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kitchen essentials

365 Objects Of Design #20: Joseph Joseph Lemon Reamer

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Back to those Joseph twins again. I've tried various lemon squeezers over the years and this really beats them all. The central squeezer is efficient -as are many others of this type, it has to be said - but this has the edge with pip catcher, which allows the
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365 Objects Of Design #19: Quattro Stagioni Storage Jars

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series It's all very well buying a set of pre-labelled storage jars until you realise that you don't want the tea one and if you do put the lentils in it instead you will never find them again. These plain glass jars come in all sizes from spice to spaghetti
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365 Objects Of Design #18: Green Pan

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series These pans are great. Nice weight and easy to clean. In addition to that, they are coated in Thermalon, which is an eco alternative to non-stick and, interestingly, is stronger and can stand more heat than Teflon. The  (patented) non-stick coating is free from chemicals such as PTFE, has
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365 Objects Of Design #17: Silicone Spatula

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series A rubber spatula is absolutely essential in the kitchen. Use it for scraping the last bits of mayonnaise out of the jar or for deglazing the pan. Make sure the one you buy has a high temperature rating like this one which will go up to 425 degrees C
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365 Objects Of Design #16: Naifu D67 Knife

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series This is possibly my favourite kitchen knife in the drawer. Well it's certainly tying with the ceramic one from last week anyway. The handle is slightly rubbery, which makes it fantastically comfortable to hold and it's just the right weight.  It's Japanese and each blade is honed by hand
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365 Objects Of Design #15: Magic Whisk

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Well obviously with a name like that it had to be included. Otherwise known as a wonder or vinaigrette whisk, this is guaranteed to smooth out your sauces and blend your bechamel. You will also need a balloon whisk while we're on the subject. They cost pence although you
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365 Objects Of Design #14: Wooden Chopping Boards

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Aah, chopping boards, they really can be a thing of beauty. These are very pretty. Now, these days everyone's banging on about plastic for boards and different colours for different foods etc. Now, while I wouldn't use the same board for chicken as I do for veg, let's just
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365 Objects Of Design #13: Lock And Lock Containers

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series It's back to the unglamorous storage I'm afraid, but it is essential and we'll be looking at the beautiful display stuff later. These close up really well (as the name suggests) and you can stack 'em up in a cupboard. If you're not one for decanting sugar and flour
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365 Object Of Design #12: Le Creuset Casserole

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Yes, Le Creuset is ear-bleedingly expensive but it will last a lifetime and it doesn't matter how much you abuse it - burning on milk, tomato sauce, lasagne - if you leave it to soak for long enough it will come clean. Added to which you don't need lots
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365 Objects Of Design #11: Ikea Bag Clips

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series These pegs are little bit William Morris. He said have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.Well these may not be the latter but they are certainly the former. Unless you are prepared to transfer everything into beautiful storage jars,
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365 Objects Of Design #10: Electric Hand Mixer

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series A little hand mixer is just such a useful thing to have in the kitchen and this, from Bodum's Bistro collection is an attractive little thing with five different speeds. Will tackle everything from whipping cream to kneading dough. I know this is essential because I once hosted a
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365 Objects Of Design #9: Lekue Silicon Cake Mould

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Silicon moulds and utensils have really taken over our kitchen drawers in the last few years and I'm not a fan of all of it. This is different though. The silicon mould locks together with the little black clip so when your cake is done, you simply pull the
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365 Objects Of Design #8: Stelton Coffee Press

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series A cup of coffee is absolutely essential in my kitchen and this is the best way to drink it. The Danish Stelton coffee press was first made in 1977 and is still popular today. Its double walls keep the coffee hot for ages and there's an open and close
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365 Objects Of Design #7: Oxo Good Grips® Angled Measuring Jug

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Sometimes things are so-called good design because they are simply beautiful. Sometimes, it is because they are simply so practical that nothing else will do. This is one of those items. Every cook needs a measuring jug. Well maybe Jamie Oliver can do it all by eye these days
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365 Objects Of Design #6: Salter 1200 CD Style Scale and Clock

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series I first came across these by chance but they are absolutely the best scales I have ever had. Firstly, it hangs on the wall, which frees up worktop space, which as we all know is vital in the kitchen, and by default, this means they don't have to live
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365 Objects Of Design #5: Kyocera Ceramic Knife

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series The first time I used a ceramic knife I was terrified of losing a finger. Or three. But it doesn't take long to get used to. They're incredibly light, incredibly sharp and, crucially, they don't blunt.  They're made from Zirconium Oxide (the next hardest thing to diamond). Recently, at
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365 Objects Of Design #4: VKB Garlic Crusher

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series So many garlic crushers can be fiddly to load and even worse to clean. This is the opposite. Bash the clove with the flat side then roll over it with the grooves until it reaches the desired level of, shall we say, "crushedness". Then the next really clever bit
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365 Objects Of Design #3: Joseph Joseph Elevate Jar Spoon

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Twin brothers Richard and Anthony Joseph make some of the best designed and most useful kitchen products around. Their Chop to Pot is already in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and their lemon grater with pip catcher is a daily joy in my kitchen. But if
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365 Objects Of Design #2: Cuisinart Mini Processor +

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series The thing about kitchen appliances is that the amount they are actually used is directly related to the amount of time they spend in the cupboard. Which means you need to find space for them on the worktop or you might as well leave them in the shop. This
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365 Objects Of Design #1: The Cuisipro Grater

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series These graters, or to be more accurate, rasps as they are long and thin, are incredibly easy to use. You may not think that grating cheese is what counts as hard work but if you've ever had to make large quanities of lasagne you'll know where I'm coming from.
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