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Kitchen Essentials

Objects Of Design #31: French Glass Carafe



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Finishing off the first series of 365 Objects of Design with a drink. Well the carafe at least, which can, of course, be used for water. This gorgeous carafe has been cleverly designed so that the glasses (design classics in their own right) will sit in the top meaning
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Objects Of Design #30: Pestle And Mortar



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series There are whole chatlines of debate on what is the best material for a pestle and mortar and of course, everyone has their favourites but there a consensus around granite so that is what I am featuring there. Wood is too soft, marble can be too smooth so the
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Objects of Design #29: Silcone Tipped Locking Tongs



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series I use mine every single day. Several times. Firstly the tips mean they don't stick to the sausges, secondly, you can open them just by banging them on the worktop so it's a one-handed job - saves you having to put down the hot pan to do it and
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Objects Of Design #28: Cath Kidston Small Bowls



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series You might think it's all a bit too "TV chef" to put everything out into small bowls before you cook but it can be useful - especially in baking when it all needs measuring. They're also great for nibbles and snacks or, if you decide to delegate the tea-making to
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Objects Of Design #27: Magnetic Timer



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Being an old-fashioned kind of gal, I prefer a mechanical timer rather to a digital one. I like turning the dial and hearing it click round. There's something reassuring about it. Like knowing that even if you have forgotten about the cake, it hasn't. This one is magnetic so
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Objects Of Design #26: To Dry For Tea Towel



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Every kitchen needs a tea towel. Even if you reckon you're a dab hand at cramming everything into the dishwasher. Or even prefer to leave it all to drain. Sooner or later you will need to grab something to wipe your hands on. This site, run by husband and
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Objects Of Design #25: Eva Solo Drip Free Dressing Shaker



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series This Danish company makes too many beautiful things to mention but this simple glass bottle is one of the most useful. Salad dressing contains two of the stainiest, messiest and stickiest ingredients around - oil and vinegar. Yes, I  have made it in empty jam jars and mustard pots
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Objects Of Design #24: Jamie Oliver Tilt And Mix Bowls



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series You can say what you like about Jamie, and many do, but I'm a fan. I like his food and his recipes work. There was a bit of bother over those 30 minute meals, which took nearly an hour, and frankly his Flavour Shakers weren't all that, but on
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Objects Of Design #23: Smiths 10 Second Knife Sharpener



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series In much the same way that we have been through several and various potato peelers over the years, our drawers have played host to a number of knife sharpeners. This has been, for us at least, the best. Although as Smith's themselves would say: "The best sharpener is the
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Objects Of Design #22: Oxo Good Grips® Vegetable Peeler



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series For many years I had the unfortunate habit of throwing the peeler away with the potato peelings. This means I have tested a number of them and this is absolutely, "definitively", my favourite. I will issue one caveat here: I am left-handed, or as my mother would charmingly say
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Objects Of Design #21: Microplane Rotary Grater



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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series So you've probably already got a flat rasp or a grater, but this is for those days when you simply must have cheese on toast. And then everyone else wants some too. Or when you're making cakes or brownies and you need to grind up the chocolate and nuts
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365 Objects Of Design #20: Joseph Joseph Lemon Reamer



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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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