I’d love to be the kind of homemaker who hosts elaborate dinner parties or casually flicks open an Ottolenghi cookbook midweek. But alas, I have always been a pretty lousy cook.
Until recently, I had let my lack of aptitude in the kitchen keep me from putting any effort into dinner prep; instead, I let my (very magnanimous) partner do most of the cooking. It’s not that I didn’t want to make great dishes, it’s that I didn’t feel particularly comfortable branching out from my rotating roster of five basic meals.
“My partner asked whether it might be the lack of ‘fancy kitchen bits‘ that was keeping my culinary motivation dormant, and as someone deeply motivated by beautiful things, I knew he’d hit the nail on the head.”
PARIS BLANCHFIELD
However, during a recent conversation about my desire to to branch out in the kitchen, my partner asked whether it might be the lack of ‘fancy kitchen bits’ that was keeping my culinary motivation dormant. To say my kitchenware was tired was a gross understatement, and as someone deeply motivated by beautiful things, I knew he’d hit the nail on the head.
So I set about upgrading my essentials as an attempt to gently nudge myself toward the stove. And, surprisingly, it worked. I’ve been cooking my way through my bookmarked recipes on Home Beautiful, trying new dishes with the help of a Hello Fresh subscription, and even revisiting the dishes my mum used to make.
Is this approach to cultivating a new hobby slightly materialistic? Perhaps. But if it works, it works. And if you’re feeling the same dinner time fatigue, a few thoughtful upgrades might be just the motivation you need.
The ultimate checklist for kitchen essentials
Over the past few months, I’ve been slowly upgrading any worn-out kitchen essentials; especially those that get daily use. If you’re planning to upgrade your own culinary kit but aren’t quite sure where to start, these are the pieces that made the biggest difference to my cooking efforts.
- Pots and pans
- Cooking utensils
- Knives
- Chopping board
- Coffee machine (because I can’t cook if I’m not caffeinated)
- Apron
- Oven mitt
- Dinnerware set
- Cutlery
- Serving platter
Choosing between meal kits and cooking from scratch
If, like me, you’re tired of rotating between a few signature meals, opting for a meal kit subscription might be the perfect solution. Before receiving my first Hello Fresh box, I rarely, if ever, experimented in the kitchen. However, after a few deliveries, I’ve already learned a number of new recipes and cooking techniques (and saved a lot of time and food waste in the process).
I’d argue that even experienced cooks would find a meal delivery subscription valuable, especially those of us who don’t have the mental capacity for daily meal planning. Better yet, owing to flexible delivery options, you can still leave as many days as you like free to cook your favourite dishes.
The kitchen upgrades that actually made me like cooking
While I adore hunting for dreamy decor, it was crucial that essentials like cookware, good knives, and dinnerware were assigned the top spots on my kitchen checklist.
Editor’s Tip: If you’re cooking with worn out pots and pans, especially those with uneven heat distribution, you’re unknowingly making your life a lot harder. Since I upgraded to a set from Our Place, cooking became infinitely easier (and more enjoyable).
Every find I’ve featured below was chosen to make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable, but the addition of the beautiful, and incredibly practical, Our Place cookware made the biggest impact. Not only do they look beautiful, but having high-quality cookware makes it easier for amateur chefs (like myself) to whip up something impressive.
1. Stripe Cutlery Set, In The Roundhouse. 2. Philips Baristina Espresso Machine, JB HI-FI. 3. Blue Horizon Dinner Set, Myer. 4. Linen House Apron, THE ICONIC. 5. Sheridan Oven Mitt, Myer. 6. Perfect Pot, Our Place. 7. Soft Scallop Embossed Platter, In The Roundhouse. 8. Hello Fresh Meal Kit, Hello Fresh. 9. Vitamix Ascent Series Smart Blender, Myer. 10. Classic Santoku Knife, Wusthof 11. Classic Chef’s Knife, Wusthof| Background: The Fabric Editors.
Meal Kit Subscription
Hello Fresh
Wusthof Classic Chef’s Knife
$289, Wusthof
Philips Baristina Espresso Machine
$599, JB-HI-FI
Stripe Cutlery Set
$120, In The Roundhouse
Perfect Pot
$275, Our Place
Sheridan Oven Mitt
$24.99 at Myer
Kyneton Apron
$49.99, THE ICONIC
Soft Scallop Embossed Platter
$60, In The Roundhouse
New releases to shop: For gorgeous chef-quality knives, make sure to browse Wusthof’s new Rosemary colourway, and for custom plates (whether they’re for a wedding, event, or just to have as keepsakes), consider In The Roundhouse’s new custom range your go-to.
