Eddingtons Kitchen Trolleys Review

Having never owned a trolley of any kind before, I am now finding myself manoeuvring through piles of information on wood, metal and wheels to get that ‘just right’ solution for my kitchen. An Eddingtons kitchen trolley seems to be the affordable answer.

Everything is so cluttered in my kitchen and I never seem to have enough work space to really relax and enjoy my cooking. If I’m honest I could do with a few extra drawers as I know that I won’t throw away any of my very essential utensils.

So where should I start? Usually trolleys are either rectangular or square but come with lots of different options relating to type of wood, number of drawers, with baskets or without and type of work surface. After much research it looks like my best option would be an Eddingtons trolley which comes with heavy-duty lockable castors for easy movement in the kitchen. I plan to use mine as a kitchen island so it would probably be best to have it on wheels so it can be moved out of the way when I have friends round.

Eddingtons trolleys fit in well in either traditional or contemporary kitchens with so many models to choose from. They are made from solid beech which means that they will last for years, and come with or without drawers or wicker baskets for all my utensils.

One of the best things about the Eddingtons kitchen trolleys is that they come ready assembled, unlike so many other ‘flat pack’ options. They seem to be really easy to maintain, and with a little dedication when my trolley first arrives I can have years of use, and even take it with me if I up sticks and move to an even grander kitchen!

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Pasta with Creamy Peas

This is a perfect late spring supper using ingredients that are bursting with seasonal flavour. I prefer to use a shallot in this recipe as it has a mild and concentrated flavour and won’t overpower the other delicate vegetables, but of course a small onion could be used in place of the shallot.

Serves 4

Ingredients

50g butter
1 shallot finely chopped
300g fresh peas (frozen are fine if you can’t get fresh)1 little gem lettuce, shredded
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150ml single cream
400g penne pasta
75g Parmesan, freshly grated

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until tender.

While the pasta is cooking melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the shallots, peas and fry on a gentle heat until the vegetables are getting soft. Add the lettuce and cook for a further 5 minutes until soft. The vegetables may need a little water adding if it looks like they are drying out. Season with salt and pepper.

Warm the cream gently, but do not boil.

Drain the pasta and return to the pan. Stir through the cream, and mix in the vegetables. Add half the Parmesan and give it another gentle stir. Serve at once and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Spring Vegetable Soup

My mind generally goes to soup in the cold winter months, with the possible exception of Gazpacho and Vichyssoise, but this Spring Vegetable Soup bridges that gap wonderfully using fresh early spring vegetables and herbs in a healthy and delicious combination.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

• 750ml vegetable stock


• 3 tbsp olive oil


• 4 small leeks sliced


• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed


• 3 celery stalks chopped


• 100g sugar snap peas, or frozen peas


• Small bunch of flat leaf parsley


• Small bunch of chervil (optional)


• 3 lovage leaves or a handful of sorrel leaves chopped


• 300g spinach


• Juice of half a lemon


• Nutmeg


• 2 tbsp crème fraiche


• Salt and freshly ground pepper


• Chive flowers (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a large stock pot and add the leek, potato and celery and sweat for about 5 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the peas, herbs and spinach with 200ml of the stock and boil until the spinach has completely wilted. Add the rest of the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the potato is cooked through.

Let the soup cool a little and then blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Gently reheat and add the crème fraiche before serving. If you have any chive flowers in your garden this soup looks wonderful garnished with them, and it adds a great punch of chive flavour!

to view the original recipe visit the SalamanderCookshop Blog

How to choose Paella and Crepe Pans, Woks and Tagines

Paella Pans

Paella is a delicious rice based Spanish dish that has huge variations depending on which region (and sometimes which village) you are in. It is commonly made with chicken, seafood or chorizo sausage, with rice as the constant. The pan is similar to a shallow frying pan and is normally made from a untreated mild steel, but they are also available made from squeeze cast recycled aluminium with a tough ceramic titanium non-stick surface, and uncoated stainless steel. The large pan can measure from 34cm diameter to as much as 60cm. As the pan is carried and put directly on the table it should have strong side handles.

