One kitchen item under £30 you wouldn’t want to be without?

[CapGunAmmo]

Ok so I’m after a housewarming present for someone who needs just about everything. They love cooking and baking especially. What have you got in your kitchen that you would hate to part with?

A steamer pan.
Potatoes in the bottom, veg in the top baskets. God send for roasts and Christmas dinner when hob spots are at a premium.

Stick blender

Half decent knives and a block to keep them in so they don't go blunt

A sharpener for the knives

A reasonably powerful microwave /kettle /4 slice toaster

Decent all metal saucepan and frying pan (can go in the oven)

Ceramic or Pyrex dish, preferably with a lid

Sieve (can do the job of a colander too so I'd get a sieve over a colander every day)

Salter electric scales

Measuring cups and spoons

Rubber spatual

Electric whisk

Baking weights

Recipe book stand

Spice rack

Electric probe thermometer

Silicon tongs for turning things.

Silicon scraper with a wooden handle to scrape down bowls (I recently got 2 in Sostrene Greene for €4 each but they are FAB!!).

Stick blender with interchangeable chopper (and whisk - but I never use the whisk). Chopper is very useful when you don't want the full food processor.

Pestle and mortar.

Kitchen scales that measure in 1g increments, not 25g.

Stick blender.

Mini electric chopper. Mine gets used 3 or 4 times a week for breadcrumbs, onions, hummus etc. Saves trailing out the food processor.

A decent sized butter dish with a shallow tray and deep lid. The deep based ones are a right faff for reaching a knife into.

Things that are really annoying to not have:

Colander/seive
Potato peeler
Dustpan and brush

Definately micro plane heaters, they do everthing from garlic to cheese.

Avocado cutter. It's great.

Far from essential I know, but we like our coupe oeuf. A gadget we bought in France years ago for neatly taking the top off a boiled egg.

Toaster tongs have changed my life (does using a toaster count as cooking?)

As a PP said, a good grater, one that has proper sharpened blades rather than just pressed steel.

You have all been so helpful. I’ve ordered a microplane grater and some e-cloth tea towels.

My Aldi le creuset style pot. So bloody useful and a steal at £20
My potato ricer. Bloody brilliant mash

Microplane grater
Silicone spatula

This (I am a foodie and have bought this for 3 friends) : www.amazon.co.uk/OXO-Good-Grips-Lemon-Zester/dp/B00004OCJO?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

And a decent silicone spatula (mine cost £2 from Tiger Tiger)

My filter coffee machine, which was about £20 from Asda. I'll upgrade one day, but i've had it for over a year and its fine.

I'm a sad person who uses a salad spinner almost daily (or did, until just now). But it's very cheap and takes up a lot of room. On the other hand, you could fill the interior with: quality lemon zester, lancashire peeler, knife-sharpener, lemon squeezer, cherry stoner (great for olives too) and a selection of tasty additives like rose harissa, za'atar etc - or maybe just a stick blender.

Honestly? Decent tongs, a silicone spatula or 2 and a pack of long handled teaspoons.

Chopping board

Potato ricer. But I LOVE mash. Bit useless if you don’t...

Overall this will cost much more than £30 but for me the essentials are (because I use these everyday and I know this is not what you've asked)

a hot water machine
tea
the biggest possible non stick frying pan
wooden spoons
a giant carton of sunflower oil/similar
onions/garlic

I forgot to mention a nice wooden chopping board and a particular knife that I almost always use

I also use a blender for making soup, a rolling pin for making pastries/pies, flour too, and what about a muffin & cake tin, then also baking paper

And what about a toastie machine 🤤

Mini food processor from John Lewis. I bought it because my full size one broke and I couldn't afford to r place it straight away. I haven't bothered. Used the blade attachment today to whip cream because I lost the attachment that came with.