News — Food

In fact, more than 100 years after the first toaster was patented, most kitchens don’t feel complete without one. Now many do so much more than brown bread and will handle thicker bagels, teacakes and crumpets with ease. From neat two-slice toasters to technologically advanced four-slot machines, there’s so much on the market right now it’s hard to know what’s best to choose. What size should I buy? If you’re short on space then a two-slice model is best, particularly as some of the four-slice options have pretty big footprints. They’re a good choice for couples and small families but...

Now that the festive season is done and dusted, there’s every reason to seek comfort in the austere month ahead, especially when it comes to nurturing both health and bank balance. Making your own soup might sound elaborate, but armed with a soup maker or blender it becomes a simple process – throwing ingredients into a single pot and pressing a button is about as straightforward as it gets, even for the most time-strapped kitchen dodgers. Saving on time is just the start of it, as creating your own concoctions also affords opportunity to boost both your budget and wellbeing...

For those looking to improve their diet, bullet blenders offer a fast but effective way of consuming plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. And though some of the leading brands available represent quite a high initial outlay, if you consume juices and smoothies regularly, they’re a great way to save money on store-bought drinks. The NutriBullet may have led the way, effectively creating the genre of compact but powerful blenders, but booming demand means there are now plenty of other options out there, from high-end to budget-friendly. In our review, we considered all price points, and looked at not only...

Even the most mundane task, such as chopping onions, can become pleasurable when you have the right kit. We took a selection of sets and blocks into our testers’ kitchens (ranging from amateur chefs to first-time cooks) and asked them to spend a couple of weeks trying each set. There were surprises along the way, low-budget blades became essentials – for example the serrated ‘tomato and sausage’ knife from Victorinox’s block – and stylish knives like the Japanese trio made everyday prep just that little bit more enjoyable. When choosing knives, you need to consider whether you’re willing to take...

But aside from altering what you eat, you may also want to alter how you cook it. Air fryers are one such gadget that claims to cook the food you love, but in a much healthier way. Requiring little or no oil, the counter-top ‘fryers’ are convection ovens that circulate heat to cook your food. Cooking items often much quicker than a regular oven, giving them a crispy texture, the results are similar to frying, but with significantly less fat. They’re also less messy than frying and easy to keep clean. And they’re versatile, able to cope with anything from...