Guest Picks:The Rainbow Epicurean
I like to stay within a pastel palette for my kitchen, choosing soft blues, pinks, lilacs and mint to complement my dusty blue walls, with a burst of spring green and hot pink placed here and there to liven things up. Color (and a lot of sunlight) has made my kitchen the space it should be — a happy place!
— Denise from The Swelle Life
The Le Creuset mini cocottes (French ovens, or casseroles) may be pretty, but it would be a waste not to use them for what they were so expertly made for: cooking!This cookbook is responsible for the surge in colorful, great-looking dinners served in our house. The gorgeous styled photos illustrate what color cocotte works best with each recipe.
I feel like a proper sous chef when I chop my garlic with a Santoku knife, but a press is great to have handy for efficiency. I'd love to see one with a hot pink handle on the counter. This garlic press has soft-touch comfy handles, brushed steel and is available in six bright colors as well as black.
Colored knives are very easy to find these days, but these are the first I've seen that are two-toned. For extra vibrancy, the chef's knife has a violet blade with a neon grape handle, and the bread knife is pretty in coral and hot pinks. In this set of five, each one is a different color, which is handy for spotting which knife is which in the drawer.
An absolute cooking essential, yet one we often go without, is the trivet used to protect our kitchen surfaces from hot pans. This professional silicon stand would be perfect for serving dinner straight from a casserole — especially a color coordinated one — onto the table.
There are inferior ovens out there — I should know because my house came with one and baking is a nail-biting event. So I'm intrigued by this cupcake maker. It's said to cook cakes quickly and evenly, and it's adorable in sky blue. I love a colorful appliance; if there's no room in the cupboard it can look charming out on the counter or on kitchen shelves.
An absolute cooking essential, the slotted spoon sometimes makes its way to the dinner table for self-serving. I would love to see the mint version of this spoon, with its lovely ornate handle, on my table dipping into my aqua-hued, cast iron casserole.
Lime green is so fresh, making it the perfect color for the kitchen. This kettle can be converted to cordless for table serving. And it has an automatic shut-off at boiling point. The lime color complements just about any color so leave the plain mugs behind.
This set of pastel stoneware bowls is in daily use in my kitchen. Not only are they handy for beating eggs for an omelet, organizing prepped ingredients for a recipe and presenting fresh fruit on the table, they are a cheerful presence in the kitchen and should never see the inside of a cupboard. They are dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe.
This is the first lasagna dish I've seen that would have to have its own place at the dinner table — it's just so cool! Featuring printmaster Orla Kiely's trademark 'double stem' pattern and '70s coral-orange on the hand grips, it's a fresh interpretation of retro styling.
I've always found barbecues to be a bit of an eyesore on the patio, but this porcelain-enameled portable version in Blue Wave is compact andgood looking. It features a triple-plated cooking grate, and the lid lock for carrying doubles as a lid holder. What a great little cooker to take down to the beach for a seaside lunch!
Tongs are a must for the barbecue, as well as being a handy utensil in daily cooking. These stylish handles are made of heat-resistant silicone and come in a variety of colors, which makes it easy to pick them out of a crammed utensil drawer or canister.
I'm not sure I could wear this strawberry print apron without being paranoid about spilling something on it, but it's too fun and pretty not to try. Made of cotton with two pockets for utensils and shaped to look like a 1950s halter dress, it's the perfect way to cook in a retro-style kitchen.
When it comes to oven mitts, none can be so beautiful as to make up for burnt hands. I often cook using heavy cast iron casseroles and I need a glove that can protect me through the weight. These lined silicone gloves have never let me down. They're a cheery bright blue and they're easy to clean.
British cookbooks often state ingredients in grams, so a kitchen scale is essential in the U.K. I like the manual style over the digital, not just for their stylish looks, but for their reliability — no dead batteries! Its compact size makes it easy to fit onto the worktop. I like to use the bowl to store bread.
I've found myself using a slotted spoon in place of a colander when I have a few things on the hob at once, but I usually lose a few of the pasta, peas or whatever, as the spoons are shallow. This scoop colander is a neat solution and is also great for use in deep frying.
For cooks who are seriously into steaming, this is a high-performance model that looks fantastic in yellow — it will bring instant cheer to your kitchen. The interior is made of Silargan, an ultra hard, smooth ceramic surface, while the exterior is ceramic-coated steel.
Who knew measuring cups could be so cute? Each 'doll' is a measurement of ¼ cup to 1 cup in high quality ceramic. Some little friends to keep you company on the worktop while you cook!
Maybe it's not as easy to use as the usual clear glass measuring cup, but the lovely looks of this pink jug surely make up for the extra second it takes to read the measurements on the inside. It's also great for pouring sauces or serving water. Nigella Lawson likes to use it as a vase for flowers when she's not cooking (My guess is she has two).
I love my mortar and pestle for bringing out the best flavor from spices and herbs, and I don't mind that having it on display makes me look like a proper chef! This generous stoneware bowl features an indentation for gripping while grinding. It comes in a range of glazed colors, with the bowl interior and pestle tip left unglazed to create an optimum surface for grinding your ingredients.Next: A Rainbow of Colorful Kitchen Accessories
My absolute favorite cooking companion at the moment is the mini French oven, or 'cocotte,' from Le Creuset. The range of colors are cheerful, rich and gorgeous, and the stoneware is scratch-resistant, easy to clean (even baked-on sauces) and, most important, they cook and heat food brilliantly in the oven. Their charming presentation works both on the table and off; I display mine all over the kitchen and look for any opportunity to put something in them, from dips and sauces to berries and nuts.
Q