How New Kitchenware Can Transform Your Cooking

Want to make mealtimes more exciting and dynamic but not sure where to start? You’d be surprised how easy it is to transform your cooking with some new kitchenware or kitchen utensils. Before you start thinking that you need to get all Heston Blumental in the kitchen, actually you can just use great kitchenware to transform your cooking from average to awesome. From great gravy to perfecting pizza, good cooking is all about perfecting the basics, so we’ve created this guide to help you discover some new kitchenware and transform your cooking!

How to make the perfect gravy

At some point, every cook needs to know how to make a gravy. It may seem simple, but as any chef will tell you, the sauce is the element that can make or break a dish. The perfect gravy is one that is smooth and silky, not lumpy.

Don’t worry though, with the right process and the right kitchenware, the process of making gravy really isn’t too hard. You just have to focus on the task and not let anything distract you while making it. The gravy below uses meat and discusses the kitchenware that can help transform your gravy making.

Remove excess fat

After the meat is roasted, the amount of remaining fat in the roasting pan will vary depending on the type of meat.Remove the meat from the roasting pan. Pour leftover juices into a fat separator jug to remove excess fat. Too much fat in the gravy makes the gravy greasy, and though fat adds flavour, it will not make for a smooth gravy texture. Oil and fat always rise to the top of sauces and so the fat separator jug removes them with ease. 

Strain the gravy

This part is optional depending on whether or not you mind bits in your gravy. Many people don’t bother because it can be quite messy and time consuming to filter the gravy through a sieve. However, if you have used a fat separator jug this process will have been done for you already as there is a sieve insert inside this handy piece of kitchenware. Using this kitchen utensil makes the job easy and soon you will have perfect smooth gravy.

Heat the mixture with stock or wine

The next step is to slowly add stock and/or wine until it comes to a full boil. The liquid needs to be very hot before thickening the gravy with flour.

Whisk in flour

Pour flour into the hot liquid, again slowly, whisking constantly. It is very important to whisk constantly as this is how you avoid lumps in your gravy. If lumps do form, whisk over them to break them up.

How to make the perfect pizza

Pizza is a delicious meal for almost everyone. But if you think that all pizzas are equal, you are mistaken. Pizza is always good, but truly tasty pizzas need the right kitchenware and right ingredients.

Fresh Ingredients

If you want the perfect pizza, first you need the perfect ingredients. The ingredients, all the way from the flour in the dough to the olive oil and the mozzarella cheese, should be fresh and delicious. You should have dairy-fresh cheese, garden-fresh tomatoes and no wilting veggies.

Perfectly Cooked

You want the best pizza to be cooked crispy but not burnt. The cheese should be melted, the crust should have some crunch to it. The toppings should be well-cooked and the whole thing should be served fresh and hot. However, it's difficult to do this without the right kitchen ware. You need a pizza stone or specially made pizza pan that will cook the pizza base evenly. Put this into the oven to heat up 10 minutes before you add the pizza in order to get a base that’s crisp and crunchy.

Evenly shared

Do you struggle to cut up your pizza? If you’re using a knife, you’ll probably find that the melted cheese gets stuck to it and the toppings get dragged to one section making your pizza slice uneven. This problem is easily solved with the right kitchen utensils. As you’ve probably seen when you’ve dined out, most pizza restaurants use a pizza cutter to effortlessly glide through the pizza for a smooth perfect slice. However, the lesser known and arguably more user friendly kitchen utensils are the pizza scissors. The great thing about pizza scissors is that they not only function as a way of cutting up your pizza but the spatula function means that they are also the perfect serving tool as well! And don’t worry about removing that sticky cheese afterwards - they separate for easy cleaning.

How to make the perfect stir fry

A stir-fry is a Asian cooking technique that involves cooking food over high heat in a wok. A wok is a necessary piece of kitchenware because you must constantly toss the vegetables so that the food can become crispy without getting burnt. It’s great for cooking veggies and quick-cooking proteins like chicken breast.

Use a wok

A wok is essential because the heat is centralised at the bottom of the wok, so it cooks stir-fry ingredients quickly. As you constantly stir when you stir-fry in a wok, you can move any ingredients that need to be on low-heat away from the heat and up to the sides of the wok. You should use kitchen utensils like tongs or a silicone spatula to help move the food quickly and consistently around the wok.

Avoid overloading 

Your veggies must have enough room to move around in the wok. If you overload your wok, you will end veggies that are soggy instead of crunchy. If your wok is getting too full, cook your meat and then veggies in batches. Limit the total ingredients in your stir-fry to three to five items with different colors and textures.

Add water

If your meat and veggies are starting to stick to the pan or wok, add some water to loosen them up. You can also add a splash of chicken stock or vegetable broth for additional flavor—especially if you are not using a heavy stir-fry sauce.

How to make the perfect one pot 

Short of time and stressed about cooking? Pressure cookers are designed to heat slow cook dishes quickly. As kitchenware, they're economical both in the amount of power they use and are also ideal for tenderising cheaper cuts of meat. They can reduce cooking times by up to 50% and retain nutrients well, making them a healthy cooking method and the perfect small kitchen appliance..

You can make just about anything in a pressure cooker - from corn on the cob to pulled pork or even a whole roast chicken. The perfect one pot combines easy, fuss free ingredient prep with great flavours.

Fuss free ingredients

The perfect one pot has ingredients that are easy to prepare. You want food that requires a quick chop and then can be tossed into the pot, rather than ingredients that require a more careful touch.

Great flavours

Despite having simple ingredients, the perfect one pot has a good combination of herbs and spices to really deliver the flavour. You should be able to chuck these herbs or spices into the pot and let your pressure cooker do the rest.

How to make the perfect cup of tea

So you think you know how to make the perfect cup of tea? Well, what about the perfect pot? I bet you didn’t know that you can actually buy electrical tea pot sets that will allow you to not only boil water but also to create up to 20 cups of tea at the same time. They are the ideal small kitchen appliance as they save space as well as time. Whether this makes your perfect cup of tea is up for debate but it certainly is one way to transform your cooking!

Looking for luxury kitchenware products?

Luxware Ltd stocks a variety of luxury kitchenware products that will help you transform your cooking. We have a wide range of pots and pans for both regular and induction hobs as well as kitchen utensils, small kitchen appliances, and much more. 

So whether you’re looking for a cookware set or knives set as a gift or as an upgrade for your own kitchen, Luxware Ltd has the perfect kitchenware solution for your needs. Get in touch with us today online.