How did you get your passion for cooking?

Perhaps you came from a household where dinner was the most important time of the whole day, and absolutely everyone – your Grandpa, your Mom, your Dad, your little sister, you – are all kitchen whizzes. 

Maybe your reason is nothing like that at all – maybe you just got a taste for great dishes, and so began whipping up fantastic meals for yourself and loved ones, after the passion sprung within you seemingly out of thin air. 

Whatever your reasons, it seems the more time you spend cooking, the more you love it, and the better you get at it, the more you need to try new, exciting things. 

And what do you need to make the most exciting, delicious dishes?

Great tools.

These are our guide to the 5 appliances every kitchen wizard needs. 

1) A Pasta Maker

Are there many things in this world as simply and fantastically delicious as good pasta? It’s highly doubtful. 

Pasta isn’t the meal you make when you’re in a rush – a perfect pasta dish is fine art, something where the process of making is something to be savored as much as the eating will be. Invest in a good pasta maker to make restaurant-perfect pasta at home, and you’ll be thankful you did as soon as the first forkful touches your tongue. 

2) A Deep Fat Fryer

A deep fat fryer is a naughty kitchen gadget, but we all know why they’re desirable. Deep fat fried foods are just so delicious. 

If you’re stuck to think what you can make with this one – get thinking out the box man. Of course, you can make the best fried chicken and chips you’ve ever tasted in your life, but you can do so much more. 

Like delicious mozzarella balls, fried into mozzarelline fritte that are both perfectly crisp and smooth. Or fried seafood – surely one of the best ways to eat a fresh catch. If you’ve got a hunger for a deep fat fryer, check out Top Kitchen Depot. 

3) A Slow Cooker 

All of a sudden, your experience of meat is about to change. Getting a slow-cooker is a delight for those who like their meat super tender and super juicy. 

Any kind of meat dish that needs a long time to marinade, like brisket or pulled pork, is going to taste so much better as soon as you’ve purchased that slow cooker. It takes all the hassle away from dishes like chilis too – making it a real winter wonder. 

4) A Cast-Iron Brazier

We just can’t get enough of a cast-iron brazier – our favorite being Le Creuset’s. Nothing makes meat as tender as a braising pan does, and perhaps nothing is quite as convenient.

The Le Creuset braising pan absolutely transforms the whole experience of cooking a dish where you need both the oven and the hob, like shakshuka. First, you begin cooking on the hob in the wide, shallow pan, and when the time comes, easily lift the handles and pop it in the oven, with the lid on or off depending on how you want the dish to go. 

It’s so simple, but it’ll transform your cooking in the best possible way. 

5) An Immersion Blender 

We’ve got so much time for an immersion blender – because an immersion blender makes so much time for us. If you’re making soups or sauces and don’t want to muck up a blender or a food processor, just whip out your immersion blender.

You can just blend up the ingredients easily in the pan, which cuts down on so much washing-up. It’s such an efficient tool, because it does things quickly and makes them easy. It’s also really fun to use – which is something a real foodie always watches out for. You can make the most creamy, delicious and smooth soups with one of these bad boys – you’ll be thanking us all winter.