How To Make Life in The Kitchen Easier

If you would like to know what products I use in my kitchen to make the work easier, profit from over 30 years of cooking nearly every day, the mistakes I made, what I learned and all the rather nerdy research I put into finding the best tool for the job, read on.
Even more so, if you, like me, live with chronic pain and have limited energy, so you need your cooking to be efficient, streamlined, as easy as possible and joyful.
Time saving isn’t a luxury in our lives. Time is and will always be our most valuable resource. These are my ways to claim back as much of it as I can.

This post contains referral links for products I love. For The Pleasure Of Eating earns a small commission on these links at no cost to you, and the links will always be marked with an asterisk*.

However, none of these products are sponsored or were sent to me for free. I’ve bought every single one of them myself, often after extensive research, trying to find the best tool for the job.

I’m sharing these with you, so you don’t have to put in the time (and countless mis-trials), explaining what I learned over about 35 years of cooking and baking. If I can just save you a little bit of time, frustration and energy, this page is a success.

Why I’m writing this novel of a page

Have you ever seen an incredibly enticing recipes that also looked super healthy due to lots of veggies, would have loved to make it but then thought with an internal groan “But geez, all that chopping! I just can’t!” ?
Yeah, me too.

Or really wanted to make your own bread/shortcrust pastry/rolls/insert dream baked good here and decided it’s just too much work and mess?
Yup. Been there. Done that.

And don’t get me wrong, I love pottering around in my kitchen, but spending hours chopping or kneading and cleaning up just isn’t the most fun part for me.
Sure, a little chopping with a really sharp knife * can be joyful, but, say, thinly sliced cabbage for coleslaw? Not so much.
Or grating cucumber for my beloved Tzatziki? I’d rather not. Carrots for carrot cake? Heck no!
Kneading sticky rye sourdough? That was the reason it took me years to start making my own bread!

And, as a woman over 50 with arthritis lack of spoons (energy) is a thing!
I have to be careful with my energy and joints, if I don’t want to risk having a flare up, or not being able to sleep because of too much pain or spending all my weekly energy in one day.
It still occasionally happens if I get too enthusiastic about cooking and baking and spend the occasional 15h day in the kitchen, whipping up and photographing multiple recipes in one day. But even that I couldn’t do without my little helpers.

Nope, not talking about kids, let alone some little kitchen elves (though if you spot any of those, send them my way please?), but rather about the tools and strategies that make cooking and baking easier for me.

So, for those of you who would like to know what tools and tricks I use and why, this post is for you.
And when I find something new that I feel is worth noting for making my life better, I will post it here, to slowly grow a sort of database of my kitchen hacks.

First things first or:

The Basics

Knifes

Even if I use a fair few tools to help me with repetitive tasks, a good knife * is always needed. And by good I mean razor sharp and balanced, so my hands don’t get tired from having to apply too much force to cut through veggies. Or feel frustrated that my knife is squishing tomatoes into a pulp rather than slicing them.

A really good, sharp knife makes the difference between enjoying to cook and being frustrated (or simply cutting myself because the dull edge slipped off the squash rather than chopping it).
So, while I tried many knifes over my life, starting with cheap ones I got on special offer somewhere, because I simply couldn’t afford the high quality ones, I do really appreciate the Japanese knifes I’ve been using in the last 10 years or so.

First I got 3 knifes from “Io Shen”, a series that was available here in the EU for a while, but I can’t find them anymore. I still use them happily. But recently I got my dream knife:
A Japanese Damascus steel Chef’s knife from the German Company “Zwilling”, made by their Japanese partners Miyabi.

Here is a similar chef’s knife* on Amazon.

It is an absolute pleasure to work with. Balanced, crazy sharp and just beautiful to look at. I’m pretty sure this will last me the rest of my life. And with all the time I spend in my kitchen, that says a lot.

Now, I’m not saying you have to spend this kind of money on a knife. It is expensive, that’s for sure. But if you can, it’s certainly worth it, considering we need to eat every day and with that, many of us cook every day.

If you get the paring knife* from the same line, you should be all set for your everyday kitchen tasks.

