Kitchen Deals -> Cookware

We recommend 2 strainers for every kitchen. The first is a solid stainless steel colander (one big enough to wash a lot of lettuce at once). The second strainer is a fine mesh conical strainer (called a chinois) which is a must for any serious sauce or stock making. A chinois is an expensive purchase, but with care it will last many years.

Keen cooks may want to take advantage of multi-function ovens - usually aimed at the top end of the market. As well as traditional cooking, fan or fan-assisted cooking and grilling, these ovens offer up to nine further functions. These include: Top element only (browning), bottom element (final cooking of pastry dishes or pizzas), fan and bottom element (delicate cooking), fan only (thawing).

Ask yourself a myriad of questions about your lifestyle (and that of your family), so it's as well to have as many of the answers ready as possible. Consider:

• who's going to be using the kitchen - is it just the cook or does everyone tend to congregate there?
• Do you keep pets who eat or sleep in the room?
• Do you need a table or will a breakfast bar suffice?
• More and more families are creating a living kitchen where there is not only a dining table but also some soft seating and a television.
• Would you consider building an extension or giving up a formal dining room to create a large kitchen/diner?
• What other tasks are undertaken in the room apart from cooking? Is it used for laundry, ironing, homework, entertaining?