Kitchen Essentials

There are not many things sweeter than the smell of fresh home baking and to tell you a secret, I sometimes bake for effect. What I mean is that I bake small amounts every few days and I make sure that the house smells of fresh baking. Its a memory that I will never forget from my childhood, and I hope my kids never forget it either.

It sounds simple but make sure that you buy a baking sheet that fits your oven. If you buy too small then you will be wasting space, time and money. If you do bake small batches, you don’t have to fill the baking sheet up. I have several different types including non-stick and they all work fine so I have no preference but buy solid and with a good rim to stop warping.

Cake Pans come in a bewilderingly wide array of sizes shapes and colors. Seasonal shapes and decorations, muffin pans, desert pans: the list goes on. Take some time to browse this area, you may get a very pleasant surprise.

This is such a personal choice. My preference would be for a large set, but if your just starting out, then a smaller set would probably suffice. The minimum small set I would buy would be a small sauce or gravy pan, two mid sized pans and a frying pan. I know that it's not always possible, but try to get lids for all the pots you buy.

Buy good quality and take care of your cutlery. Always keep your knives sharp and store them correctly. This will reduce your workload when cutting and chopping and save you money as your knives will last you a lifetime.

There are some really nice dinnerware sets around. We prefer to buy place settings as we have a non standard family so most dinnerware sets don’t fit our family size. The downside is that the place setting may not be produced any more when you want to come to buy that extra place, that why we have “mix ‘n match" settings.

There are some really nice dinnerware sets around. We prefer to buy place settings as we have a non standard family so most dinnerware sets don’t fit our family size. The downside is that the place setting may not be produced any more when you want to come to buy that extra place, that why we have “mix ‘n match" settings.

We have some extremely fine glasses, seldom used but always admired. The kids have some 'not so fine' glasses that they are happy with and are great for day to day use.

Years of using flatware that annoys me have given me a passionate preference for large handled and large bladed knives with a decent sized fork to match. Others in my family don’t have the same preferences so we have a selection of flatware.

Chocolate, cheese and meat each have a different melting/cooking temperature so make sure that you buy the right fondue set or one that has a variable temperature so you can make all three.

This depends on what you are storing and how long you want to store it for. Our storage needs are pretty short term, as I like to buy fresh and my gannet-like offspring don’t allow time for anything to go off. There are a lot of long term storage options that I dont use but are pretty effective though.

I prefer a cast iron frying pan and a steel wok. I find that the cast iron frying pan has a more stable temperature and cooks better. The wok has quite a high cooking temperature so I find steel works better. Both are easy to clean, scrub them out and then wipe with oil.

I couldn’t be without my pizza wheel or my skimmer, and the kids wouldn’t be without our ice cream scoop. You could probably fill the kitchen with all the specialist tools, so chose wisely or you will.

Ah, now, pie pans. I tend to buy large and heavy glass as I find I cook better with them, but I’m pretty sure that most anything will do. I use metal pie pans when I make open face pies as the heat is higher and the crust seems to set and brown quicker.

At home I have a great range of plates and bowls ranging from extra small to extra large. I always seem to need more that I actually have, especially when cooking or when we have guests around. Having the kids we have, I like to buy solid so that if they do drop them they have a chance of survival.

There are a few decisions to make here. Should you buy an open or covered roasting pan and what size do you need? Check the size of your oven before buying, there should be a good 2” around the outside of the pan and I would buy a covered pan as you can always leave the lid off.

I’m a great believer in grinding your own salt and pepper. The aroma, the flavor and potency of ground pepper is far superior to powdered pepper. Salt size can also be controlled changing the flavor of your food. Buy your pepper often and in small quantities and keep your salt dry by putting a few grains of rice in there.

The size of the pan you need is directly related to the size of your family. I’m not sure if Einstein was the one to say that or if he inspired the thought, but it is true. Having the wrong sized pan is extremely frustrating so chose well. Make sure that you use the lid, the amount of energy you will save is amazing.

There is a huge variety of serving pieces that you could use/buy. Platters, warmers, serving bowls, divided dishes, trays, etc. etc. I only buy serving pieces that have multiple uses. Buy a dish that you can use as a breadbasket and a vegetable server. This way you won’t clutter up your kitchen with unused crockery.

Stockpots come in a range of sizes and if you’re like me you will predominantly use a single size pot so I tend to buy single pots instead of the sets. I buy pots that are either cast iron or have riveted or welded handles because I got so fed up with keeping a screwdriver in the kitchen to re-tighten a handle when it came loose. My kitchen is a kitchen, not a workshop.

When I talked to other cooks, I found that they place a surprisingly high value on simple cooking utensils and that each has a surprisingly different collection. I think this comes from the variety of ways each cook, cooks. If you use a microwave a lot, then you will need different utensils to those that cook Chinese food or bake a lot.