Stress-less kitchen gadgets

1. Safe and super-efficient grating
If you've ever grazed your knuckles while trying to balance a grater over a bowl or plate, you'll appreciate the range of super-light graters from Microplane.

"The Microplane graters are wonderful because they're light and practical, and you can use them for much more than just grating cheese. I use mine for garlic, onions, breadcrumbs... lots," says Lucy Cufflin, Cordon Bleu-trained chef and author of Lucy's Food, published by Hardie Grant.

Invest in a Microplane Universal Slider along with your grater and you can get even closer to the blades (so less food is wasted) while keeping your digits safely out of harm's way.
More food graters on Ciao

2. Perfect pasta every time
"One of the most stressful aspects of cooking can be getting the temperature and timings right," says Simon Lilley, a Master Chef of Great Britain and head tutor of Basic Italian Cooking at Coghlans cookery school.

While you could throw your pasta to the wall and see if it sticks, a Digital Pasta Timer from Taylors Eye Witness provides a far more stylish and elegant solution.

Bar graphs indicate cooking progress for 11 different types of pasta, while an alarm sounds when your pasta is done to perfection. "This is one of my favourite kitchen gadgets," says Simon "I would recommend it for beginners in the kitchen, especially if you want to cook pasta like 'mamma' makes."

3. Spill less = stress less
Sometimes it's the little things that cause stress in the kitchen - like making a mess. The innovative range of everyday kitchen items by Joseph Joseph combine form with function and make cooking more of a pleasure.

The new No Spill Mill prevents surplus salt and pepper grains from being scattered about the place and looks great on the worktop.

Check out the Joseph Joseph range of chop to pot boardsand Elevate tools for more gorgeously clever everyday solutions.

4. Handy hand blender
Having the right tools to hand makes any job easier, and a versatile hand blender is always going to be a cook's best friend. Stephen Terry, owner and head chef of The Hardwick in Abergavenny, says his Bamix hand blender is one gadget he would never be without. "It's such a versatile bit of kit - it can chop, blend, puree, whip and grind and all in small amounts - brilliant for my professional kitchen and a fabulous tool for any domestic kitchen as well."
More hand blenders on Ciao

5. Test the temperature - Goldilocks beware
Do you trust that your oven is cooking to the right temperature? If you're constantly burning meat or your cakes won't rise, despite sticking religiously to the recipe instructions, it's worth spending a few pennies on an oven thermometer.

This clever little oven thermometer from Tala can be popped on a shelf in the oven and will confirm when the temperature is just right.

As Ciao user bluebell190 puts it: "We were always burning or under-cooking our food because we had no idea how hot the oven actually was... I am glad I bought this oven thermometer, as I can now tell exactly when my oven is finally up to temperature, it is so handy, reliable and very accurate."
More oven thermometers on Ciao

6. Triple kitchen timer
When it comes to cooking for large numbers or tackling several courses at once, you need to multi-task like an octopus. Invest in a triple kitchen timer from the Swedish precision masters Bengt Ek Design and you can keep track of where you are with every dish.
More kitchen timers on Ciao

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