BUYER’S GUIDE: SMALL KITCHEN APPLIANCES How to navigate the maze of tiny-but-mighty kitchen gadgets designed to help

Make food-prep a breeze with these tiny-but-mighty helpers to take you through the festive season with ease

It’s a time that can fill even the most experienced entertainers with dread. That magical (read stressful) period between pre-Christmas and post-New Year that seems to simultaneously drag on forever and be over too soon. A time that brings with it a host of responsibilities that include, but are not limited to, preparing fabulous feasts for extended family, hosting lavish long lunches or simply catering for guests that always manage to ‘pop in’ just as you’re about to sit down. Although our holiday season may look a little different this year, what remains is the need to stay flexible in the kitchen and avoid festive fatigue. Enter this year’s bright new class of small appliances, guaranteed to lighten the load and perhaps even embolden your cooking routine.

products such as blenders, mixers and sparkling-water machines. “People are starting to realise that you pay for quality when it comes to big-ticket items like blenders and standmixers,” says Gary. “They may have started off on the cheaper side, but have moved three or four steps up the ladder purely because of performance.” Products like the Kenwood standmixer have stood the test of time for a reason, says Gary. “You can still buy a Kenwood mixer the same quality as the model you might have inherited from your parents, but with a little more pep – and the ability to press citrus, process meats, make pasta and even churn ice-cream.”

And now there’s a new kid on the block, who’s here to shake things up. “As we’ve all pivoted to spending more hours at home and, in turn, are cooking more than usual, we need equipment that’s reliable and up to the task,” says cook, TV presenter and Tefal brand ambassador Justine Schofield. “Having had the luxury of being able to test so many different machines, I’ve learnt that bench space is prime real estate and you want your appliances to be worth the investment.” According to Justine, it’s a numbers game. “Think about how much it would cost you to buy all those things individually. It might be a little more of an upfront outlay, but spending a little more to get a quality, all-purpose product will give you a serious ROI.”

Tefal’s I-Companion Gourmet XL is a bit of an overachiever and, at $1899, seemingly does it all. “Traditional ways of cooking are thrown out the window and the idea of dropping everything into one bowl, pressing a button and letting it do all the work is quite a thrill!” says Justine. And while it might feel strange to let go of your culinary control, she says “it’s really quite liberating”. The I-Companion boasts bluetooth connectivity for automatic recipe downloads and the smart technology allows even novice cooks to hone their skills.

“Going into the holiday period, you want something that’s going to make your life easier, and having the ability to whisk eggs into a silky meringue, slow-cook a casserole, or shred vegies for a speedy coleslaw in the one machine, ticks all the boxes.”