Top 10 Kitchen Accessories

I am a big advocate on keeping your environment clutter-free, so i don’t believe it’s necessary to keep thirty different knives in your kitchen drawer. You can prepare almost anything with one good quality chef’s knife and one paring knife. On a recent rehaul of my kitchen accessories I decided to try the new ceramic knives. They offer 5 star quality and are very affordable.

Having only purchased the knives in the last two months, I can say for now that I am very impressed and love them! They are light weight and don’t require sharpening. Unlike stainless steel, they are non-reactive, so are great for keeping the flavour of acidic fruit and vegetables.

A cast iron frying pan is one of the essential accessories in any kitchen. To read more about the benefits of cast iron, see my previous blog post on cast iron cookware.

If you want a professional result for your cooking, cast iron is one of the best materials and is favoured by many chefs. It is dense, therefore providing even heat distribution. It can be used on ceramic glass cooktops, induction cooktops and gas cooktops.

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A chopping board is a necessity in any kitchen. It transports prepared food from one place to another as you prepare your meal. There are many different types of chopping boards available ranging from acrylic, glass, bamboo and hardwood. Harwood chopping boards are my favourite. They add warmth to the kitchen decor and the scratchy noises from chopping food are dulled by the timber.

Choose a size that is going to accommodate the amount of food you will be cutting. If in doubt, get a larger size as it will make your cooking experience more pleasant, preventing your food from rolling on the countertop and floor.

Keep your chopping board within reach of your stove for easy access.

 

As a kitchen accessory, salt and pepper mills must be on the list. They get used throughout the day, everyday. Choose a good quality mill with internal hardware built to last. If you want to accessorise your kitchen with style, choose a set with design flair.

The mill below is designed both for the hand and the eye. The appealing form not only looks good, but the handle makes it easy to use. It is a conversation starter at the dining table. Available in natural beechwood, white, black or orange.

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One of the most versatile kitchen accessories, tongs are a definite must-have kitchen tool. They can be used to flip burgers and grilled vegetables, toss salads and serve pasta.

The ones below are designed by Mattias Mikaelsson for Gense. The designers added a stylish and playful touch to a practical item. This fun, modern accessory comes complete with a serving fork and spoon.

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You need a nice serving set for entertaining friends and family. There are many variations of serving sets. The one featured below includes a spoon, a serving fork and a gravy ladle, perfect for home cooked meals, meat and vegetable dishes, sauces and gravies.

This set by Folke Arström, a leading Swedish industrial designer of the 1950′s, is a design classic. It has been a collector’s item for many years.

 

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An old fashioned and basic accessory, the wooden spoon is a firm favourite. Wooden spoons come in all different shapes and sizes and in a variety of different timbers. Wooden spoons won’t scratch your pots and pans, and they won’t melt like some synthetic ones.

Wooden spoons do absorb the flavour of food, so have at least one for savoury foods and one for baking.

Glass measuring cups are oven-safe, microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe. Pyrex glass is superior to plastic measuring cups as the measured ingredients can be directly heated.

Glass is also a safe container to use when heating ingredients in the microwave.

 

Graters are not just for cheese. The grater is a multipurpose kitchen accessory. The larger holes shred carrots, apples, potatoes and zucchini. Finer holes, or microplanes, are great for ginger, nutmeg, garlic, lemon zest, orange peel and even chocolate.

Graters are easy and fast to use, and quick to clean.

The sieve, or strainer, is used to drain pasta, rinse canned beans, drain blanched vegetables from boiling water and remove seeds and herbs from sauces. You can also use it to sift dry ingredients, and to remove the pulp from freshly squeezed citrus juices.

Strainers come in a variety of sizes and can be stacked within each other if storage space is limited.