What I Use
​The useful kitchen tools I reach for again and again.
You don't need a fancy kitchen to cook from my book. You need useful tools that you'll actually use. A few reliable basics will carry you through almost every recipe. A simple tool used often beats an expensive gadget gathering dust.
My recent best buy: Baker's Secret frying pans
Best non-stick ever! These are the best non-stick pans I've ever owned. They're so good I often catch myself saying "I love you pan" after I've finished cooking. I bought mine at Mambo's.
Knives and prep
A good chef's knife, a small paring knife, a serrated bread knife, chopping boards, a vegetable peeler, kitchen scissors and a grater.
Pots, pans and the stove
A frying pan, a small saucepan, a medium or large pot, a heavy casserole pot or Dutch oven, a colander, a sieve and tongs.
My wok
The Chinese kitchen is home base for me, and that kitchen starts with a hot wok. Mine comes out for fried rice, stir-fries, salt-and-pepper prawns and quick weeknight suppers. Get it properly hot before anything goes in, cook in batches so you don't crowd it, and keep everything ready beside the stove, because it all moves fast. Any traditional wok will do, just not an electric one: you want a pan you can get properly hot over a flame. No wok yet? A large, wide frying pan will do the job.
Mixing and measuring
Mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a kitchen scale, a measuring jug, a whisk, a wooden spoon and a spatula.
Oven and baking
A roasting tray, a baking tray, a loaf tin, a cake tin or ovenproof dish, a pie dish, a muffin tin, a cooling rack, ramekins (175–200 ml), a kitchen torch and baking paper.
Storage and everyday use
Airtight containers, glass jars, labels and a marker pen, freezer bags, baking foil and clean tea towels.
Useful extras, only if you'll use them
A stick blender, a food processor, a citrus juicer, a jar funnel, a rolling pin and a steamer basket.
What I wouldn't rush to buy
Single-use gadgets. Tiny machines that are a nuisance to clean. Anything you only want because someone online used it. Appliances that take up space but don't earn their place.
​
No paid endorsements: these are simply my own preferences and recommendations.