If You Can’t Stand The Heat, Get Out Of The Kitchen…

…or invest in my five fave kitchen tools that are guaranteed to make those tedious cooking tasks as easy as pie!

SILICONE SPATULA

If there was only one tool that I could keep in my kitchen, it would have to be a silicone spatula. This truly is the queen of all kitchen tools. Scrape, scoop, spread, stir, fold… is there nothing this canny kitchen tool cannot do?!

But not all spatulas are created equal. Beware of cheap versions with weak, wooden handles that are likely to splinter and break, or cheap silicone heads that can split, crack and fade over time, and taking on a reddish-orange tinge from that tomato sauce you made a month ago – yuk!

I bought my best ever spatula probably more than five years ago now, and it was a Tovolo Spatula that I still use daily to this very day. They also do a great range of silicone jar scrapers  that reach right into the bottom of jars, or the blender, to scrape out that very last smidgen of spread or smoothie.

I personally prefer stainless steel handled spatulas – because they look nicer don’t they? – but silicone handled spatulas are extremely practical, especially if you are prone to leaving your spatula resting against the edge of a hot pan and get burnt fingers every time you go back for a stir – doh!

Here’s A Selection Of My Favourite Silicone Spatulas

EGG POACHING BAGS

Who has time to stand over a hot boiling pan of water, eggs and vinegar, stirring the water within a minute of it’s life, only to be graced with a pan full of wet, sloppy, stringy egg whites with a rock hard yolk centre. STOP! If there is only one thing you should invest in this spring, it should be these magical Egg Poaching Bags.

Simply break the egg into the bag, drop it into a saucepan of boiling water and hey presto – five minutes later you have perfectly poached eggs that even Heston Blumenthal would be envious of. What’s more, there is no limit to the number of bags you can use at any one time (apart from the size of your pan), and so they make the perfect secret weapon when cooking breakfast for overnight guests.

Become a proper poaching princess and Buy Egg Poaching Bags Now

AEROLATTE® MILK FROTHER

I love, love, love my Nespresso coffee machine and couldn’t imagine life without it. If given the ultimatum of saving my husband or my Nespresso, I fear my hubby would be on very dangerous grounds!

But when travelling, it was impossible to achieve the same frothy, cappuccino consistency that I’m used to at home. Then I stumbled upon this pocket-sized coffee hero, the aerolatte® handheld milk frother. Now all I have to do is warm the milk and whizz my way to a perfectly frothed cappuccino – hurrah!

The aerolatte® Milk Frother comes in a variety of colours and finishes

RE-USABLE SNACK AND SANDWICH BAGS

We can all be forgiven for choosing convenience over conscience. But with all the bad press highlighting the terrible plight we face with plastic waste, I decided to take a good hard look at what I could do to reduce my waste. These handy re-usable food storage bags have had a dramatic impact on the amount plastic waste I generate in the kitchen.

With only the two of us to feed, I often get lumbered with half an avocado, onion, or half a head of broccoli or cauliflower. These leftovers would usually be tossed into a disposable plastic food bag, which would then be mindlessly thrown away after a single use. When I think of how many of these bags I would get through in a single week – yikes!!!

Now my conscience remains clear with these handy re-usable snack and sandwich bags. Sold as a set of two snack size and two sandwich bags, I now use these storage heroes to keep everything from my lunch to those left-overs. The reinforced seams and locking seal keep the food fresh, while preventing leaks. They are are also completely free from BPA, PVC, latex, and phthalates, so I can snack happy, knowing that I’m doing my bit to save the planet.

Available in five bright designs, including pink and green monster designs for children, isn’t it time you ditched those disposables? Grab Some Re-usable Food & Lunch Bags.

KING SIZED ICE MOULDS

Whether I’m entertaining guests, or indulging in an evening sup of whiskey or amaretto in front of the fire, my ice has gotta be BIG! Now I know that they say that bigger isn’t necessarily better, but that simply isn’t the case when it comes to the ice in your drink.

The larger the ice cube the slower it takes to melt, which means that you end up with less water in your favourite tipple – and let’s face it, the last thing you want is to dilute that top shelf whiskey that you’ve been saving for years!  Not only that, but the larger the ice, the cooler the drink – both in temperature and cocktail cred – so what’s not to love?!

American brand Tovolo are simply the Kings of Ice when it comes to super cool king sized ice moulds, offering everything from King Ice Cube Moulds, to Giant Ice Sphere Moulds and even Crystal Clear Ice Cube and Sphere Systems.

Check Out Tovolo’s Cool Offerings Now

EXCLUSIVE ARUGULA & ROCKET DISCOUNT! Use code “2BECLEAR” to receive £2.00 OFF THE TOVOLO KING CUBE CLEAR ICE SYSTEM

You can find most of the above items in the Arugula & Rocket Store on Amazon in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and France. You can find further details on the aerolatte range here.

SaveSave