Making your kitchen fit for a master chef
THERE’S barely a TV minute, or channel flick that goes by these days without a celebrity chef whipping up an organic feast or gastronomic delight amid seductive lighting and a designer kitchen. Then there’s Masterchef, which has thrilled millions with its X Factor style drama. They’ve collectively inspired a nation of amateur culinary enthusiasts, and as a result – say retailers – prompted a tidal wave of spending on professional kitchen equipment. According to John Lewis, sales of premium food processors, mixers and blenders have increased a whopping 233 per cent in March alone as a result of the phenomenon, with droves willing to spend upwards of £400 on a luxury gadget. But what do the real chefs have in their own home kitchens? City A.M. tracked down five of the UK’s hottest chefs to name their must-have kitchen buys.
1 WINE COOLER: Stephen Tonkin, head chef at the Dean Street Townhouse, says his custom-made and integrated wine cooler is indispensable: “Stocking up on the right wines and having them stored at the perfect temperature is fantastic.” The cooler offers different temperatures for different drinks: wine bottles are stored at 5°C and red at 12°C. “It’s very a great talking point at parties,” says Tonkin. John Lewis stocks a wide range, starting from £199 for seven bottle own brand integrated cooler. www.johnlewis.com
2 THERMOMIX MIXER: Daniel Galmiche, head chef at The Vineyard at Stockcross, says he couldn’t live without a Theromix in his kitchen at home: “They are wonderful. It does everything. It is the ultimate foodie’s toy. You can make soups, sauces, ragu, grind nutmeg, make hollandaise. It does half of the chef’s work.” Adding that it is particularly useful if you don’t have a huge kitchen since it takes up very little space: “I am one of the few chefs that doesn’t live in a big house, so the size of equipment matters.” This specialist product is available directly from Thermomix, www.ukthermomix.com, costing £885, including VAT, and can only be ordered by phone on 01344 622 344
3 RANGE COOKER: Thierry LaBorde of Chabrot Bistrot d’Amis says a decent range cooker is essential to any kitchen, professional or otherwise. Personally, he said would only be interested in an aga decked with Le Creuset cookware. While Tim Hughes, group chef director of Caprice Holdings, recommends the Britannia model: “It’s the most important thing to get right in a kitchen. Range cookers are fantastic because they usually have six hobs and two oven compartments, which is helpful for getting the timings right.” Britannia range cookers cost around £2,000 depending on your requirements. The Britannia website can help you locate your nearest provider: www.britannialiving.co.uk/range-cookers. www.lecreuset.com.
4 BUTCHERS BLOCK: Tim Hughes says a butcher’s block is a great place to prepare food and adds to the rustic look he likes in family kitchens: “Hard wearing, chunky, preferably antique blocks are best (they don’t make them like they used to).” He refutes the idea that these can be difficult to clean: “Nothing salt and a wire brush won’t solve.” Antique blocks can be found on Ebay, www.ebay.com. While new ones can found through the specialist website Country Trolleys, www.countytrolleys.co.uk
5 JAPANESE MANDOLIN: Alexis Gauthier of Gauthier Soho says a Japanese Mandolin, a vegetable slicing device, is his favourite domestic kitchen contraption: “Much like an extremely sharp cheese grater, the Mandolin allows you to cut extremely finely. You can cut practically any vegetable on it, including tougher root vegetables – just watch out for your fingers.” This contraption will show you how important the detail is to the final product. A wide selection are available on Amazon, www.amazon.co.uk, ranging from around £30-£80