Equipping yourself

A simple rule is to buy the best that you cannot afford. Sounds daft? Not really, for if you go for items you think you cannot afford, you will be buying very good equipment.

DO NOT CUT CORNERS AND BUY CHEAP.

Knives. You will need at least;

1 large sharp knife

1 small sharp knife

I have Richardson’s from the UK, Sabatier from France and Ausbein Messer, but I found Twin Fish Professional in Kanyong (on the Sukhumvit Road) that are excellent. If you can afford it, go to Royal Garden and buy the Henkel Knives, they are superb.

However, whatever you buy, make sure the blades are rigid; flimsy knives are the way to cut hands and fingers. Handles should be either part of the whole knife, or well riveted.

If you ever see a Mezzaluna, buy one, as it is the best way to chop herbs finely. This curved blade, twin handled knife and you cut by rocking it across the board.

You will also need a good chef’s steel or a knife sharpener to make sure your knives are sharp at all times. A blunt knife is a dangerous tool.

A can opener: basic type, or, if you want to be lazy, an electric one.

Chopping boards: get several and both large and small. Colored ones are available and you should remember that Red is for raw meat, Green is for vegetables and fruit, Blue is for fish and Yellow is for cooked items. Having some plain boards is also useful.

Get a large frying pan and three different sizes of saucepans with lids. Buy the best you can find. Make sure they have very solid bases, so they will not warp on gas or electric.

Other basic items of use are Wooden Spoons, Kitchen Scales, a Colander, Measuring Jug, Metal Hand Whisk, Metal Sieve, Slotted Spoon, Fish Slice, Potato Masher, Swivel Style Vegetable Peeler, Box-style Cheese Grater, Pastry Brush, Rolling Pin, Roasting Tin, Baking Sheet and a Casserole Dish with a lid.

Apart from those basics, it can be worth investing in a Lemon Zester, Tongs, Potato Ricer, Palette Knife, Handheld Blender, Food Processor, Garlic Press, Wok and a Lemon Juicer.

As time goes buy, you will find other items in the shops that can be very useful: I love looking around kitchen shops to see any new ideas.

Where to buy: well I have mentioned some places already, but Homework’s and the Kitchen Shop next to Foodland (they have another branch in second Road near Boat) have very good ranges.

If you want to buy storage containers, the best I have found, originally bought in the UK, are “Lock ‘n’ lock”, Being both air and watertight. Homework’s, Carrefour and Tops at Central have a good selection.

Next time we will stock that store cupboard, so buy a range of containers ready for action.