This guest post is from Sarah, an interior design, home decor and DIY blogger at Dream of Home. She’s just moved into her first house, having spent six months renovating and destroying it. Her interest in food is nearly as much as mine, and you can normally find her cooking curries or lasagne in her new kitchen.
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I recently found an article outlining the 71 kitchen appliances everyone should have in their home. Don’t worry, I won’t be outlining that many, but it got me thinking about what the basics for the kitchen are, especially if you love food and cooking.
Good non-stick pans
My non-stick pans are my life, partly because of the amount of times I’ve burnt rice, onion or egg to the bottom of a pan. I invested in a Green Pan set which was half price. Hands down the best £75 I’ve ever spent, and no more messy messes in the kitchen. This means more time eating the food, and less time clearing up afterwards.
Ladle
I hate when I’ve cooked something AMAZING, of course, and have to serve it with a wooden spoon. It all slides off the edge, misses the plate and takes about 20 spoonfuls to get a decent portion. I love ladles. Even the word ‘ladle’ is good. So pile your food high by investing in a good (large) ladle.
Tin Opener
For those days when you get in, you have no food in the fridge, so it’s a classic beans on toast. We’ve all been there, and there’s nothing worse than realising you’ve bought the beans that don’t come with a pull-to-open tab, and you don’t have a tin opener either. You’ll just have to order from your favourite pizza takeaway instead (bummer).
Jars
It’s all about the kitchen aesthetic, and jars complete that aesthetic. They don’t just look nice, but they’re great for storage: think spices, baking beans, dry pasta, cereals, tea bags, storage clips (I know, you’re using storage to hold storage items). Even use open jars as a holder for your wooden spoons, straws, or washing up brush. They’re cheap and they look pretty. Just search on Pinterest for ‘Storage Jars’ and you’ll see what I mean.
Griddle Pan
My range cooker came with a griddle pan and I love it. If you buy one, it will be the best investment you ever make. You can use it to cook steaks, pork chops and roast vegetables. But don’t worry, it’s not just for healthy stuff. You can make grilled cheese sandwiches on there, and kebabs or burgers. They’re great because they cook the meat much more evenly than a frying pan or grill does. The heat is distributed evenly, making sure you can get the perfectly cooked medium-rare steak every time.
Slow cooker
I’m 100% saving the best ‘til last on this list. A slow cooker is something everyone should have in their kitchen, even though I only discovered mine two months ago. I can find recipes that take between 8 and 10 hours to cook, and then prepare it all, go to work, and come back to an amazing, fall-apart Lamb Rogan Josh. When I get home from work, all I have to do is cook the accompaniment, usually rice or pasta which takes 10 minutes. The inside of mine is non-stick, and easily pulls out once the cooker has cooled down, so it’s really easy to clean. None of the food gets glued to the bottom like I thought it would after 8 hours of no stirring. It’s amazing, it’s a lifesaver, and it definitely makes my food taste nicer.
This list could go on forever: chopping board, knife set, gorgeous ceramic mixing bowls. But I think these are my top basics that everyone should have in their kitchen to create a fabulous mealtime experience.
And now I want a Lamb Rogan Josh with garlic and cheese naan.
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