If you are looking for something more affordable, the Global Series * are always a safe bet.

Knife Sharpener

Any knife will lose its edge when used, so the second most important thing is a knife sharpener that fits your blade type. You’ll need a different (smaller) angle for Japanese style knifes than you would for European style knifes.

For my Japanese ones I use this simple but effective ceramic water sharpener*. It always keeps my knifes razor sharp, so I chop and slice efficiently without slipping and cutting myself. I only need to sharpen my knifes about once a month or so.

For a quick touch up in between (pretty much every day) I briefly pull them over a sharpening steel*.

Chopping Boards

Right along with knifes, chopping boards are one of the most important items in your kitchen. I’ve tried both plastic and wooden boards over the years and found that wooden boards not only keep your knifes sharper for longer, but are also less prone to sliding around while you chop, making them a safer choice.

I found I need at least 3 in my kitchen from food safety and flavor perspective: One for meat and only meat. To be washed with hot soapy water between uses. But I still wouldn’t want to cut my fruit or veg on it.
One for veggies. One for fruits. Because no matter how much you scrub it, you will never get onion and garlic entirely out of the veggie board. And no one wants their desserts and fruit salad with onion flavor.  Or maybe you do? Look, I’m not garlic shaming anyone here, but I gotta draw the line at raspberry with garlic!
Oh wait, that’s not true! Ok, well, have your fruits with garlic, but only when you actively choose it!

I also really need boards that have a rim, to catch those tomato and fruit juices from flowing all over my worktop. This set of wooden boards* is a pretty good choice with different sizes, so you can tell your boards apart.
Or get multiple large boards* in slightly different variations, so you can tell which one is which.

Maybe, just for good measure, get one for bread? Maybe I’m obsessive over chopping boards, but my bread cutting board constantly lives beside my hob.

Utensil containers

The one trick you’ll see every professional chef use is, to have a container with their most used utensils right on their worktop.
I extended that to 3 (2 showing in the picture below), including many of the below mentioned pieces plus some tablespoons, teaspoons and butter knifes.
This saves me from running back and forth to my cutlery drawer every few minutes.

Bench Scraper

In the last few years I took more and more to using a bench scraper* for a gazillion different tasks and have to say it’s a game changer. Starting from transferring chopped goods from A to B without making a mess or risking cutting myself by using my super sharp knife, over portioning out dough for rolls all the way to cleaning up my worktop after cooking in an easy way, scraping everything into a bowl *, then just wiping it clean without a mess on the floor, it just has so many uses!
I love the OXO series for their really nice grips. Perfect for hands with arthritis.

Metal Bowls

Talking about cleanup: I, just as many chefs, adopted the habit of having a metal bowl* right beside me on the counter while cooking, to throw in my scraps. It stops me from running back and forth for every bit, let alone using paper towels or getting my sink dirty, keeps my counter clean and tidy and is easily emptied into the bin when I’m done. Just one bowl * can be a huge time saver. Though I got a set of them, as you can never have too many bowls in the kitchen. (She says, precariously balancing the huge tower of different bowls).

As a food blogger, I obviously have a good few glass bowls*. Which just look a lot better in photos. But honestly, when cooking just for myself I’m just too clumsy to use them on a consistent basis, as I’m known for dropping stuff.

Vegetable Peeler

And while I’m talking about OXO, I swear by their vegetable peeler* for many years now and keep getting the same one once it loses its edge. It lasts for years though, even with heavy use.
Having tried so many over the years that were either never sharp to begin with, lost their edge way too quickly or were just painful to hold, this one is a pleasure to work with. Sharp, with a big, comfortable non-slip handle, it lets me peel carrots and potatoes in no time.

And I’m not sure who needs to read this (took me ages to figure it out, silly as it sounds): If you lay carrots with the wider end towards your fingertips on your palm, then pull the peeler over it, the peel will fall right off when you turn it for the next stroke, instead of collecting awkwardly on your hand when holding the narrow end towards the fingers. Or maybe that’s just how it works with my hands? Anyway, try it out and let me know if it makes a difference for you.

