If you like cooking, it’s worth investing in just a few quality tools, which will take cooking from being a chore to a pleasure. The difference of a few pounds between spending hours grating and peeling (and cursing) and easily peeling potatoes and grating vegan cheese is immense):
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets.
Joseph Joseph makes wonderful items (along with amazing knife sets). They cost a few pounds more, but will last you years, save you money (as you’ll be inspired to cook with fresh seasonal ingredients), and most also store easily away.
Potato mashers are comfortable to hold with a unique D-shape design and a non-slip grip. They feature quirky designs like pan-scraping edges and curved mashing plates, that fit into the edges of pans.
Peelers don’t just peel vegetables, but have special features to julienne carrots for salad. And even have little gadgets included, to remove potato eyes. The main version has a guard, to safely store in the cutlery drawer, protecting the blade.
Graters & Zesters are also comfortable to hold. You can use them to grate vegan cheese, or zest lemons and limes. They have an ergonomic design, making grating a bunch of carrots so much easier.
Collapsible can openers don’t just open cans. These can also open bottles and pull up on ring-pull cans too. One folds away, so it’s easy to stash away in a kitchen drawer.
Measuring Cups & Spoons nest into each other, to easily store away. They feature both metric and imperial measurements, sold in a range of colours to match your kitchen decor.
These stainless steel bowls nest inside each other, perfect for space-saving kitchens.
Sustainable Bamboo Cooking Tools
This set of bamboo cooking tools is ideal to use with your pans, and is heat-resistant and scratchproof, unlike metal or silicone. This prevents damage to pots and the natural heat-resistance prevents melting.
The set includes a large and slotted spoon, a rounded fork spatula, a mixing and slotted spatula and a flat spatula. Sold with a 5 year guarantee, wash immediately after use, and hand-wash for longer life.
Bamboo is the world’s fastest-growing grass, and industrial bamboo is not the same as the fresh shoots eaten by pandas. Having said that, it’s not local but one purchase should last years. Just be sure not to steep bamboo anything in water, as it will biodegrade away!
A Multi-Use Mixing Bowl & Colander Set
This mixing bowl & colander set is not just made from quality stainless steel and sold with a lifetime guarantee, but you can use it to do far more than mixing up your salad and rinsing your vegetables.
Made responsibly in China, the nesting design is ideal for compact kitchens, and the bowl has internal measurements and a wide triangle spout, for easy pouring. The run-off space between the bowl and colander allows liquid to drain from foods (like salad leaves). Rust-resistant and easy to clean, it’s also dishwasher-safe and easily recycled (though you likely can use it for life).
Ways to Use This Mixing Bowl & Colander Set:
Wash Your Veggies
Use as a water bath to remove dirt. Dunk veggies inside and the colander’s micro-perforated holes provide edges for particles to dislodge. Then simply strain.
Cook Noodles
Add ‘straight-to-wok’ noodles to the colander and pour over boiling water to soak for a couple of minutes, then pour water away and drain noodles (be mindful of hot water, when removing colander from bowl).
Strained Tinned Legumes
If making aquafaba (vegan meringue), strain strain tinned legumes into the colander over the bowl. Then clean the canned food in colander (inside bowl) to save water.
Soak Potatoes (for making chips)
Soak fresh-cut chipped potatoes in cold water for 20 minutes, using the colander as a water bath to remove amylose (the starch that makes soggy chips). Change water after 10 minutes, then dry on a clean tea towel before air-frying or roasting.
Collect Fruit/Veggie Clippings
Use bowl to collect fruit/veggie choppings (or use the colander for root veggies). Then transport to your food waste box or compost bin.
Soak Dried Beans & Pulses
The colander’s micropores are ideal to soak beans and pulses, just cover with water (with the bowl beneath) to soak for required time (place overturned plate on top, if soaking overnight). Then lift colander out of the bowl and pour away water. Kidney beans contain a toxin that’s difficult to remove unless boiling, so you may wish to use tinned.
Use for Marinading Vegetables
Use to spice or marinade roasted veggies or chips, the colander ensures excess oil drains away (bin in kitchen paper). For larger amounts of oil, use an oil recycling container which has a filter to prevent solids passing, and a drip-catch system for easy emptying.