Food News

MasterChef Australia’s kitchen mastery: 14 cooking essentials inspired by this season

A curated edit for the discerning home chef.

By Jessica G. Lynch
Inspired by the challenges of MasterChef Australia's fifteenth season – from Emilia Jackson's choux recipe to replicating Donato Toce's version of the nostalgic Vienetta ice cream cake 'Messinetta' – these appliances and tools are ones for the discerning home cook to add to their arsenal of kitchen essentials.
Read on for our curated edit so that you can triumph in your own Pressure Test or Mystery Box challenge at home.

KitchenAid

KitchenAid artisan stand mixer set in Empire Red, $1049
A stand mixer with all the bells and whistles that can truly do it all – from whipping up profiteroles to bread, to of course, pasta.

KitchenAid pasta attachment

KitchenAid 3pc pasta roller and cutter attachment, $249 (usually $299)
Roll and cut spaghetti and fettucine with this three-piece KitchenAid attachment perfect for pasta alla casa.

Waffle maker

the Smart Waffle, $369 (usually $289)
Waffles are a first in the MasterChef Australia kitchen this season – and this smart waffle machine from Breville is virtually foolproof.

Smoking gun

Breville smoking gun, $360.71 (usually $475.02)
Add natural cold smoke flavour and aroma to meat, veggies, sauces and cocktails with a smoking gun like this one that is ideal for budding home chefs and mixologists.

Pressure cooker

Breville the Fast Slow pressure cooker, $249
A culinary polymath, the pressure cooker is a versatile tool for tenderising tough cuts of meat; cooking legumes, soups and stews; or canning and preserving foods.

Mortar & pestle

The Cooks Collective granite mortar and pestle, $41.97 ($59.95)
A staple on the benchtop of any culinary connoisseur, a granite mortar and pestle set is a catalyst of flavour.

Ice cream maker

Cuisinart ice cream maker, $479
Who doesn't want a homemade ice cream sandwich or Viennetta ice cream cake?

Hibachi grill

Lenoxx Hibachi tabletop grill with tongs, $79
Known colloquially as a Hibachi grill, a shichirin – a Japanese portable charcoal stove – is ideal for charring yakitori-style skewers or thin yakiniku-like cuts of meat.

Cold press juicer

Breville the Juice Fountain Cold Plus stainless steel juicer, $429
Featuring cold spin technology with an Italian-made mesh filter, this cold press juicer is a gamechanger when it comes to utilising fresh produce.

Air fryer

Philips digital air fryer XXL in black, $399
A cult appliance that boasts just as much flavour as it does convenience, an air fryer fries with little to no oil.

Blow torch

Appetito cook's blow torch, $20.97
Toasting and caramelising desserts like meringues, crème brûlée and tarts is made effortless with a blow torch.

Handheld mixer

Artisan 9-speed hand mixer in Empire Red, $149 (usually $239)
From thick pizza dough to fluffy egg whites, this hand mixer is a mixing, kneading, whipping and blending wiz.

Tortilla press

Victoria cast iron tortilla press and pataconera, $43.76
Casted in Colombia, this tortilladora (or tortilla press) is made with heavy-duty cast iron for even pressing.

Refractometer

58 to 90 per cent Baume Honey sugar brix refractometer hand-held tester, $116.18
Especially designed to test the concentration of honey and sugar by the measurement of Brix, a refractometer aids the pursuit of measuring the dissolved sugar content in an aqueous solution – say, in a strawberry gel, for instance.