For a long time we cooked together on a shoestring with an eclectic mix of equipment pulled together from both our houses. This alone teaches you a few things about cooking, and what we took away from our early days is that almost anything is achievable with what you currently have.
There is a great deal of equipment out there that, while not necessarily essential, can make your life a hell of a lot easier. We understand that storage is a luxury for most and the cost of getting everything you need can be restricting. Here is a list of 22 stock-standard kitchen accessories, nothing fancy, that we would like you to gradually add to your kitchen armoury. Keep in mind that often there are alternatives if you are missing a piece of equipment; for example, if a recipe says to use a pressure cooker, you can always just use an oven or the stove on low but keep in mind the dish will take much, much longer to cook. If you don’t have scales, in some cases you can convert weights into measuring cups and vice versa. It’s all about being able to adapt to a situation and own the cooking equipment, rather than letting the equipment own you.
STEVE Let me tell you about adapting. Remember the time in Melbourne during a cooking demo in front of 200 people when I whisked cream to stiff peaks using a stick blender because Will forgot the whisk!
KITCHEN MUST-HAVES:
Chef’s knife and paring knife (sharp)
Large wooden chopping board
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Heavy-based non-stick frying pan and saucepan
Baking tray and flameproof baking dish
Roasting tin
Pressure cooker (luxury!)
Stockpot
Food processor
Blender
Stick blender
Silicon spatula, firm but not rigid
Scales
Box grater
Mandolin
Y-shape peeler
Coarse and fine sieves
Cookie cutters
Pastry brush
Whisk
Potato ricer
GET SOME FRESH HERBS IN YOUR SHOPPING TROLLEY!
Thyme By far our favourite herb, we put the little leaves into just about everything.
Rosemary A classic thrown into a baking dish with a roast.
Coriander This herb can completely transform the flavour of a salad or sandwich.
Basil Best friends with tomato.
Dill Beautiful in mayonnaise or with fish.
DRY SPICES YOU’LL ALWAYS FIND IN OUR PANTRY:
Fennel (seeds) Crushed and put through pork mince or used as an aromatic dust on desserts.
Cumin (ground) Works perfectly when sprinkled on vegetables before roasting.
Smoked paprika (ground) Adds a lot of flavour to a rub or seasoned flour.
Cinnamon (ground) With any fruit will give you a flavour combination that will remind you of all things happy.
Black pepper (ground) Yes, it’s a spice! Works with everything savoury and a few sweet things, too.
ENGLISH TO AUSSIE LINGO:
Hob or Stove Cooktop
Cling film Plastic wrap
Blighty England
Tart Pastry case, sweet or savoury. Not Steve!
Sweets Lollies
Eschalots Small, sweet, golden brown onion-shaped bulbs, also called French shallots. Not spring onions, not green onions, not salad onions!
Barnet Cockney rhyming slang. Barnet Fair = hair