Microplane Zester

For the same reason I adore this Microplane Zester*.
I honestly hated zesting lemons before I tried this one. Always either worried about zesting my fingers or just not getting the zest off the lemons at all. But this one is both super sharp and feels safe due to the non-slip and very grippy handle.

Tip:
Instead of dragging the lemon over the grater, as I guess most of us started out, pull the zester * upside down over the lemon. Not only do you get more zest that way, but it also feels more controlled, and the citrus peel gathers in a neat bunch op top, ready to be tapped into your bowl when you have enough, instead of flying all over the place.

Garlic Press

I’m sure you have seen chefs just quickly grating garlic on a Microplane zester * or grater like the one above. Watching it makes me shiver and want to look away! If you can do it, more power to you! But I’m too clumsy and feel very attached to my fingertips. So I use a garlic press *. Very old fashioned, I know.
But not just any garlic press *. I mean, if you used a few you know why I’m saying this: They either don’t press it properly or just fall apart after a year or two of heavy use. And loving garlic in a million dishes, that just got rather expensive over time!
Until I got a properly made one like this solid metal garlic press*.
Mine is with me for over 18 years now and is showing absolutely 0 signs of wear and tear. It’s relatively heavy, made from just 3 pieces that are really well put together and works like a charm.

Cookie Scoops

Anything from portioning ice cream to cookie dough, muffins, pancakes, energy balls and whatever else sticky and batter/dough-like I come up with gets portioned with one of my cookie scoops*. I got them as a set of 3, which has any size I could ever need. They save me a lot of time, give me consistent portion sizes and keep me from fumbling with 2 spoons or sticky fingers.

Measuring Cups and Spoons

While we don’t use spoons or cups* to measure ingredients in Germany usually, I have started to appreciate the ease of the system in my cooking over time. I have durable metal sets of them. They tend to last a lifetime.

Digital Scales

And while I do like cooking with the easy American system, in baking digital scales are your best friend. If you have ever tried to get the exactly correct amount of flour by dragging a cup through your container, just to find that your lovely supposedly fluffy and moist bread is more suited to hit an intruder over the head with it, you know that getting it correct is pretty important.
So do yourself a favor and get some digital scales*. They will dramatically improve your baking. I promise. I upgraded mine recently to those in the link, as they are USB chargable and waterproof. Plus very easy to clean and super quick to respond. The upgrade was certainly worth it, making my life much easier.

Candy Thermometer

Ok, maybe it’s just me, but it took me ages to find a really good clip on candy thermometer* that would actually stay on the pot and show the temperature in big, easy to read numbers. It’s super helpful when making caramel, Italian Meringue, candied orange or lemon slices and a million more sweet treats. Also a quick check while cooking meat, to see if it’s still lovely and pink or cooked through, depending on your preferences.

Salad Spinner

Many years ago I got a Tupperware salad spinner *, which did a reasonable job until it developed a weird tic of rattling and not spinning. With Tupperware going bust, I couldn’t find someone to replace the broken part (plus I really didn’t feel like attending a party), so I looked for a really good salad spinner * to replace it.

The Oxo Good Grips* was what I settled on and am super happy I did.
It has a very solid feeling push to spin mechanism and a lovely metal bowl * which I use constantly. And if you store your freshly washed salad in the bowl with the colander * in it, it will stay fresh and crunchy for days.

These are the bits I’m really particular about when it comes to smaller tools and that I use all the time.

Pots and Pans

After my reasonably priced non-stick saucepan * set was rapidly losing its coating, I bought my current GreenPan Treviso set*. Sure, it looks lovely, but what I love most about it is, how absolutely non-stick it is and that it does not release any toxic chemicals into my food.
A gentle wipe with hot water is all I need to clean it.

Just one tip: Don’t use ceramic coated pans to sear meat or other items that need a really hot pan *. It’s more made for the medium temperatures. That being said, with the rapid heat transfer, it has everything hot in no time, even when I set my induction hob to medium heat.

