My Favourite Kitchen Equipment

(I don't want to live without)!

We all have our kitchen equipment we just can't imagine living without.

It's only since I have been away from my little kitchen for a few months now that I realise how much and how often I use certain kitchen equipment.

Yesterday I watched an episode of Masterchef Australia (yes I am a big fan). Their challenge was to go back to basics and not use any fancy kitchen equipment. Not even a scale or rolling pin. Some of the contestant struggled and I could feel their pain. One can get so used to having certain equipment, it can make it hard to cook and bake without them.

Today I would like to share a few of my favourite kitchen equipment with you.

Nothing in this post is sponsored, but purely my personal opinions.

(photo from Unsplash)

So here they are...a few of my favourite kitchen equipment's I can't imagine living without:

A food processor.

I have had my Kenwood food processor for over 10 years and use it almost every single day (except the last few months away from home). I use it mostly to make hummus, baking, nice creams and if I need to blitz foods e.g. mushrooms and nuts into a roughly chopped textures.

A high-speed blender.

My Vitamix blender is one of the best investments I have ever made. Smoothies, smoothies and more smoothies. Making cashew creams, blending soups, making sauces, pesto's, making oat flour, nut milks and nut butters. I use it nearly every day.

Silicon spatula.

Nothing beats a silicon spatula. Life without it can be so frustrating!

TIP - I always have one specifically for sweet and one for savoury, as silicon can absorb some of the flavours and smells.

Silicon baking mats.

One of the best things you can buy! No more scrubbing sticky baking trays. I use them for nearly everything that goes into the oven.... granola, baked sweet potatoes, falafel, biscuits & cookies, babka breads....

The only not such a great thing about these is washing them, but with a bit of soap and boiling water they are good as new.

There are a few different brands that sell them. I have recently bought some from Ikea, but have not used them much yet so I will let you know how they are later.

An electronic gram scale.

I use this everyday. We have a spare one that travels everywhere with us. We use it to weigh our filter coffee, I use it to weigh my oats, for baking and cooking and to make the perfect pizza dough.

V-60 coffee dripper or coffee machine.

We only drink filter coffee. Decaffeinated.

I grew up drinking filter coffee and my mom still makes the best.

At home we have a drip coffee machine, but when we travel we always have our Hario V-60 dripper, Hario filters and our Stanley flask with us. We make a full flask in the morning so that we can have coffee ready made for the day.

I have been asked about Nespresso machines? We used to have a Nespresso machine in a rental property and it was very convenient and we loved the novelty of it. But unfortunately at that point Nespresso was still rather new and after a while all the coffee pods tasted the same. Now there are many more coffee varieties available and I will probably change my mind if I had one now.

Baking trays.

I have a few good baking trays which I use with my silicon sheets of course.

Cake and bread tins.

I love baking and have a variety of tins. Although I always find new ones I would like to buy, I unfortunately don't have that much cupboard space left!

TIP! Don't wash your baking tins with dish liquid soap as it destroys the non-stick.

A good frying pan.

Nothing is more frustrating than food sticking to a pan! You know how much I love pan pizza, so a good pan is a MUST in our kitchen!

We mostly use a pan with a steel handle so that we can through the whole pan into the oven.

Get yourself a good pan, I suggest a well seasoned cast iron pan for high heat dishes

and a high-quality non-stick pan that is PFOA free (for cooking and frying at low heats only).

Another great pan brand is Scanpan!

A cast iron pot.

Nothing cooks better than a cast iron pot. Soups, stews, lentils anything and everything gets cooked in our cast iron pot. TIP - to keep it in good condition give it a wipe out every now and then with a bit of olive or cooking oil. We have a gorgeous one from Ikea which we use on our Induction hob.

A zester.

A good citrus zester is a must. I add orange and lemon zest to so many recipes. We have a yellow one from Microplane.

A garlic press

You have no idea how much I have been missing my garlic press. Grating garlic is really not fun. We bought one from IKEA a few years ago and it is the best quality we have used yet.

Storage containers

One can never have enough storage containers. I have a wonderful glass with wooden lids selection which I bought from IKEA. I use them to store all my dried goods, homemade granolas, nuts and flours. Plus they look so beautiful displayed on my shelves in my little kitchen.

Electronic handheld whisk.

Great for baking and for making aquafaba meringues.

(photo from Unsplash)

A pin roller.

okay a wine bottle might work just as well. My mom bought me a beautiful small pin roller made from green marble from Hay, which I absolutely adore!

A few good cutting boards.

I always have one cutting board dedicated for chopping strong smelling foods such as garlic and onions.

TIP! If you are using a wooden cutting board, give a whip with cooking oil or olive oil every now and then to keep it in good condition. Don't ever let your wooden boards soak in water.

A good chefs knife.

I bought my husband a Global chef knife about 10 years ago and it is still the most used knife in our kitchen. It is the best quality knife and let's just say we had to make an emergency trip to the A&E due to its sharpness...

A good small knife.

I am a Victorinox or Zwilling fan when it comes to a good small knife! nothing beats the quality! I use these everyday to cut fruit and vegetables.

A standing mixer.

My husband inherited a Kenwood standing mixer from his Grandmother which must easily be more than 50 years old. It is proper vintage and still in perfect working condition. Perfect for baking cakes and mixing bread and pizza dough.

Ice cream maker.

This is one of the things I had wanted for a very long time. When my husband bought me the SAGE Ice Cream maker last year, I was over the moon! It was love at first sight! The only downfall is that we now that the freezer is full of different ice creams.... not good for the waste line.

A juicer.

Any leftover fruit and veg, just throw it into the juicer for a healthy juice! Our SAGE juicer has been a healthy and much used addition in our kitchen. They are noisy though. If you are thinking of buying one it's worth doing research. Drop me a line, I can give you a few tips.

A stick blender.

This is especially great for blending hot soups and making date pastes.

(photo from Wix Media)

Life without these has been difficult and I can't wait to get back into my little kitchen to use these again.

What are your favourite kitchen equipment?

Why don't you leave me a comment below.

Lots of love and happy cooking,