a good selection of wooden spoons is recommended, as they are always needed. Metal spoons for draining, basting and folding. Wooden forks are useful for scrambling eggs and fluffing rice whilst a metal fork is essential for roasting meat joints. Two good whisks are suggested; a balloon whisk and a small whisk.

Squeezers

citrus reamer or lemon squeezer.

Steamers

steaming is a good, healthy way to cook. The double pan steamer is good for steaming puddings, the fan steamer is good for vegetables and a Chinese bamboo steamer is great for fish and other oriental dishes.

Tongs

useful for turning sausages, steaks, bacon etc. and for lifting spaghetti from boiling water.

GADGETS

Blenders & Liquidisers

the best always have the blades close to the bottom to ensure a smooth mixture of all the ingredients.

Blowtorch

Ideal for créme brûlée and for glazing marinated meat joints.

Breadmaker

there’s nothing better than homemade bread and this gadget takes the hassle out of breadmaking. It can also make dough for a range of other recipes such as pizza, for example.

Electric Hand Whisk

an essential kitchen gadget, which is perfect for making light, fluffy egg whites, making cream and mayonnaise.

Food Processor

saves you a huge amount of time, as it can chop, grate, slice, knead and mix with great speed and efficiency. Get to know this machine first so that you can get the best out of it.