Kitchen Equipment
Below are some of the essentials I’d recommend for any kitchen which I’ve grown to rely on so much.
Air Fryer
Ninja Foodi MAX Multi-Cooker
(Photo: Amazon UK)
Mixing Bowls
Wildone Mixing Bowls
(Photo: Amazon UK)
Hand Mixer
Bosch CleverMixx 400W
(Photo: Amazon UK)
I genuinely don’t know how I got by without this in the past. It’s not just an air fryer, it has a range of different functions:
- Sear / Saute
- Slow Cook / Yoghurt
- Steam
- Pressure
- Air Crisp
- Broil
- Bake / Roast
- Dehydrate
You’re probably looking at the above list thinking, it’s a novelty, I’ll never use all of those. You do. I can honestly say I’ve used every single function on the Ninja for varying purposes. I even recently made beef jerky using the dehydrate function and it was every bit as good as, if not better than, premium shop bought brands in my opinion. It also yielded a far better value for money in terms of quantity produced from purchasing cuts of meat and producing it yourself rather than off the shelf solutions. Look out for the recipe soon.
I recommend these bowls. As well as working as general mixing bowls, the set I bought comes with lids you can use for the smaller bowls for applications such as slicing and grating, all in all helping keep the kitchen that little bit tidier during baking and cooking. Tidying up is the one aspect of the kitchen I hate so every little helps in that area!
Each bowl comes with its own specific lid as well which ensures you can tightly seal contents during proving, or simply just for storage and keeping things like salads nice and fresh.
Eager to stay a bit tidier, I opted for a hand mixer as I still like maintaining that element of control during kneading and mixing but wanted to be that little bit quicker and more efficient.
So far I’ve resisted upgrading to a stand mixer and I’m sticking with that for now. Baking and cooking doesn’t need to be expensive if you don’t want it to be. This little bit of kit has served me well, was very reasonably priced and is still going strong a couple years on from purchase. It’s really ease to use and clean after each use. It does require a little bit more effort than a stand mixer would but that’s all part of the fun.
Outdoors
This is where I’m most at home. Ironically I actually prefer cooking here in Autumn / Winter time when there’s a chill in the air and I can stand by the pizza oven getting a nice heat from the flames, and glass of red in hand.
Pizza Oven
Igneus Classico
Bought online in 2020 from the Pizza Oven Shop.
I’d be absolutely lost without this now. I opted for this in the knowledge that it used logs as fuel so I cook get that traditional wood fired oven taste, whilst being relatively mobile on the stand to move it around the garden if required. It comes in a selection of colours to suit your individual preference.
A number of my friends have Ooni pizza ovens and these are great as well but I wanted something a big larger scale capable of cooking a couple of 12″ pizzas at the same time. I intend to buy a more portable pizza oven next year to take on camping trips around the country and have pizza on the go so keep an eye on posts in 2024 for further reviews and an addition to this page.
Cooking Prep Station
Keter BBQ Unity XL Table
(Photo: Amazon UK)
Apparatus
Peels, Spinners etc
(Photo: thepizzaovenshop.com)
FUEL
Woodensoul Kindling & Logs
(Photo: Home Bargains)
This unit is multipurpose and provides a number of functions for me!
The stainless steel work surface is absolutely perfect for stretching dough and topping pizzas just prior to launching, and there’s more than ample space at the side for a topping station and for pizza boxes to sit waiting to be filled with traditional pizza recipes, as well as some of my wackier creations.
The shelf under the work surface is great for keeping my peels, spinners and proving boxes, as well as plates when needed.
It also contains a twin lockable cupboard which I find works great for storing my kindling, logs, firelighters and various other sundries. The unit also has handles and hooks for holding towels, kitchen roll and various other items. One side of the unit has wheels which enables it to move around the garden with ease to suit my needs at the time.
At the time of my Igneus Classico purchase, I selected a bundle which came with a 14″ perforated pizza peel, brush, ember rake, and heat proof gloves. The quality of the products is outstanding and these are still going strong all of these years later. The perforated peel allows for any excess flour, semolina or cornmeal to be shaken off prior to launch to ensure that you avoid that burnt, bitter flavour but maintain a delicious and crisp crust.
I’ve since added a spinner to my collection. You can pick these up at a number of online outlets including amazon and eBay and they come in various handle lengths depending on what your preference is.
This may surprise some of you… I can’t see past Woodensoul Kindling and Logs for my pizza oven. You’ll find these in Home Bargains stores in the UK.
Having tried other brands from large DIY stores, online retailers, and a few local garden centres, I have found everything to be inferior to these. I’ve yet to have the crackle, popping and spitting which I encountered with the others which made it an uncomfortable cooking experience at times, not to mention scaring my partner Lewy who often keeps me company in the garden.
The prices of Woodensoul kindling logs and fuel is also much more favourable on the wallet than anything else I’ve come across thus far so it’s a win win!
