Izy Hossack - The Savvy Cook

CHEFS KNIFE a good chefs knife saves time and is also safer to use. Get one about 20cm long from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle. I like Sabatier knives as they are good-quality and not too expensive. Remember, a blunt knife is more likely to slip on food, leading to accidents.

PARING KNIFE a smaller knife, for small, precise slicing jobs like removing the tops from strawberries.

WOODEN CHOPPING BOARD wood is better than plastic for hygiene, your knives and the environment.

BAKING TRAY use a flat one with a slight rim.

WOODEN SPOON use for baking, sauteing, stirring sauces and grains.

SILICONE SPATULA flexible and good for scraping sauces out of pans, stirring porridge, risotto or bread dough, sauteing and scraping cake batter from bowls.

METAL SPATULA (FISH SLICE OR PANCAKE TURNER) use for flipping pancakes or flatbreads, roasted vegetables and removing food from frying pans.

MEASURING SPOONS essential for baking! You can use a non-measuring teaspoon for spices when you are cooking but when baking you do need a set of measuring spoons.

DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALES use for weighing out everything, including liquids such as water and oil (1 millilitre oil or water = 1 gram). Obviously very important in baking.

VEGETABLE PEELER use for peeling butternut squash, or sweet/white potatoes and peeling vegetables into ribbons. Create shavings of cheese (especially Parmesan) or chocolate for decorating cakes.

HAND-HELD BLENDER these often come with attachments to turn it into a mini food processor good for making pesto, pastes, pures, soups and flours.

BOX GRATER this is indispensable for grating cheese, apples, carrots and courgettes.

CASSEROLE DISH OR DEEP ROASTING TRAY needed for any casserole-type dish, such as pasta bakes, pies or bread pudding. At a pinch, it can be used for baking simple cakes or roasting vegetables.

GOOD-QUALITY NONSTICK FRYING PAN you need a medium or large frying pan depending on the number of people you are cooking for. Check that the handle is heat-resistant (Bakelite handles can be placed under high heat) if you are making frying pan .

LARGE, MEDIUM AND SMALL PANS always useful to have a range of sizes! Especially good if they all have lids, but sometimes you can just use a plate or baking tray as a makeshift lid anyway.

MIXING BOWL These are super-useful for baking, but even if you dont like to bake, mixing bowls are always good to have. Toss together a salad in one or mix ingredients for making fritters, frittatas and quiches.

GARLIC PRESS (GARLIC CRUSHER) I love these because I hate having garlicky hands. And you dont even have to peel the cloves before putting them into a garlic press.

MICROPLANE GRATER for grating the zest of citrus fruits, chocolate, cheese or even garlic (instead of using a garlic press or very finely chopping garlic by hand).

BAMBOO GINGER GRATER amazing! You can grate fresh root ginger without peeling it first. Find them online.

FREESTANDING MIXER OR FOOD PROCESSOR this can take on more heavy-duty kitchen tasks than a hand-held blender, such as making cake batter, blending soup and making breadcrumbs (which you can only do with a hand-held blender if you have the attachment to make it into a mini food processor).

BAKING TINS I like to have a standard 900g loaf tin, a 20cm round cake tin and a 20cm square brownie tin. You can also include a 450g or mini loaf tin, 20cm bundt tin and a 12-hole muffin tin if you like baking.

MEASURING JUG useful for crude measurements of liquid, such as how much vegetable stock or milk to use in a sauce. However, they are prone to inaccuracy so I weigh all my liquids on digital kitchen scales.

I use medium, free-range eggs. When baking, always allow the eggs to come to room temperature first place in a bowl of warm (not hot) water and leave for 510 minutes.

You can freeze butter for up to 3 months and use frozen butter straightaway by grating it. Buy unsalted for baking.

Buy light, refined olive oil, as it has very little flavour and is perfect for cooking and baking.

RAPESEED OIL another favourite of mine. It is neutral in flavour and has a vibrant yellow colour. I buy cold pressed.

COCONUT OIL makes a good substitute for butter in vegan baking as it is a saturated fat so is solid at room temperature. Virgin coconut oil has a coconut flavour and refined coconut oil (which is cheaper) has no flavour.