Essentials

There are a few items that I think everyone should have in their kitchen. I suppose I should list them here first before I post any recipes so that it will be easier for me to describe the way I cook.

Firstly, everybody needs a non-stick pan set; you’ll be surprised how much money you can save by not spending a fortune on cooking oil. Personally I prefer Tefal but any non-branded ones should be fine. I’ve got a non-branded non-stick wok which my boyfriend had since the start of university (6-7 years ago). It is still in good cooking condition, apart from a small dent which was made on a certain crazy night in a student house on Cemetery Avenue... Going back to non-branded pans, I once bought one from Home Bargains it was good until I made pancakes with it and the constant heat must have caused the metal to expand leaving a hump in the middle of the pan. The pan was destroyed on that same crazy night and I can say it was not missed… So yeah, if you care about cooking then it’s worth investing on some quality pans.

If you eat rice often then it’s worth getting a rice cooker. They are convenient little machines that cook rice perfectly, even better than the rice in restaurants – that is if you use good quality rice. I love jasmine/fragrant rice. Cheap jasmine rice is only a little bit more than long grain but tastes so much better. Unfortunately most superstores sell them a lot more than they are worth so try and buy them from Chinese supermarkets.

Being Chinese, I marinade meat all the time regardless of the cuisine – English, Indian or Italian. Marinade tenderizes the meat and gives it flavor, have this in your kitchen and you’ll never have to taste cardboard again! My favorite is the Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade but every time I use it I just can’t stop thinking about the Kikkoman warrior… You can buy the marinade from most major supermarkets however my local Tesco superstore stopped selling them and I just found out why. Bring back Kikkoman!

Another thing that Tesco stopped selling is the garlic grinder. I use garlic with marinade to help bring out flavor of the meat but fresh garlic takes too much time to peel, crush and chop up into tiny bits, so a grinder is a much more convenient alternative! Not to mention that it doesn’t leave your hands smelling like garlic! After Tesco stopped selling the grinder I started buying garlic powder instead. It works the same way but it’s very easy to put too much in – so be careful.

I use olive oil for cooking. It all started with my mum – she said it’s a lot healthier than any oil – and now I just can’t stop using it. One time I ran out of olive oil and had to use vegetable oil instead but it made the food taste and smells greasy… I guess I’m just too used to cooking with olive oil now.

The Tesco Club Card must be the best reward card ever. I think if you don’t have one then you are a fool. If you have never heard of it then it means you’re not bothered about your money so you should donate it all to me. This is why you are a fool, for every £ you spend at the store you’ll get 2 points, for petrol you’ll get 1 point/£ and 0.25 point/£ if you use your Tesco credit card (another thing everyone should get!). What are all these points for, you say? Here’s the good thing – you can spend them on anything you like (participating partners) from DVDs to days out to air miles! For every 1k points you’ll get £10 off voucher but you’ll get 4 times the amount if you exchange them for reward vouchers. Quick maths, spend £500 at Tesco and you can get £40 off elsewhere. Collecting points is faster than you think – you’ll be surprised how much you spend on groceries. Take me for example, £40 a week – that’s over £2k a year! Not to mention, they sometimes give you extra-point if you buy a certain product. Last year, I have rewarded myself and my boyfriend to a 4 star room in the Marriott in York for 2 nights (worth £240) and numerous meals out all for FREE!

For hard core point collectors, don’t forget you can also join clubs for your chance to get more extra-point vouchers. I’ve joined the Food Club, Healthy Living Club and the Wine Club. Reusing bags and recycling ink cartridges and cans can also get you some extra points. Unfortunately no Tescos in my area have recycling centres :(.