The Bay Tree recommends...

citrus zesters, reamers & juicers
Microplanes, juicers and reamers extract the peel and juice from all citrus fruits. Reamers are preferred by many over standard juicers as no citrus oil is released into the juice. Don't restrict a microplane to zesting citrus - run it down other fruits or vegetables, or even chocolate.

colanders sieves & strainers
A coarse strainer quickly drains liquids from solids. It should be rust resistant and non-reactive to acidic foods. Some colanders can also double as steamers.

cooking utensils
Whether you are peeling, slicing, scooping out, pressing, beating, or shaping ingredients, there is a specialty tool to simplify the task. We offer a range of tools which act as an extension of your best tool's - your own two hands.

graters
Graters have a variety of functions from grating vegetables or cheese to extraction of ginger flesh and juice. A ceramic ginger grater really does make a difference in separating the juice from the fibre. It is essential in all Asian cooking. An angled stainless steel box grater allows you to maximise pressure with a comfortable working grip. It also provides a variety of grating and slicing sizes. The Microplane graters come in fine, medium & coarse and can be used on just about everything!

oil sprays & dispensers
Oil sprays deliver a light, even coating to both frypans and cake tins, or directly to food itself. They are particularly efficient and economical and can be filled with your preferred brand of olive oil.

spoons & spatulas
A silicon spatula is one of the true work horses of the modern kitchen: ideal for scraping batters from bowls, cleaning condiments from jars or folding ingredients. It's pliancy conforms to any bowl shape to extract the last bit of batter. A silicon spatula spoon is heat and stain resistant and bowl shaped to double as a spoon. Wooden spatulas are ideal for stir-frying.

No kitchen is complete without a variety of slotted and solid spoons. Select the simplest spoon, one made from a single piece of stainless steel, there being no joins to break.

Wooden spoons or spatulas don't get too hot to hold, or scratch non-stick pans. The best are made from close grained non-absorbent beechwood. We also import from specialist spoons in olivewood, coconut and the slightly denser boxwood.

weighing & measuring tools
Graduated measuring cups are used to measure wet or dry ingredients. If made of heavy metal they are useful for melting or heating some ingredients (such as butter) on the stovetop. Graduated measuring spoons are useful for measuring small quantities of wet or dry or ingredients. A digital kitchen scale is indispensable.

whisks
Amongst the hand tools we still judge to be essential are hand whisks. An important advantage of the balloon whisk over the electric mixer, is that it enables the cook to make a judgement in achieving exactly the right texture of a batter, for example. When it comes to egg whites, only a balloon whisk allows you to incorporate sufficient air to form voluminous stiff peaks.

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