Kitchen kit

We cooking and baking types have a teensy obsession with 'stuff', don't we? (Mini blowtorch for your crème brulée, anyone?) I pop into our local kitchen store nearly every weekend, even though the stock never changes and I am confronted with the same old cast iron casseroles and mini muffin pans. I just like to be amongst the stuff. But when I think about it, there are really only a few things I need to be truly happy in my kitchen. These are some of my favourites.

5. Digital scale



I am a convert to the weight method of measurement. Scooping out cups of flour is so messy and it seems like I end up with more on the counter than in my cup. My digital scale, a Christmas gift a couple of years ago, makes weighing dry ingredients so easy and accurate. I don't even have to worry about reading the little dial correctly - the measurement is right there on the front display.

4. Silicone utensils

I am a big fan of silicone in the kitchen. (Hmmm. Does that sound wrong?) But it's true, I am. There are so many advantages: it doesn't scratch, it doesn't stain, it doesn't break, it doesn't melt and it washes up beautifully. OK, once I microwaved a silicone spoontula and set fire to the wooden handle, but the silicone part was fine! My favourite piece is the pale pink spatula, which has the perfect amount of flex and strength. I bought it at Williams-Sonoma in Toronto several years ago and it's still the first spoon I reach for. I get upset when it's not clean and I have to use the green one.

3. Salt and sugar receptacles

While these are technically general cooking accessories, I use them so much in my baking that I think they deserve a place on this list. I was lucky enough to get lots of lovely kitchen things at Christmas, including this Nigella Lawson salt pig from Andrew. Isn't it pretty? And it holds a whole box of Maldon sea salt.


I also received this neat sugar shaker from my aunt, which comes from Whisk, my cousins' kitchen store in Brooklyn. I love both these containers. They're perfect for grabbing a pinch of salt for my batter or a quick shake of sugar for my tea.

2. Jamie Oliver for Tefal silicone muffin pan

I think I've given one of these muffin pans to every woman in my family over the past couple of years, but I wasn't lucky enough to own one until this Christmas, when my sister reciprocated the gift (is there a present pattern here?). I am not generally a fan of the Jamie Oliver mega brand, but this collaboration with Tefal is such a winner. This is the only muffin pan I am interested in using. I find the shape and size of the cakes it produces to be absolutely perfect, and they always pop out intact without any need to grease. Best of all, while most silicone bakeware is floppy and can leave batter spilling all over the pan on the perilous journey from counter to oven, these pans have a sturdy metal rim built into them. I'm not sure if this range is available outside Britain, but if you can get your hands on it, do! I promise you'll be grateful for the tip and want to bake me muffins in thanks.

1. KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer

My baby, my love, my sweetie, my KitchenAid mixer! I lusted after this for years, but I never thought I would own one, at least not until I got married and placed it at the very top of my registry list. So when my wonderful boyfriend gave me one for my 28th birthday, I was absolutely, completely, totally shocked - and thrilled! My sister harboured some concerns, though. Ele also belongs to the 'a KitchenAid mixer belongs on a wedding registry' school of thought. "But now she'll have no reason to get married!", cried my concerned sis upon hearing of the gift. It's true. I'm already married to the mixer.

So tell me, what's your favourite culinary kit? What gadgets are missing from my kitchen?