Frying Pans

For anything that needs non-stick and high temperature I finally invested into two Le Creuset frying pans*, after getting really tired of buying a new slightly cheaper one every year. And I tried many over the years! But every single one kept losing the non-stick coating latest after a year of use. Even those that cost over 100€.

Le Creuset might be a bit more expensive, but I have it since about 6 years now and it’s still in great shape!
I wish every non-stick pan * would have looked like this after so many years of constant use.

Additionally I got myself a Lodge cast iron pan* many, many years ago, which is only getting better the older and more seasoned it becomes. Utterly perfect for anything I want to either sear really hot, like a steak or finish in the oven like my German Protein Pancake. And if you take reasonably good care of them,they last a lifetime. It’s not magic, trust me. Just make sure to clean, dry and oil after each use and you’ll be fine.

A cast iron griddle pan* completes the collection. I use it for steak, to get a lovely smoky finish and for anything I want pretty griddle marks on, like my grilled mango burrata salad.

Dutch Oven

I can’t talk pots and pans without mentioning my beloved Le Creuset Dutch Oven*.

When I finally got one (after using a cheap copy for many years) I was a bit baffled by the difference it makes. The coating is just so much more resistant to any marks from, say a bit overly zealous browning. A quick boil with baking soda and it looks like brand new.

It keeps the heat really well, which is great for slow cooking things like stew or soup (it comfortably holds a huge portion of my Vegan Tom Kha soup ), and I have it in constant use for baking the perfect sourdough bread every single time.

Wok

The most recent addition to my pots and pans collection is a carbon steel Wok* I got a few months ago. It has a super rapid heat transfer, is becoming more non-stick with every use and has a lovely wooden handle for safe gripping. Mine doesn’t have the non stick coating yet that the one in the link comes with from the start. But I don’t mind. It’ll come.

Appliances to Make your Life easier

Food Processor

Now I’m getting to the (maybe) less essential part in meal preparation. Though for me, having aching joints, finding shortcuts in the kitchen feels pretty essential.

And one of the very best investments I made years ago was my Breville (Sage in Ireland) Sous Chef Food Processor*.

Now at this point you get a sneak peak into my kitchen and what I have on my counters for daily use:

Let me explain why I went for this one:

Slicing and grating

Coming from a Kenwood Major Chef attachment food processor *, which was decent, but broke down after a few years, I wanted one that would stand the test of time, slice evenly, have a small and large bowl and be able to handle basically everything I throw at it.
And (apart from pumpkin seed butter, which it failed miserably at) it has done just that. I think I have it for over 10 years at this point and am happy to use it nearly every time I cook.

Since having it I started making coleslaw on repeat, which I absolutely dreaded when chopping by hand (I’m ok with a knife, but millimetre thin slices of cabbage? Not that good!). Let alone grating the carrots.

The Breville has multiple disk attachments as most food processors. But what really sets it apart is the adjustable slicing disk. You can set it precisely to the thickness you want in 24 steps from under 1mm to 8mm and it will deliver absolutely even slices like a trained chef (maybe even better) in seconds. And you can, to my astonishment, feed a whole cucumber through the cute and it will just “munch” it in no time, delivering you perfectly slices or grated cucumber for salad or Tzaziki. Same goes for all sorts of other veggies.
Potatoes, super thinly sliced for gratin anyone? Instead of having some thinner overcooked slices and thicker undercooked ones, this tool gives you evenly cut potatoes for the perfect gratin.

Grinding

And if that’s not enough, it can of course grind all sorts of nuts, cheese and whatever you might throw at it. Even frozen fruit for ice cream. Though with it being cold here in Ireland all winter and me being more of a creamy ice cream girl, I rarely use that function.

Pasty Making

What I do use it for though is shortcrust pastry. I hear people finding it relaxing to rub the butter into the flour (and quickly, so it doesn’t get too warm), I just find it painful. It really hurts my thumb joint, which is, beside my knees, the most sensitive joint for me. So throwing all ingredients into the food processor * and coming back with perfectly flaky pastry dough within seconds has been a revelation for me.

Oh and my much used and loved Almond crust, which I use for lots of different pies in different variations. Without a food processor, I couldn’t make it.

