Equipment & Gadgets

Page under construction!

Items will be added to this page from time to time, particularly when used in recipes on this site.  Links are for illustration purposes only.  When a particular brand of item is recommended I will make this clear. (If you find a link on this page that no longer takes you to the item, please drop me a line – thanks.)

Large Equipment

Kenwood Mini Chopper  I agree with Delia Smith. This is a great time and space-saving item and it saves having to get the large food processor out as it is much more convenient for small quantities, plus it’s really easy to wash. I was very pleased to find mine at a church sale for just £2, and it was hardly used – not sure why!

Magimix Le Duo Juicer  A hand-me-down that I was more than happy to receive from my sister in law.  It is a lovely compact shape and comes complete with a pump action citrus juicer (not pictured).  As with all juicers it needs to be cleaned immediately after use – I put all the washable parts straight into a bowlful of warm water.

Electric Rice cooker Initially I wondered why we needed such an item (rice being so easy to cook in other ways), but we were bought our first one by my brother in law, who is Chinese, and haven’t looked back since.  We are now on our third rice cooker, each of the previous ones having lasted about 10 years, having been used at least 2 or 3 times a week for both rice and pasta.
(Link is for our most recent purchase in January 2009.)
Rice – Just add rice, salt & water and leave to cook and then keep warm
Pasta – Some cookers include a special ‘pasta pad’ – a flat metal plate that floats below the pasta to stop it sticking.  I have one from a previous cooker that still fits.

Small Gadgets

Melon Balling tool Small, cheap and easy to use even if not an absolute essential!

Baking

Bundt tin