Woks

A wok is used for cooking Asian food quickly over a high heat. Traditionally woks had round bottoms and curved sides which spread the heat, making it easy to ‘stir fry’ the food quickly. Nowadays many woks are made with flat bottoms to enable them to be used more easily on Western style cookers. When the food is cooked it can be pushed to one side, leaving the centre of the pan for cooking new ingredients to be added. Woks usually range in diameter from about 28cm to 50cm and are available with either a long side handle or two smaller handles on each side. Traditionally they are made from cast iron which needs ‘seasoning’ before use and occasional attention to prevent rusting, but they can also be made from forged aluminium with a non-stick coating, stainless steel, and the more expensive aluminium with diamond or ceramic reinforced non-stick coating.

Crepe Pans

Crepe pans, or pancake pans, are extremely shallow with sloping sides, designed so that a palette knife can be slid easily under the crepe to turn it over during cooking. If using a pan without a non-stick coating, it is always best to keep it for cooking only crepes; once seasoned there should be no need to wash it.

Tagines

In North Africa stews, called tagines, are simmered in a pot of the same name. This uniquely shaped, thick earthenware dish needs very little liquid added as the conical lid provides a large cool surface on which steam condenses and then drips onto the food. Traditionally used on an open fire, or a bed of charcoal, most tagines have now been modified for use on the hob and glazed for ease of cleaning.

KitchenAid Artisan Mixer Review

If it’s possible to have an ongoing relationship with one’s KitchenAid Artisan Mixer, then mine is very close, and personal. I had first seen it while travelling in the US on a free spirited gap year, and even then was a domestic dreamer; seriously considering shipping one home to the UK on a student budget! Irrational I know, but ‘kitchen love’ is a strange and often unwieldy thing. We eventually started our relationship proper about 11 years ago and it has been an enduring love ever since.

Mine is white, crisp, clean and suitable for any environment, but I often hanker for a colour that’s a bit more, dare I say it, cutting edge. Maybe Apple Green, Cobalt Blue, Candy Apple, Imperial Red or even ultra cool Metallic Grey would add a bit of style to my kitchen, but whatever the colour, it would still be the same marvellous mixer underneath.

So apart from looking great, and being featured in every TV chef’s kitchen, what exactly is so fantastic about a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer? The bowl for a start. At 4.8 litres capacity the brushed Stainless Steel bowl is large enough to make dough for two loaves using 1.2kg of flour, but can also whisk one egg white without a problem. Its high sides stop ingredients splashing out, and the twisting mechanism that holds it in place is firm and totally secure.

The 300W motor has 10 speeds and is very strong, heavy and uses an original planetary action. It copes equally well with large quantity mixtures that need slow mixing for a prolonged time, as well as beating a cake mixture quickly and lightly to produce the most wonderfully risen Victoria Sponge. It has a really robust all metal design, which although heavy to carry at 12.7kg, means that it is reliably rooted to the spot when you need it to be.

The Artisan Mixer comes with three mixing attachments (flat beater, wire whisk and a dough hook). You also get a clear plastic pouring shield which is really helpful in keeping your worktop free from mess. With KitchenAid's range of more than 12 optional attachments, you can turn your mixer into all sorts of appliances, from a pasta roller/cutter to a citrus juicer, slicer/shredder and my neighbour even uses his to make homemade sausages with a specifically designed gadget from the clever American people at KitchenAid

If aesthetics are your thing, then you couldn’t want for more than this Henry Moore of the mixer world. If functionality drives you, you can be certain that cake, after wonderfully light cake, will never cease to thrill you. You may decide not to have quite the same relationship with your KitchenAid mixer as I do, but I can assure you it will be long lasting, fulfilled and very productive.

View Salamanders range of KitchenAid Artisan Mixers

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