Utensils & Tools

My list of must-have kitchen utensils and tools are:
(pictures to follow soon!)

Airtight containers
There are many brands to choose from these days, but I still prefer Tupper.  I love the stack-ability of the Space Savers!

Apple corer
To remove the core from apples or pears. Also great for removing the seeds from a cucumber!

Cherry & Olive pitter
Yes, you can buy pitted olives, but you will battle to find fresh stoned cherries!

Colander
Great for rinsing vegetables, draining pasta, etc. I like the ones that can stand by themselves.

Cook’s knife & knife sharpener
Only a very sharp knife will do.

Cooling Rack
These are simple but so important in baking. Without a cooling rack, cakes and biscuits left to cool on a flat surface become soggy as steam gets trapped underneath. I think you’ll find it useful to have two.

Cutting board
The bigger the better!  I love my new Epicurean cutting board.  The one side has a unique diamond shaped surface which holds the meat in place while you are carving. It also has a juice groove which reduce spills.  See www.epicureancs.com for their fantastic range of products.

Electronic kitchen scale
A must-have if you want to be 100% accurate. Whether you are weighing meat or butter! Just keep an extra battery close by!

Electronic kitchen timer
Getting into the habit of switching a timer on will, I promise, save you from any number of kitchen disasters. Very often they are incorporated into ovens but if yours does not have one built in, they can be bought separately. A timer can save a lot of hard work from going ending up in the bin!

Foam Pump
Perfect for use in the kitchen (or anywhere else in the house) due to one-hand operation.  The unique non-aerosol pump creates a precise mixture of liquid and air to produce a rich, creamy foam.  It reduces soap usage up to 75%.  It has a suction cup on the bottom that keeps the pump in place.

Handheld blender with chopper attachment
For chopping onions, nuts, etc. if time does not allow to do it by hand!

Kitchen Scissors with magnetic blade cover
You’ve got to have them – they have so many uses, from snipping chives to cutting open packages. It should be kept strictly for kitchen use though! Mine has a magnetic blade cover, which means that I can stick it on the fridge where it is always at hand.

Measuring spoons, cups and jugs
It is the only way to go if you want 100% accuracy!

Microplane grater
Its design is based on that of a rasp, the small and efficient woodworking tool. Great for grating fresh ginger, chocolate, etc. It also has a slider attachment that protects fingers and make it easy to grate ingredients like nuts and chocolate chips.

Sieve
Metal is best. For sifting cake flour, icing sugar, cocoa, etc. There is just no replacement for this one!

Silicon bakeware & accessories
I only use Silikomart moulds for sweet and savoury baking, moulded desserts, etc. – beware of cheap imitations! See Silikomart and Wizbake Products for more details.

Silicon brush
For brushing oil on meat, butter on phyllo pastry, chocolate on re-usable baking sheets, etc.

Silicon piping bag
They don’t retain flavours, so your meringue is not going to smell of garlic! You can fill it with ice-cream and place it in the freezer or fill it with mashed potato and heat it in the oven! And when you are done, you pop it in the dishwasher!

Teflon coated frying pan
The only way to cook oil-free and hassle-free.

Wizbake re-usable baking sheets
Great for lining oven-roasting tins for easy cleaning!

Zester
When you want only the outer zest of a lemon, lime or orange and none of the bitter pith, a zester does the job perfectly. Also great for “grating” parmesan cheese!