small electricals

Electrical appliances take the hard work and strain out of many kitchen tasks. And although you certainly don’t need every gadget available, you do need the ones that are right for you. Through my work I have found that many customers ask “what else will it do" and “does anything else come with it?”. From my experience, the best performing kitchen appliances are the ones that are dedicated to a single task rather than a multi-functional, super-duper product that will steam rice, chop vegetables, cook chicken fillets perfectly, and even clean the kitchen floor afterwards.

British consumers often ask “What’s the wattage?” and then turn round and say “Well, Brand X is £5 more but it has 100w so it must be more powerful”. This is not the case. Wattage is not an indication of the performance, craftsmanship or power of a product. It’s the measurement of heat the motor gives off when it’s operational. The way the energy is driven to the motor is what counts. Products that have an induction motor are excellent as the motor will actually speed up when resistance is placed on the blade so the machine won’t labour.

Where possible, buy die-cast, induction motor, electrical products. These will have a sturdy frame and won’t break as easily. As with everything else, spend as much as you can afford.

Mixer

The primary function of a mixer is to mix ingredients together, to knead and rub in.

A Handheld Mixer is great for small quantities and usually has two beaters and two dough hooks. Hand mixers are portable and light in weight but always look for a sturdy one as some can’t cope with dough or rich fruit cake mixtures. You will know they can’t cope when they start to lose power and a funny smell comes from the motor!

Stand Mixers or tabletop mixers are powerful mixers that can process larger and heavier volumes of mixture than their handheld equivalent. These mixers can be left to work on their own while you do something else. Optional attachments are available for most brands and may include a pasta roller, citrus press, blender, mincer, slicer, shredder and potato peeler. These mixers normally come with a wire balloon whisk, a plain beater and a dough hook. Check for ones that work by ”planetary action” - this means that not only does the attachment spin round but it’s also transported around the bowl as well – just like the earth spins round while it travels round the sun. This will put more air into a mixture – and that's good!

Food processor

An invaluable piece of kitchen equipment. In its simplest form it consists of a motor base, a blade, bowl, lid with feed shoot and plunger. It’s used for mixing, grating, slicing, chopping, liquidising etc. Most food processors come with a metal blade for chopping and rubbing in, a plastic blade for mixing ingredients together and a selection of grating discs. Always look for a processor with an induction motor, that way it won’t “lag” during operation. You can make cakes and whisk egg whites in them but the results will not be as good in a processor as in a mixer; this is due to the small amount of air that goes in through the feed shoot.

Blender

Also known as a liquidiser, this is basically a goblet with a blade inside for mixing and puréeing liquids. It’s great for making smoothies, puréeing soups, mixing up batter and chopping nuts. Never blend hot soup though. If you do, the lid may fly off and you may be scalded. So, always let a soup cool before blending. To crush ice in a blender, add a teaspoon of cold water to the ice. When choosing a blender, ensure you get one with a heat resistant glass goblet or jug.

Stick blender

As the name suggests, it’s a blender on a stick. Generally they come with various attachments but they are great for puréeing soup in the pan or for whipping cream and are more portable than a table top blender.

Juicer and citrus press

A juicer is only for juicing and a Centrifugal juicer is the most popular type. With these, fruit and vegetables are dropped down a feed shoot (so ensure it’s a wide one) on to a spinning cutting disc which separates the pulp from the juice. Choose one that is easy to take apart and put back together again. More expensive Masticating juicers are available which may provide more juice but they are heavy and cumbersome and rather expensive.

Bread maker

This is a machine that will mix, knead, prove, knock back and bake on its own. Models with a timer allow you to have the smell of freshly baked bread in the kitchen when you wake in the morning. Not only can you make bread, some models have “fruit and nut” dispensers, and some will make jam, pizza dough and even cakes.

Deep fat fryers

Fryers are thermostatically controlled so the oil cannot overheat and will not make contact with a naked flame. It’s much safer to use than a saucepan of boiling oil on top of the hob.

Models with locking lids can sometimes have filters that stop smells permeating into the kitchen and have low external wall temperatures. Others have drainage tubes to make emptying the oil easier.

Always ensure the oil comes up to temperature before adding the food, this will prevent too much oil being absorbed by the food.

When food is fried, the food is subjected to higher temperatures than it would be if it was boiled, hence more nutrients are destroyed and more fat is added to the food.

For guidance, the table below gives frying times and temperatures for various foods:

Important rules for deep-frying

Do not fill the fryer more than half full with oil as the oil will rise rapidly when the food is placed in it and it could boil over.
Lower the food gently into the hot fat. Do not drop it in as it will splash and can cause burns.
Do not overfill the basket of food as this will considerably lower the temperature of the oil and affect the finished product.
Heat the oil to the required temperature before putting the food in, so that it starts to cook the food immediately. If the temperature is too low, fat will be absorbed and this will affect the texture and finished result of the food.
Do not overheat the oil as the outside of the food will cook too quickly and the inside will not cook sufficiently. This will also damage the foil and it cannot be used again.
Turn the food over carefully as it is frying to ensure even cooking.
Have a plate ready nearby with kitchen paper on it. When the food is cooked, you may set it here and the paper will absorb any excess fat.
When food is cooked, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool before straining it through a piece of muslin to remove impurities.

Deep fat fryer safety

Never leave a deep fat fryer unattended when cooking and don’t heat the fat beyond the required temperature. If the fat starts to smoke, turn off the heat immediately as it is near the point where it could burst into flames.

If the fryer does burst into flames, place a wet tea towel or fire blanket over the top. Never, ever add water as it will spit like a volcano erupting.

Steamers

Steaming is the process of cooking food from the steam emitted from boiling water or stock. Many types of steamers exist, either ones that sit on top of a large saucepan or a specific piece of equipment to sit on the worktop. A whole meal can be cooked in a steamer at once as many available models have tiers. This is a very economical way of cooking while saving energy at the same time. Steamed food retains more nutrients than boiled food.

When steaming, stack the steamer in an order where the highest density foods are at the bottom and lower density towards the top, for example, potatoes at the bottom and mange tout at the top.