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quicker than electric ones (plus you can use the base of the steamer as a normal pan).

Try Argos Home 3 Tier Stainless Steel Steamer (£16.50) – it’s suitable for electric, gas, ceramic, halogen and induction hobs, as well as solid hotplates, and it’s dishwasher-safe. Alcoholic drinks poured at home from the bottle into a glass are often much larger than pub measures. This means you may be having far more alcohol – and all the calories that go with it – than you think. Investing in a couple of measuring devices will give you more control over alcohol serving sizes, so head to drinkstuff.com.

If spirits are your thing, try the Double Jigger Measure (£4.99), which provides measures for 25ml and 50ml.

If you prefer wine, the Stainless Steel Thimble Wine Measure three-piece Bundle Set (£14.99), which provides measures for 125ml, 175ml and 250ml, is a good choice. tastebuds and overall health (burnt food can contain higher levels of chemicals that have been linked to cancer).

Added to this, non-stick frying pans mean you don’t need to use as much, if any, oil. Just one tablespoon of any oil contains around 100 calories. And an extra 100 calories every day for a year can lead to a weight gain of 10lb!

Tefal frying pans include a colour-sensitive spot in the centre of the pan that turns solid red when the pan is ready to cook with – great news as ingredients absorb more fat and can be greasy if the oil isn’t hot enough.

Try Tefal Everest Black Stone Effect Frying Pan, 24cm (£28, widely available). If you want to achieve perfect results when you’re following a recipe, it’s worth investing in a set of measuring spoons. Use them to measure out foods such as oil, salad dressings, ketchup, mayo and pickles rather than pouring or spooning straight from the bottle or jar. This can help control the calories, fat, sugar and salt in your diet. Try Paul Hollywood Set of Six Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons ( from £9.14, from amazon.co.uk) – the measures cover 1tbsp, 1dstsp, 1tsp, ½tsp, ¼tsp and even a pinch.

According to the Food Standards Agency, there are around one million cases of food poisoning reported every year – plus many more that aren’t noted!

Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning, although salmonella and E.coli are also culprits. Meat and poultry are all potential carriers of these unpleasant bugs.

Cooking these foods thoroughly will usually kill any bacteria – and that’s where a meat thermometer is a great tool to have in your kitchen. Choosing one that includes the recommended temperature for different meats as well as an alert that lets you know when the appropriate temperature has been reached means you can enjoy meat that’s both safe and cooked to perfection.

Try the Procook Meat Thermometer Grey Fork (£10, procook.co.uk) – it’s programmed for beef, pork, lamb, veal, chicken and turkey, offers options from rare to well done and lets you know when the meat is done.

Using just small amounts of onions, carrots, cucumber, courgettes, peppers, lemons, limes or tomatoes when we cook often means we end up throwing away the remainder a To help lower the risk of food poisoning, food safety experts recommend using different chopping boards for preparing different foods. This prevents cross-contamination – the process where harmful bacteria are unintentionally passed from one surface to another.

Keep your food prep simple and safe with Debenhams’ Home Collection Set of Four Assorted Flexible Chopping Boards (£8). These brightly coloured plastic boards each have a motif for meat, poultry, vegetables and seafood, and are dishwasher-safe.

Fresh herbs are perfect for adding flavour to recipes so you don’t need to use salt. But once cut, herbs tend to wilt quickly.

The Marks & Spencer Fresh Herb Keeper (£15) keeps cut herbs for up to 10 days longer, includes three removable dividers for separating different herbs and fits into most fridge doors for easy storage.