12 essential tools every kitchen needs

Life in the kitchen is made easier if you have a few small appliances and utensils on hand. To prepare vegetables, invest in some or all of the following.

A good appliance for chopping, puréeing or liquefying.

• Not as versatile as a food processor, but preferable when only a small amount of food is involved.
• A hand blender is a narrow, handheld appliance that is convenient for making sauces and purées.
• This type of blender can be immersed right into the cooking pot to purée a soup or a batch of tomato sauce.
• It can also be immersed into liquid substances in a tall glass to blend a smoothie or shake.

Made of plastic or metal, with large holes to let liquids drain quickly.

• A metal colander can be inserted into a large saucepan for use as a steamer.

Made of wood, hard rubber, acrylic or plastic. There is no evidence that one type is better, or safer, than another.

• The important thing is to use separate cutting boards for animal foods and plant foods to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination from raw meat, poultry or seafood to uncooked fruit or vegetables.
• Also, be sure to wash all types of boards very thoroughly in very hot water.

Handy when needing to chop, grate or purée large amounts.

• Mini food processors are perfect for chopping or grinding smaller amounts of food or herbs.
• To chop or grate very small quantities, it is more efficient (and less messy) to use a knife or grater.

Comes in a variety of sizes and types.

• A four-sided box grater is good for grating, shredding and slicing vegetables and cheese.
• Extra-fine grating can be done with a small hand-held grater.

Ideal for slicing a variety of fruits and vegetables.

• The classic mandoline has interchangeable blades to slice, julienne, crinkle and waffle cut.
• Keep a mandoline's guard in place to prevent injury.

Not just useful for potatoes: works on cooked squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and many other root vegetables.

Handy for drying salad greens and herbs quickly and evenly.

Use for snipping fresh parsley and other herbs.

• Shears come in handy for other culinary tasks such as trimming pastry and meats and chopping through poultry bones.

Consists of an upper pot with a mesh or perforated bottom that fits into a larger pot, which holds water, stock or some other mixture of liquids.

• Stackable bamboo or metal steamers which are designed to hold two or three layers of food can be placed over a frying pan or saucepan.
• For small amounts of food, a metal, collapsible steamer that fits inside a large or medium-sized pot is useful and inexpensive.
• Collapsible steamers made of plastic are suitable for use in a microwave oven.
• If you don't have a steamer, improvise by standing a metal colander or a wire-mesh strainer in a large saucepan. Tightly cover the pan to retain the steaming heat.
• Steaming is an easy, quick cooking method that is ideal for retaining essential nutrients.

Use over a bowl to drain liquids from solids. Strainers are also used to sift and separate out fine particles.

• They are available in a range of sizes and made of different gauges of wire mesh attached to a ring frame.

Many people find these easier to use than a knife to pare vegetables.

• It is not worth spending a lot of money on one. Discard and replace once the blade grows dull.

Cooking doesn't have to be an overwhelming chore. Keep this guide in mind and stock your kitchen with the right tools so you can cook a delicious meal with ease.