Top Five... Kitchen Doodahs.

Here is the first of my monthly "Top 5" lists, and today's list comes from the Muck Kitchen.  Since becoming a mum I spend so much more time in the kitchen and these gadgets and appliances are as hard-working as I pretend to be, and therefore worthy of a little praise, blog style.

So in no particular order:

Alessi Juicer by Phillippe Starck

Form and function.  My brother gave me this for my birthday about 10 years ago and it's been one of my favourites since.  I always thought it was a decorator item for the benchtop, but then one day I used it to juice a lemon and I've never looked back - it works so well.  And when it's not being used it's a great piece of kitchen eye-candy and a design classic that will never go out of style.

Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer

And speaking of hardworking, brilliant things that look gorgeous even when they're not being used, here is my kitchenaid which I'll admit I've been banging on about to anyone who'll listen.  My husband won serious brownie points (which, interestingly enough in this case, can be converted into actual brownies) when he got me this, from the kids, for Mother's Day.   It's just so powerful and such a pleasure to use.  You can see my previous posts about the Kitchenaid, including some recipes here.

 Le Creuset Frypan

Now I have this I can't believe there ever existed a time when it was not on my stovetop.  It's super heavy but this is a good thing as it heats and cooks quickly and evenly.  Finally,  I've been able to make the perfect french toast...

Miss S's birthday breakfast

This is my "forever frypan" as I have been frustrated with other frypans in the past that are less expensive but don't cook as well and the teflon coating comes off after a year or so.   Buying one of these every 10 -15 years has got to save you money in the long run if you consider you might buy 3 or 4 cheaper ones in that time.  I've also never really used a lid on a frypan before but it's great to have one for when you want to sweat onions or retain the moisture in a simmering sauce.  All in all a great buy and worth the money.

Nespresso Aeroccino Plus

My morning Flat White

If you enjoy a latte (or a "Flat White"  if you're a Kiwi like me), then you'll appreciate this.  We bought this to steam the milk to go with the espresso we make with our Delizio capsule machine.  (The Delizio is just like the Nespresso machines but Swiss).   It makes a very dense foam that is slightly sweet - simply delicious, and a really great way to start the day.  It also makes a cold foam if you want to make iced coffee or chocolate.

Furi Knives

If there's one thing in the kitchen I recommend spending some money on it's got to be your knife set.  Even one or two quality knives are better than a whole set of flimsy blunt ones.  My brother got me on to Furi knives when he gave me one a few years back.  At the time I couldn't find them in NZ, but google came through and I found the rest of set in Australia (where they come from) and had them sent over. (You can actually buy them in NZ now, by the way).  I use my Wusthof Sharpener to keep them in shape, and they are always a joy to use.

Make sure you watch this space as my Swiss Kitchen Competition will be starting next week.  A fabulous collection of Swiss kitchen gadgets will be given away to one lucky reader.  Details to follow!

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(Just thought I should add that I don't have any affiliations with the makers of any of these gadgets).