Jamies Ministry of Food

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT

These days, you can buy really cheap kitchen gear. This is great, because it means anyone should be able to get their hands on all the essential bits of equipment they need, no matter what their budget is.

I’m giving you a list of the bare minimum items you need to have in your kitchen to be a well-rounded, efficient cook.

When it comes to things like knives, food processors and wooden chopping boards, it really is worth striving to get the best bits of kit you can afford. Two or three good-quality knives are much better than a whole set of rubbish ones. When you’re buying a knife, check that it’s a good weight, the blade is nice and rigid, and the handle feels good in your hand.

Also try and get a good-quality, non-stick frying pan. For saucepans, as long as they’ve got sturdy, thick bottoms, I think they’re all much of a muchness. All the other stuff on the list you can spend as little, or as much, money on as you wish.

Essential kitchen kit

Ideally you’re going to want to get your kitchen well stocked with all of the equipment listed below. If you can’t get everything in one go, that’s fine, just buy what you can afford and pick up the rest when you can.

Stuff to buy right now