10 Kitchen essentials

Kitting out your kitchen? We focus on the top 10 appliances that save you time, eliminate frustration – and won’t turn into white elephants.

Every beautiful kitchen begins with a dream. We collect images in our heads of how it will look, the colours, the mood, the layout, what the favourite finishes will be and which fittings we would love. But we all have to start somewhere and that is often with the first appliances we buy because hey, we need to eat while we dream! We’ve made up a list of the top 10 appliances that are right at home in every dream kitchen.

1 Mixer For home bakers, a serious electric mixer still reigns supreme – especially as it’s also handy for a great many other culinary tasks.
2 Kettle No other kitchen appliance gets used nearly as often, so invest in a sturdy, good-looking one – it’s also the most visible item in your kitchen.
3 Coffeemaker Instant coffee just isn’t the real thing – so if you appreciate a great cuppa, take the hassle out of making it with a reliable coffeemaker.
4 Tin opener Tuna, mussels, soup, beans, dog food or cat food – you need to open one tin or another more often than you might think.
5 Stick blender Perfect for mixing up an array of dishes in a hurry, from pancake batter to a baby’s first solids, a stick blender is also easy to clean: simply rinse the heads under the tap afterwards.
6 Blender With more people adopting healthier eating habits, smoothies have become extremely popular – and to make your own, you need a blender. Opt for one that also crushes ice, so you can use it for making cocktails too.
7 Toaster There’s no faster, more reliable means of preparing perfect toast for breakfast or a quick snack than with an electric toaster.
8 Frying pan Convenient for frying, stir-frying or one-pot meals, an electric frying pan is a must-have if you’re without a stove.
9 Microwave oven If you generally use a microwave to heat up leftovers, and not for cooking or baking, a small one will do the trick.
10 Snackwich maker In many households, Sunday night has become synonymous with the kind of toasted cheese sandwiches only a snackwich maker can turn out. And for mums, this handy appliance helps keep any number of hungry tums happy.