My kitchen favourites
All the things I use religiously
I don’t think there is a week that goes by where I’m not asked about my cookware, my brands of things, and what I look for in pots and pans. So here is a list of the most common products I’m asked about and why I love them. If I’ve missed anything, just let me know and I can always write a part two!
Goes without saying but just so this is really clear, all of my recommendations are completely honest. This guide is really just a round-up of the things I have purchased, regularly use and love. I have included one affiliate link for Our Place that the brand kindly gave me a while ago, and if you decide to use the link, then thank you - I genuinely love their products and it’s an easy way to support my work without any additional cost to yourself.
Onto the recommendations!
POTS AND PANS
STAUB
My gold-standard pots. I have purchased a few different sizes and shapes over the years and nothing has compared. I just LOVE them.
What I like about Staub:
- heavy af
- dishwasher-safe
- rough enamel coating which allows for excellent browning/caramelisation/Maillard reaction. This can occur because there is texture on the surface so water can evaporate out and up from underneath the ingredient/food
- So sturdy and versatile, I really thrash my pots and travel around with them and they still look as new as the day I bought them and I only ever dishwash them
- The lid design! Look this up - the dimples work to create a self-basting system
- Suitable for all cooktops including induction
What I don’t like about Staub:
- The cost. I fully appreciate the quality of these products and I can see where the money is going but I also know these products are prohibitively expensive for some so this would be my only detractor. So my top tip is waiting for EOFY or Black Friday sales, if you’re not fussy about colours, you can find their products for 30-50% off at most of the major department stores.
OUR PLACE
A more affordable (compared to Staub) non-stick option. This brand initially gifted me a pan and I’m glad they did because I really like them and I have since purchased from them for myself and for presents to others. My top pick is the Titanium Pan for the reasons below closely followed by the Always Pan.
What I like about Our Place:
- The Always Pan has a great, smooth non-stick ceramic coating so it’s great for notoriously ‘sticky’ foods like frying eggs and making pancakes and fritters.
- VERY aesthetic and gorgeous colours, I never put it in the cupboard, it stays on my cooktop 24/7
- The Titanium Pan is dishwasher-safe
- The Titanium Pan is heavier and slightly bigger, but if you prefer a lighter pan, go for the Always Pan, it’s very light.
What I don’t like about Our Place:
- The Always Pan can’t go in the dishwasher and I hate/refuse to hand wash (I know this sounds precious but I spend long enough in the kitchen and why hand wash when there’s a dishwasher? I’m always trying to work smarter not harder haha)
These are my main two pots/pans that I use. I also have one Le Creuset pot but I prefer Staub for the coating and the weight of the pots I detailed above. The main things I look for in cookware is avoiding PFOAs/PFAs, Teflon-coating or any non-stick coating that can peel. There’s a lot of data about the safety (or lack thereof) about these coatings and chemicals so I prefer to avoid them in my cookware and in utensils etc as well.
CHOPPING BOARDS
PINCHY PRODUCTS
What I like about Pinchy Products:
- The most fun, colourful designs, no contest!
- Some designs have an indent so moisture doesn’t drip off the board
- Dishwasher-safe
What I don’t like about Pinchy Products:
- I need to put a wet paper towel or Chux underneath the board to stop it slipping on the bench. Not a deal breaker, I’m just a vigorous chopper!
- Not quite big enough for prepping larger volumes of ingredients or large cuts of meat etc. but absolutely perfect for prepping my usual volumes for 2-4 people.
OXO GOOD GRIPS
What I like about Oxo Good Grips Chopping Boards:
- Rubber border so the board stays put on the bench when chopping
- An indent so any moisture doesn’t drip off the board
- Very affordable
- Dishwasher-safe
What I don’t like about Oxo Good Grips Chopping Boards:
- Honestly, maybe only that they aren’t ‘beautiful’ but it’s a chopping board and an excellent, affordable, durable option. I don’t really have anything bad to say!