I also love that it comes with a really neat box for all the attachments.

I’m pretty sure you’ll find many more uses for it and if so, I’d love to hear about it.
For me, this tool is a life saver in the kitchen and the one thing beyond the absolute basics that I just wouldn’t want to live without.

Right, that was more of an ode to the food processor, wasn’t it?
But the short of it is: If you can at all, get a food processor (go for a cheaper one if this one is a bit too much), keep it on your counter, so you use it and save a ton of time in the kitchen!

Moving on.

Stand Mixer

Why I moved from Kenwood

This super pretty Pistachio coloured Kitchen Aid* is a more recent addition to my kitchen.
Not that I was without a stand mixer *, oh no! I have a Kenwood Chef Titanium* which I loved and got about 15 years ago because it came as a set with blender, food processor and a little super handy spice grinder * that I will miss dearly when it doesn’t live on my counter anymore.

But by slowly replacing all the attachments with more functional parts (see food processor), the only bits I was still using were the stand mixer * and spice grinder *. And then the dough hook got entirely stuck and couldn’t be convinced to let me swap it for whisk * or paddle. So, it was time for a replacement.

To Kitchen Aid

Wanting one that would last me a long time and fit with my kitchen colours, meaning the Kitchen Aid was the very obvious choice. I am, of course, in love with it. I mean, how could I not be?
There is a reason professional chefs all over the world are using it in their kitchens.
I chose the artisan version, classic with the 5 quart bowl, as I found I very rarely if ever used the bigger bowl capacity in the Kenwood in all those years.
And…well…colour! It was just too pretty! I got it in “Pistachio”, fitting my kitchen theme absolutely perfect!

Uses for my Stand Mixer

But back to the functionality: I make my own bread. And while most of my sourdough bread is no-knead, Like this German Rye-Beer bread, I do make things like Brioche, which don’t just have to be kneaded, but are also really sticky at the start. So a stand mixer makes it much easier.
Plus, again: Joints. Arthritis. Energy.
If I didn’t have this “gadget” or rather helper, I just wouldn’t be able to whip up the things I do.

One particular point I noticed since I have the Kitchen Aid: Contrary to the Kenwood, whose kneading hook just uselessly spins through the liquid if I don’t briefly pre-mix the dough is, that the Kitchen Aid does exactly what its name says: It stands and mixes. No pre-mixing required. Which is absolutely marvellous.
Compared to my older Kenwood, which had a tendency to wander around a bit when it was working a heavy dough.

In conjunction with stand mixers, I also have to mention Meringue. Italian meringue to be exact. Not having to hold a hand mixer * and possibly splattering myself with scorchingly hot sugar syrup while drizzling it slowly into the meringue saves me a lot of nerves and potentially burns.
If feel if we can, lets make our lives a little easier, shall we?

Blender

Nutribullet

While I happily worked with the Blender from my Kenwood for many years, It wasn’t strong enough to blend nuts into creamy sauces or handle frozen fruit for smoothie bowls in any satisfying way. So a few years ago, while on my weight loss journey, I got the Nutribullet*.

For the price and size, it does a marvellous job of pulverizing for example cashews for my Cashew Ranch Dressing and blending frozen fruit. If you add enough liquid.

Which left me with 2 big “buts” (no pun intended): I really wanted to make nut butter and I wanted to blend frozen fruit easier (without having to take off and shake the blender several times in the process, feeling I nearly killed it because it smelled slightly burned) into a thicker consistency for said smoothie bowls, not just smoothies.

Vitamix

And there are very few blenders that can achieve both. For me the obvious choice was Vitamix*. It was on my wish list for years before I finally got around to buying one. And I figured, since I use it a lot, I might as well get the A3500 from the Ascend* series. From all the reviews I read and watched, it seemed to be the only newer model that can handle really everything you throw at it. Including, according to their little recipe book, grinding metal lids from cashew jars into a fine powder…I don’t intend to try this myself.

I’m happy to report: It does all the above marvellously. Though I have to quantify a little bit I feel: It does make nut butter, but it won’t get as creamy as commercial ones. So when I make for example my Pistachio Cream, I still use ready bought, super creamy pistachio butter for best results.

