The little kitchen buys that made mine (and my mum’s) space more functional

I know I’ve not started with the most exciting product out there but this shelf is definitely one of the most useful additions to this list. It was one of the first things I purchased after moving and is pretty much worth its weight in gold. My mum had a few quite big floor-level cupboards, but filling them was a nightmare without the opportunity to stack things up. These shelves have proved sturdy thus far, and provide a whole new level to stack baking trays and casserole dishes.

This list has a lot of Joseph Joseph on it for all the right reasons. It’s my (and the rest of the Ideal Home team’s) go-to brand for products that work to the most efficient possible level, and my gadget of the last few months is this mandoline. I feel like I’ve saved hours of time by using this super sharp slicer which also features a safety gripper to prevent hurting your fingers and regretting the £18 you spent on it. Onions, peppers, assorted items from the back of your fridge that you’re using to make a salad – they are simply no match for this incredible handheld tool.

It used to be an immediate ‘no thanks!’ from me if I clicked on a recipe that used cups. Truly, I was very attached to the metric system until I gave a set like this a try during a cooking class. My thoughts now? Life is just a little bit better when you cook with cups. You won’t need to rely so heavily on a set of kitchen scales (unless the recipe has very granular measurements) you can dive straight into a bag of rice or flour with your cups instead, and you can use any recipe you find on the internet, rather than having to disregard all US food bloggers. As you can probably tell, I’m team cups all the way.

A good jug is of course a non-negotiable for everyday cooking, but don’t you always find yourself bending and squinting and struggling to read exactly how much you’ve poured? No more of that with this OXO jug, which has the measures angled inside the jug, so you know when you’ve reached 400ml or 800ml exactly as you’re doing it. A time-saver game-changer indeed!

Is there a better feeling than when someone comes to your house and asks to know where something is from? That’s what I’ve had with this washing-up bowl, which has a feature that makes washing up much more pleasant. It sounds simple but the draining plug goes a long way to take after diner clean up as a whole from gross to palatable. And course, who else other than Joseph Joseph to think of something so functional?! My only wish is that they did a round version for all sink types.

This one is a real splurge, but in time I’ve grown too attached to these salt and pepper grinders not to include them. As with all Le Creuset, the quality is such that it feels like I won’t have to replace them for decades, and the colour range is just gorgeous. I was advised last year by Le Creuset’s Home Economist Alison Haigh to fill these grinders with rock salt and whole pepper only, and they have not failed me since.

This milk frother is not the cheapest on the market, but I love it’s design for convenience as the jug simply lifts off the plate. My mum had a coffee machine but no frothing wand, and with the dawn of this frother mornings in the kitchen have improved hugely, with lattes and cappuccinos on tap. It also has a hot chocolate setting for the impending cold evenings too. This is a little kitchen luxury, but it’s made my coffee ten times better.

I previously had my spices jammed into a too-high cupboard with plenty of duplicates and out of date jars lurking around. The arrival of this bamboo spice rack makes adding flavour to dishes much easier with its spinning design, and at under £20, it won’t break the bank either. I’m hoping it’s a cure to storing herbs and spices for good.

I know it’s yet another Joseph Joseph pick but I can only pick the best of the best, which this draining rack definitely is. The extendable element is perfect for keeping my mum’s kitchen tidy and the pull-out cutlery organiser features a knife-safe design too, so no more precarious blades. Sure, there are imitations around, but after trying the rest I can safely say this one is still the one you should get.

In the process of moving house, I had the conundrum of what to do with food between fridges, and what to do when faced with the prospect of a smaller fridge space. That’s where this vacuum pump became my saviour, as when paired with ZWILLING food containers, you can use it to keep fruit, veggies and leftovers good for days or even weeks more than normal. It’s really helped me to cut down on food waste and can be stored neatly in a drawer with its charger.

I’ve tried all of the best saucepan sets and been savage in my decluttering of extra pans, which went to the charity shop so that they can be used again. The one pan I couldn’t bear to part with even though it’s not a part of any set is this egg poacher, which never fails me when I want an easy lunch. I’ve tried all of the various methods to poach eggs in boiling water, but nothing is as foolproof as 6 minutes in this bad boy. I think I’m keeping it forever.

These tiny plates are the perfect size for dinner party dipping, when you need soy sauce for your gyozas or when you just want a bite-sized snack. Now I have them, I can never live without tiny plates on hand again. I got mine in Sage, but there’s also Char, Steam, Spice, Terracotta and Turmeric to choose from and they all look as good as they sound.