THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT

kit in the kitchen

Danielle Alvarez’s top five tools

1 Mortar and pestle It doesn’t have to be fancy. My mum had a wooden one she used for crushing garlic to make mojo sauce and I remember this ritual, especially on Christmas Eve. I also love a marble or stone one, which is good for crushing herbs and spices and making basil pesto. Blenders and machines tend to just chop things up rather than coaxing out the flavour that a mortar and pestle does so well. There’s a reason why some of the best food cultures in the world rely on them heavily.

2 Cast-iron pans I love them because they’re not expensive, they are super durable and they will last forever if you look after them properly. There is simply nothing better for getting a high-heat even sear on fish, meat or vegetables.

3 Wooden spoons I love how they feel in your hand and I think things taste better when stirred with a wooden spoon. Maybe the love conducts more easily through wood than metal?

4 Pizza baking stones or steels They are absolutely essential for making crisp, flaky galettes and tarts, but also for making pizza at home. Without them, you will almost always have soggy-bottomed tarts and pizzas and no one likes that.

5 Microplane Why? Citrus zest! There is just no other tool that will do the job. A microplane scrapes the top bit of the zest and not the pith, which can add tannic flavours. The bright zest is where the sweet citrus flavour lies, and I love to zest fresh lemon peel onto a variety of dishes at the end, and into marinades. It’s also excellent for grating cheese onto pastas and salads.

tomato, onion & cheddar tart

The pastry