I used to think a garlic crusher was an essential part of my kitchen utensils, until it broke a couple of years back. Even though I kept meaning to buy a new one, I made do with dicing the garlic cloves with a knife. I realised then, that, because this did the job just as well, I didn’t need to buy a new garlic crusher after all.

Anyway, this got me thinking about the question, ‘what are essential kitchen utensils?’
One criteria I like to use is: can it be used for more than one type of job? That is, why use 3 or 4 tools, when one will do. Yes, it’s probably also laziness as well on my part, as I can’t be bothered to forever be searching in drawers and cupboards for all those ‘specialist’ utensils!

THE KNIFE: Although I have many kitchen knives, I have one favourite, really good quality knife to do almost all my chopping, cutting, slicing and dicing – I rarely need to use any other. It’s got a broad blade, which is a lot more versatile than a serrated blade.

THE WOODEN SPOON:  Fairly large, with the spoon end not too shallow, so that it can be used for stirring, cooking, mixing and serving. (After washing it, I always rub a little vegetable oil into the wood, to keep the wood from drying out).

THE WOK:This is brilliant. It can be used for almost every type of cooking, not just stir fry, which makes it really versatile. I love the deep sides, which mean you can be quite vigorous in cooking, without the food ending up all over the hob! It also pays to spend a little time cleaning and oiling it well after cooking.

THE MEASURING JUG:  An essential for accurately measuring liquids, whisking eggs, mixing sauces and gravies. I also use it as a pouring aid when adding ingredients to cooking. Great for pouring olive oil more precisely onto salads etc., rather than straight from the bottle.

THE OVEN TO TABLE DISH:  I love using mine for making pasta bakes and veg pies. I admit to having two - one's a large, deep oblong size, the other a shallower oval shape. Again, very versatile, can be used for any dish, hot or cold, and of course, served straight to the dinner table.

So - I’m going to keep all those one-off specialist utensils that might be only useful for trimming a piece of purple sprouting broccoli, at the back of the cupboard, and go back to basics. But a stylish basics, of course!