A Question

[miss_s_b]

I've got plans for the rhubarb challenge, but it's waiting for my rhubarb to arrive from Ocado (I know, I know) tomorrow. In the meantime, I wanted to ask:

What's your one most essential piece of kitchen equipment?

I mean, once you get past the sink and the oven and the hob and the worktops which every kitchen has (and I'm totally willing to have the gas v electric v induction fight on the hob - gas FTW!!!) what is the one item you could not cope without?

For me, it's a really good cast iron frying pan. I used to have one that was my grandma's, and was given to my dad when he went to uni, and was given to me when I went to uni, and finally died a couple of years ago having done 60+ years of solid service to three generations of pretty arduous cooks. I was initially surprised at how hard it was to find a replacement, but then worked out that a thing that lasts 60 years is going to not be easy to replace. Eventually, after several years of looking (I knew my nan's pan would die eventually) and finding lots that were too small, or didn't have a pouring lip, or were not capable of being ovenned, or were thin and flimsy, or had other problems, I finally got one from Ocado and I've not looked back. I use it several times a week. It's great for caremelising onions or making pancakes or frying eggs or bolognese sauce or even tarte tatin.

So go on then, what's your favourite bit of kitchen equipment?