A Guide To Utensils

A Guide To Utensils

When setting up home for the first time, or refurnishing a property, it may shock you to find out how much kitchen equipment can set you back these days. If you buy with a bit of common sense, scrutiny and some insider knowledge, you can reduce your costs considerably. Food writer and chef, Ingrid Burling, shares trade secrets to help you find the best equipment.

A typical plastic utensil - and a poor performer by all accounts. This is barely a year old.

This looks good, but the glue at the join is a design flaw – it will invariably wear away.

An ideal purchase: costing £5 - a fortune in 1989 - but it is 33 years old and still going strong. It was worth every penny.

In the 1980s, when I was a student, kitting out my digs, the biggest mistake I made was to buy cheap plastic utensils in a ready-made set from my local supermarket. They were always either burning or bending, melting or disintegrating, and never lasted long. In later years, when I got married and we bought our tiny little flat, the best investment I ever made was to start replacing them with catering grade items. Built to be terrorised, many of them have a 25-year guarantee.

For me, ironmongers, haberdashers and kitchen shops are like treasure troves. In those days I frequented Leon Jaeggi in Tottenham Court Road, dreaming of buying everything in the place, whilst the reality was that I could not afford it. I bought one item at a time, building up some wonderful utensils, some of which I have now had for over 30 years and will never need to replace. They are of rock-solid construction, undentable – even when dropped on a hard stone floor – and still deliver a stellar performance.

When buying utensils, there are only three things to pay attention to: Firstly, choose a utensil that is made entirely of stainless steel because it is super robust and hygienic. Secondly, buy utensils that are made from a single piece of metal, rather than being made of two parts, joined together where the tool meets the handle. This latter involves glue or paste, and this will disintegrate in the dishwasher or during washing up, and so will shorten the lifespan of the item. Thirdly, buy utensils with holes in the handles or hooks at the end, so you can hang them up to free up counter-space. See the pictures below.

Ingrid