But what I didn’t expect was, that my pancakes were getting better. No, really. I realise it sounds weird. But I made in particular my German Pancake (Dutch Baby) with Protein in it after mixing it for ages in my Kenwood blender and it made such a difference! It came out much puffier, lighter and crispier with flaky edges than ever before.

Talking about crunchy:

Air Fryer

For the longest time I fought against getting one of those. I thought “I very rarely make chips/fries, so what on earth would I use this for?”.
Hmmm yeah. I really didn’t know what I was missing!
The thing that convinced me in the end was energy cost when heating up my Pretzel rolls for breakfast. It just didn’t make sense to switch on my oven for 1 of them!
And then I fell utterly and completely in love with it!

So for those of you that are still fighting against the apparent worldwide obsession with them, this Cosori Air Fryer* is the one I’m using (I have a slightly older model, but the differences are minor). And do yourself a favor and get one. Really. I mean it.

What to use it for

• Roast Chicken. Make it once in your air fryer * and you’ll never go back to oven roasting. It’s faster, juicier and has crispier skin all around than you can ever get in the oven.
• Re-heat your food. In particular anything that was crispy and would just go very bland and soggy in the microwave. Roast potatoes for example. They re-crisp marvellously and take on the perfect crisp golden brown you want
• Reheat cookies and other baked good or even bake them in small portions. Takes usually just about 5 minutes and I have the perfect cookie or muffin.
• Cook vegetables – There is probably barely any veggie you can’t make better by using the air fryer *. So far my absolute favourites are
• Corn on the cob, perfectly charred, yet juicy.
• Cauliflower. Blanch briefly, then roast the whole head with spiced butter. So, so good!
• Asparagus. Just about 5 minutes and you have super deliciously roasted spears.
• Aubergine/Eggplant. Especially for making my Smoky Aubergine dip with yoghurt. Faster than the oven, easier to clean than the hob and very hands off.
• Forgot to take a loaf of bread out of the freezer? Use your air fryer to heat it up. I found the classic oven will never get the inside done while the outside burns to a crisp. Much easier in the air fryer.
• Pork shoulder. No really. This Cuban Air Fryer Pork was the best roast I ever made from pork and it needed just over 1h in the air fryer, to come out super juicy, yet with the perfect crispy crackling.

I could go on and on, but in short: An air fryer is essentially a convection oven in small. Which is what professional kitchens use, to have the air circulate perfectly around the contents, having them roast to absolutely perfection. And it uses less energy than an oven.

One more appliance and I’m done, I promise.

Breville Fast Slow Pro

This instant pot * and slow cooker * in one had me making risotto and rice pudding without standing on the hob, stirring for an hour. I mean really, do you have time and patience for that? I sure don’t!
But the Breville Fast Slow Pro* “stirs” for you with a nifty system of using tiny bubbles created by the pressure cooker to have the rice grains rub against each other, releasing the needed starch for a super creamy risotto or rice pudding. Plus it only takes about 1/3 of the time to be ready. That’s how I made my Protein Rice Pudding.

And contrary to other instant pots, which can do only one thing, it can also pre-sear your meat for a stew for example, sweat the onions and slow cook. So you have one appliance less to clutter your kitchen.

Baking Equipment

Banneton

What is needed after the stand mixer? A banneton * for the last bread rise. And did I get frustrated with the classic ones! The very first time, noob that I was, I totally ruined the cloth with super sticky rye sourdough. I did get a little better with the flouring over time, but I never felt the results to be really satisfying. Plus I absolutely hated that I should “season” a piece of linen with flour and not wash it. Yuck!

Until I found this lovely set of silicone bannetons*!

They come in different colors, which is nice. But what’s even better is, that they don’t stick, can be flattened for easy storage and go into the dishwasher if needed!
They also come with super handy non-stick liners for lifting the loaf into and out of the Dutch oven *. Someone really thought this through!

And instead of having only one round basket, I got 2 different shapes. Plus all the needed bits and bobs for making great bread in one neat package.

