The Best Presents For Keen Cooks
If money, space and common sense were no object, then my kitchen would be stacked with ‘useful’ kitchen items - useful in my eyes anyway. When I bought the popcorn maker, I was sure I’d use it more than once. And the ice cream maker. But I WILL get out the fondue set this Christmas (she says, blowing the dust off).
Say goodbye to your banana holders, pasta machines and spiralizers.
I’ve compiled a list of my favourite ‘can’t live without’ kitchen items that make ideal Christmas presents for foodie friends and family. The ones that save time (and money spent on unnecessary gadgets) to make cooking that little bit easier.
Granite pestle and mortar
In 2001 I bought a heavy granite pestle and mortar in Thailand. Twenty years later, it’s still going strong. I use mine to grind spices, mix marinades and curry pastes, squash nuts, and crush garlic and herbs. I couldn’t live without it.
The rough, textured surface of granite is perfect for mashing, squashing and combining ingredients. Avoid the ones made of porcelain, stainless steel or wood. They may look pretty, but they aren’t strong enough to break down spices or make a thick paste.
Tip – Add some coarse rock salt when grinding herbs and garlic. The roughness of the salt helps break down the herbs and garlic.
Lakeland Granite Mortar & Pestle | Lakeland
Fine zester/grater
Invest in a fine zester, and it’ll transform your cooking. A little sharp grater is fantastic for grating hard cheeses, citrus rind, nuts, and whole spices such as nutmeg, ginger and chocolate.
I’d recommend you buy the best you can afford. There’s nothing more annoying than a blunt grater. The best brand, and the one I have, is made by Microplane, and they come in all sorts of striking colours. I mainly use mine for zesting and grating whole nutmeg.
Tip – use your zester to grate garlic. It’s less fiddly than using a garlic crusher and quicker to wash!
Microplane Stainless Steel Zester/Grater (johnlewis.com)
Mandolin slicer
Finely slicing and shredding vegetables for stir-fries or coleslaw can take ages-and it’s boring. A handheld mandolin helps you whizz through vegetables and fruit – but beware of the blade. Most mandolins have a safety guard to protect your hands.
You can also buy heavy, fancy-looking ones, so it’s worth a look if you do lots of slicing.
Tip – add a fresh and zingy topping to your stir fry by slicing cucumber and mixing with rice vinegar, grated ginger and sugar.
Mezzaluna and scooped chopping board
Ever tried to finely cut a bunch of herbs? It takes a LONG time - and it’s messy. A mezzaluna is a small curved knife with a handle that cuts herbs finely and quickly. Make sure you use a mezzaluna with a dipped chopping board (you can often find them in sets). The herbs stay in the little dip when you’re slicing – meaning no more worktop mess!
Tip – use your mezzaluna to finely slice raw beef or tuna to make carpaccio.
Upright blender/juicer
Gone are the days when you needed a massive contraption to make juice. Juicers nowadays are compact, sleek and contained. My favourite brand is Nutribullet – people have buzzed about them for years, but cheaper makes can do the job just as well.
Juicers whizz up fruit and vegetables into delicious juices and smoothies. Add yogurt, milk and power powders such as Matcha or Cacao, and you’ve got yourself a superfood juice. The combinations are endless.
I also use my juicer to make sauces such as pesto and grind nuts into butter. Juicers often come with two different blades – one to mill dry ingredients and spices, the other to blend.
Tip – Froth up warm milk in your juicer for cappuccinos and lattes.
Buy NUTRIBULLET Starter Kit - Graphite | Free Delivery | Currys
What’s your favourite kitchen item? And which ones do you wish you’d never bought?