WOODEN BOARDS
I have no real brand to recommend for this but I do love a heavy butcher’s block style board. I have one which I’ve had for almost 10 years and it’s still perfect. The key to longevity is a light sand and oiling it regularly. I get the orange oil from Kitchen Warehouse or food-grade timber oil from Bunnings.
KITCHEN GADGETS
BLENDER
I’ve had the same little Ninja cup blender for over 5 years and absolutely love it and use it almost daily. It’s not too expensive and is very powerful so every smoothie is ultra smooth even if I use mainly frozen ingredients. I also chop small batches of nuts/chocolate in it and make pestos/sauces/mayos.
AIR-FRYER
Another vote for Ninja here. I have the large drawer air-fryer and it’s excellent. Big enough that you don’t need to continuously toss or shuffle anything, and you can divide the cooking zones to cook two different things at once. Plus there’s lots of settings beyond air-frying including baking - it cooks surprisingly great brownies and cakes.
FOOD PROCESSOR
I have tried so many food processors over the years and nothing comes close to the Magimix as a food processor specifically. I have the 4200XL which is their mid-range one and I love it. I figure it’s the best because it only has one function, and is gold-standard for it. Reliable, strong and the only appliance I can make ultra-smooth nut butters in. And yes, it beats the Thermomix by a mile in this department - see below for my thoughts on that. If you’re thinking of buying one, wait until the sales at the major department stores.
COFFEE MACHINE
I generally always make a moka coffee and use the classic Bialetti pot for induction cooktops. But I also have the very cute blue illy coffee machine and love it for espresso coffee. Their capsules are recyclable back-to-them (very easy process and postage is paid for by illy) and contain more coffee than your standard coffee capsule which is a key selling point for someone like me who always orders a magic (couldn’t be anymore Melbourne if I tried 😂) aka a very strong coffee. I also have the illy milk jug which I don’t usually use for myself - I’m a dash-of-cold-milk kinda gal - but is well used for visitors and Isaac because it can froth in both hot and cold temperatures and holds more milk than other frothers I’ve had in the past.
A WORD ON THERMOMIX
We bought our Thermomix circa 2019 (TM6) and love it for cooking weeknight dinners. That is the main (almost only) thing we use it for because, ultimately, I love cooking and I don’t find it’s function as a food processor or blender to be very good in all honesty. I’ve tried various ingredients, speeds and volumes and have never been able to replicate the textures the Magimix produces as a food processor or the Ninja does as a blender. This is ok though because as I mentioned, it’s mainly a dinner-helper for us. We bought it originally so Isaac, who isn’t a confident cook, can make dinners without second-guessing or asking me a million clarifying questions about what to do next etc. because it each recipe appears on a screen and you tap through it step-by-step as you complete each part. So I’d say it’s fantastic in that sense for someone who isn’t confident or familiar with cooking from scratch, or perhaps someone who needs to cook quickly and without watching something ie if you’ve got kids or working late. All the other functions, such as sous vide, egg boiler, fermentation etc. are great but we don’t often use them. Overall, I’d say it’s fab if you have the money to spare and want to use it primarily for batch cooking/meal prep/dinners.
MIXING BOWLS
What I like about Crow Canyon bowls:
- enamel-coated
- dishwasher-safe
- very beautiful
- great range of sizes
What I don’t like about Crow Canyon bowls:
- maybe I’m splitting hairs but because I’m in Australia and this is a US brand, I wasn’t able to receive a replacement bowl when one of them chipped. The chip is small and doesn’t affect it’s function at all but it’s frustrating when the bowls are on the more expensive side. The brand was lovely about it and apologetic but just something worth noting. My other bowl is still perfect though and gets used much more often so perhaps it was just a one-off.
KIP & CO (I have a yellow one but seems to be sold-out)
What I like about Kip & Co bowls:
- enamel-coated
- dishwasher-safe
- very beautiful
- more affordable (compared to Crow Canyon)
What I don’t like about Kip & Co bowls:
- Thinner enamel coating and lighter overall compared with Crow Canyon but this might be a pro for some!
That concludes my mini-roundup of the most asked questions! If you’d like to know anything else or see a different kind of roundup, let me know!
Mel x