Rolling Pin *

For most of my adult life I used an inherited wooden rolling pin * from my mom, but a few years ago I realized I can’t really feel the dough when working with it, so I got myself a super simple wooden rolling pin* without handles and have never looked back.

I had a brief intermezzo with a marble pin admittedly, until a friend dropped it onto my rather unforgiving stone floor and it shattered. I wasn’t particularly sad though, as it was just way too heavy to use.

Spring Form

After having several mis-trial with rusting ones, one that simply fell apart after one use and several in between, I settled for a good quality spring form from Kitchen Aid, which is serving me marvellously well. Mine is a different colour, but the rest is the same: Lovely, sturdy non-stick that does exactly what it’s designed to do.

9×13 Baking Pan

The 9×13 lidded pan One of the most versatile baking pans I own. I use it for anything from brownies to large batches of Sourdough Croissant Cinnamon rolls and was happy that it has a lid so many times, I can’t even count them. The ability to just keep whatever magic cake you created right in there to bring it to a party/picnic or potluck is priceless.

Stainless Steel Sheet Pan

I don’t just use sheet pans* for baking, but also to transport my ingredients from the fridge to the kitchen island and from there to my photo studio. Or my dinner with me to wherever I decide to eat it. I let you in on a secret here: I often have dinner in bed! *gasp* I know! Scandalous! And all the crumbs, right?
Not really. These handy trays catch any possible mess and are just super practical in my kitchen. I have 2 for good measure and often wished I had a third!
They are also easy to clean, look like new even after years of use and have the right size for any oven I ever encountered.

And if I need a smaller version for, say freezing something or squeezing it into my overly full fridge, I use the half sheet pan*.

Roasting Tin

My roasting tin* is with me for about…uhm….20 years now and is showing absolutely no signs of rust or breaking. And while I have no idea where exactly I got mine, stainless steel from a decent company is what I would go for anytime again.

It’s sturdy, cleans very easily even after the toughest dishes with burned in stains, used for all kinds of large roasts, tray bakes, casseroles like the Vegan Taco Casserole or as container for water and placing my Protein Crème Brulee ramekins in.

The rack is handy for roasts, to get them crispy all around.

Containers

Pyrex Containers

Before I came to Ireland, I had absolutely no concept what Pyrex* even is. No one in my family or vicinity ever used them and I’m not sure they are even available in Germany.
But boy would I miss them now!

I got my first set from a voucher system that Tesco had back then. Just thinking “Well, a glass container with lid might come in handy”. Until I realised I can not just use them for fridge storage but also bake and freeze in them!

One of the smaller containers is constantly in use for heating up lunch or messier items in my air fryer. The bigger ones are fabulous for all types of bakes or Tiramisu. The fact that they have matching lids is just too handy.

Lidded glass containers

For any meal prep that I don’t want to bake, I bought a big set of lidded glass containers*.

I find them incredibly practical to store different components of a meal separately, to keep everything fresh and at it’s best for days, so I can throw it together just before eating.

And if I buy fresh berries I wash them, then line one of these containers with a paper towel, the berries on top and they will stay fresh for days, instead of shrivelling or developing mould in an open plastic box.
Honestly, just that ability to keep things fresh has saved me so much money and food waste!

Lidded Plastic Containers

Because I like organised storecupboards and hate open, spilling bags and food waste, I got several large sets of lidded plastic containers* to store all of my pantry goods. Anything that comes in a bag goes into one of them as soon as the bag is open. They come with handy stickers, to label everything, so you can actually find those almond slivers you were looking for and knew you had.

Ever since I got them, I barely have to throw stuff out because it got lost in the depth of my (very well stocked) pantry and it just makes me ridiculously happy to open the doors and see how organised everything is. A bit of a sense of control in such a chaotic world.

Spice Jars

This sort of feels like a bit of a luxury item, but whenever I check my spice drawer (right below my kitchen island worktop) before:

Sorry for the blurry picture…I took that one with my phone right before starting to re-organise everything.

