A casserole dish for entertaining.
Whether you're cooking for a crowd or making batch meals, Le Creuset's Signature Cast Iron Round Casserole dishes are easy to clean and available in a range of colours to match your kitchen decor.
Buy it: £165 (22cm)
An electric wine opener.
Effortlessly open any bottle of wine with no mess when you invest in a cordless electric wine bottle opener, which works with a simply push-button.
Buy it: £16.99
An easy-to-use blender and juicer.
For those who love smoothies and juices, the NutriBullet is a must. The 12-piece set (which includes a to-go cup) is easy to use — just load the container with your ingredients, place onto the power base to blend, twist the container to turn off, and enjoy.
Buy it: £69.99
A french press coffee maker.
Just add ground coffee and hot water to the Bodum Brazil French Press Coffee Maker for 3 cups of coffee.
Buy it: £14.10
A colander.
While it's an essential tool for rinsing fruits and vegetables or draining pasta, this LEON Stainless Steel Colander is also stylish enough to be used as a fruit bowl.
Buy it: £18
A quick and clean kettle.
The Dualit English Heritage Jug Kettle has a washable limescale filter so your brew will be debris-free.
Buy it: £69.95
A sleek mixer.
The KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer is perfect for whisking eggs and creams, kneading yeast for bread, pizza, and pasta, or beating cake mixtures or mashed potatoes.
Buy it: £399
A see-through toaster.
Never burn toast again with this affordable glass design from Argos.
Buy it: £39.99
A complete set of pots and pans.
Cooking well is all about having the right pans. From size to material, make sure you have options with a cookware set like this one from Tefal.
Buy it: £38.13
A good set of wine glasses.
Impress your guests by matching your wine glasses to your grape, like with this set of four crystal glasses from Linea Wine Cellar made for full bodied reds.
Buy it: £31.50
Non-stick utensils.
Stop scrubbing your spatulas after you've made eggs on toast with non-stick, heatproof silicone utensils, such as this turner from Zeal.
Buy it: £8.50
A fully stocked spice rack.
Keep your spices organised and within arms reach with this revolving Cole & Mason 20 Jar Spice Carousel which includes basil, cinnamon, mint, and chilli flakes (with labelled caps to prevent any cooking blunders).
Buy it: £65
A granite mortar and pestle.
Grind nuts, cloves and more with this dark granite durable Jamie Oliver Granite Pestle and Mortar.
Buy it: £13.90
A mandoline.
Spend less time preparing your dishes with a mandoline, which slices fruits and vegetables in every way imaginable.
Buy it: £24.97
A stir fry wok.
Master the perfect stir fry with a non-stick wok, like this Ken Hom Performance carbon steel one.
Buy it: £23.20
A set of tumblers.
Whether you're staying hydrated or mixing up a masterpiece, a set of tumblers (like this set of six from Vienna) are a sophisticated way to serve.
Buy it: £20
A set of adult mugs.
This set of porcelain HemmingwayDesign mugs for Royal Doulton are stylish enough for serving tea or coffee to guests, but are still dishwasher and microwave safe.
Buy it: £35
A double oven mit.
For the slightly more clumsy, you can't go wrong with a double oven glove like this one from John Lewis which protects both hands and arms.
Buy it: £8
Neutral tea towels.
While the feminine and floral may be tempting, a set of neutral tea towels, like this set of four from Jasper Conran, will keep any kitchen looking complete.
Buy it: £14.40
A set of sharp knives.
If you don't want to splurge on a full knife set, opt for 3 sizes - a cook's knife, kitchen knife and vegetable knife — from Robert Welch that will get you through most recipes with ease.
Buy it: £55
A unisex apron.
To protect from stains and spills when cooking more ambitious meals, wear a unisex apron like this classic stripe style from Marks & Spencer.
Buy it: £15
A good measuring jug.
A glass measuring jug will last a lifetime, and make cooking and baking so much easier.
Buy it: £3.83
A salad spinner.
Keep your salads fresh (and talk yourself into eating more of them) by rinsing and drying your greens quickly with this OXO Salad Spinner.
Buy it: £26
A hand blender.
Perfect for creaming butter and sugar or mixing up a few ingredients that don't require a giant food processor, a hand blender is a must-have kitchen tool.
Buy it: £14.25
A set of colour-coded chopping boards.
In the name of basic food hygiene, you should never use the same chopping board that you use to chop raw meat to slice vegetables or fruit on, so invest in a good set of chopping boards that are colour-coded according to their function.
Buy it: £49.95
A set of clips to seal packets of food.
Folding over an open bag of crisps won't keep them from going stale in the cupboard. These food clips are a better way to seal packets of food, and they're magnetic so they can be kept on the fridge when not in use.
Buy it: £6.40
A coffee grinder.
Freshly ground beans make the best tasting – and smelling – cup of coffee, which can't be done without a coffee grinder.
Buy it: £21.95
A garlic press.
You can never get too much garlic, and a garlic press will make cooking with it a whole lot easier.
Buy it: £9.80
Tupperware with compartments for different types of food.
A more sophisticated type of Tupperware, this bento box from Sistema keeps your food fresh in separate compartments. It's ideal for storing lunch and snacks separately en route to work.
Buy it: £12
A water bottle with a filter.
An alternative to buying bottled water, this smart water bottle filters tap water. The filter cage on this version of the bobble has a bonus function as an infuser, so you can add ingredients like mint leaves and cucumber to flavour your water. Keep one in the fridge at home to stay hydrated.
Buy it: £14.99
A spiralizer to cook with more vegetables.
Turning various vegetables and fruits into "spaghetti" has become something of a trend, and for a good reason; it's a smart way to eat healthily. The OXO Good Grips Hand Held Spiralizer is one of the more affordable spiralizers on the market.
Buy it: £12
A rice cooker.
Most people approaching 30 lead busy lives and have little time or energy to cook. A rice cooker like this one from Russell Hobbs is a convenient way to cook rice, pasta, and even steamed vegetables or fish.
Buy it: £18.99
A kitchen scale.
Get your recipes as accurate as possible with a compact kitchen scale.
Buy it: £7.99
A slow cooker to keep food warm.
For those with a busy schedule, a slow cooker is a good way to keep hot food warm if you're home late for dinner.
Buy it: £29.99
A non-slip sink caddy.
Leaving your washing-up sponge next to the sink will cause it to become soggy and germ-ridden. A neater and more hygienic way to store your sponge is with a sink caddy. This one from simplehuman comes with a wire ledge hanger so it won't slip and fall.
Buy it: £15.99
A collapsible dish drainer.
Most people under 30 don't have the luxury of a spacious kitchen area. This collapsible dish drainer is compact and easily flattens when not in use to save space.
Buy it: £25
A kitchen roll holder.
Everyone should have a kitchen roll holder — because you can't let kitchen roll simply sit on the kitchen worktop. Especially once you've turned 30.
Buy it: £2
A meat thermometer.
Make cooking for a crowd easier with a meat thermometer, which lets you check when your dish is ready without slicing the meat open.
Buy it: £8.99