And after:

I’m just so happy that I got these spice jars*. They came with a TON of ready printed labels for about any spice you can imagine and then some I had bever heard of. Which is great, as my handwriting is barely legible at this point!

Now, I obviously have more items in my kitchen that I use, but I feel the above are the basics and those that save me the most time, energy and money.

Favourite Books

The Obesity Code

During my weight loss journey I read a fair few books I found enlightening and helpful.
All were well researched (or inspired some of my choices) and helped me find my own way to lose weight in a healthy and very enjoyable way.

The first one I read was The Obesity Code*. It made a lot of sense talking about the effects of hormones on weight gain and what we can do to gain a little bit of control over it.

Fibre Fuelled

The second one, and probably my all time favourite, was Fibre Fuelled*.
Will Bulsiewicz MD explains why a plant based or even vegan diet is so fabulous for the body if done well but isn’t religious about it. He simply challenges us to include more plants into our diets, explains why we should and the effects on gut and body. This book is at the core of my cooking and eating habits since I lost 70lb within 1 year.

Eat To Live

The last one, which had me adopt more plant based habits due to the overwhelming evidence presented in all three of them was Eat to Live*.

I absolutely adore the nut based dressing he suggest and have been making different versions of them ever since. You can see the influence in my Cashew Ranch Dressing, Orange maple Vinaigrette and many other nut based recipes throughout my blog. Including this gorgeous Chocolate Mousse Pie with extra Protein.

However, all three of them (Fibre Fuelled * less so) preach a fairly strict diet that I’m not adopting. The name of my blog is the essence of it: “For The Pleasure Of Eating” is why I cook how I cook. I’d like to be able to eat all the foods and try anything delicious and creative I can dream up, without cutting out whole food groups and declaring them “bad for me”. I do not believe in that principle, but rather found my own way. And considering I’m at a fairly stable and healthy weight AND eat what I enjoy without going hungry, that seems to be working pretty well.

Cookbooks

Ok look, I have a whole large bookshelf only for cookbooks. But I won’t bore you with its full contents here.

Just 3 of my favourites that have dramatically influenced my cooking, and I absolutely love them:

Ok, thinking about it, it’s 4-5. But the first 3 are all from Yotam Ottolenghi, so I’ll count them as one topic.

Ottolenghi Books

I have all of his books, but the following are my absolute favourites:

Flavor* – The sheer creativity he shows in combining flavors in layers after layers, one more exciting than the next, is incredible. Many of my recipes are influenced by his. Most of all my Smoky Chili Dressing.

Plenty* and Plenty More* – My personal bible(s) to plant based cooking. Using these books, you’ll learn that getting bored with vegetables is virtually impossible. I used them long before my weight loss and keep coming back to them when I need inspiration or just want to cook something that feels really special.

At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well*

I have learned so much about whole food from this book. It goes on depth on anything starting from making your own plant milk all the way to incredible desserts without any milk products. For me, being lactose intolerant, that’s huge!
The nut base in many of my pies like this Banoffee Pie is inspired by her almond crust. I love it to bits!
From that book, you can learn anything you ever wanted to know about using more whole foods in your cooking in absolutely delicious ways.

The Elements of Baking*

My latest find in fantastic books is this guide on how to make any baking recipe gluten free, vegan, dairy free or egg free. It helped me develop my Brown Butter Pistachio Cookies and my Sourdough Blueberry Muffins and I think it will give me ideas on how to adapt many more. If you are looking for ways to adapt your favourite recipe to fit your diet perfectly, that’s the book you need.
The book doesn’t just give recipes, it explains the science behind the swaps, which had me perform a little happy dance when I found it.


Phew. Ok. Novel of the day done. If you have any questions or would like recommendations for anything you see me use, please let me know!

That being said, I will over time add pictures of more of the products I use (I hope). But for now, find most under the links. 😊
Apologies for the slightly off kilter kitchen photos. Honestly, interior photography is not my calling!

Also comments and your own experiences with any of the above is always appreciated.

And my Photo Studio? With the “Fancy” marble worktop?
I let you in on a secret: It’s not marble! 😉
Rather one of several hand crafted backdrops I created over time.