Six of the best kitchen assistants (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Six of the best kitchen assistants

7:00am Saturday 4th February 2012 in Lifestyle

Six of the best gadgets and gizmos on a theme. This week: Six of the best kitchen gadgets.

By Peter Jenkinson.

"Too many cooks..." We are told the one place in your home where it is better to be alone is the kitchen.

There is, however, some room for manoeuvre; kitchen assistance can be quite necessary if there is a tedious task to complete.

Take a look at this selection of utensils to help give you a hand, and you shouldn't need to crowd your cooking space with extra help.

Neither should any of these tools ever be consigned to the dark and forgotten corner of the cupboard with your sandwich toaster and melon baller...

Hang On - Griffin Adjustable Cabinet Mount (iPad) - £54.95 from www.amazon.co.uk Aimed at one of the most popular touchscreens on the market, fix this mount to the underside of your kitchen cabinet and it'll hold your iPad securely while you follow an ebook recipe, watch footage from a TV streamer or play music. And when not in use, it will fold away to keep your kitchen clutter-free.

Tidy Up - Click 'N' Cook Kitchen Set - £31.99 from www.firebox.com Keeping all your utensils in order while your pans are bubbling away is never easy. The solution we're about to offer is stunningly simple. This set includes five separate utensil heads: a slotted spoon, mixer and three spatulas - and just one handle. Click the handle into the tool you require and you're ready, steady, cook. It's an easy-to-clean, space-saving device that just happens to look rather good, too.

Into The Groove - SharpAct Knife Sharpener - £8.99 from www.firebox.com Most of us give no thought to keeping our slicing implements in peak condition. Only when it is too late and we're struggling to chop the carrots do we wish in hindsight for ownership of a sharpener. Inspired by an age-old magician's trick, this one, with strong carbon steel groove, is not only practical but fun.

Rolling Clover - Chef'n Garlic Zoom - £6.50 from www.sainsburys.co.uk Use this device to chop multiple pieces of garlic cloves in a matter of moments while reminiscing over youthful days playing with toy cars. Just pop the cloves into the top door and roll this gadget to achieve perfectly chopped garlic, and keep your hands clean and odour-free. The more you roll, the finer the garlic becomes - how we ever managed without one, who knows?

Over The Top - Pizza Boss 3000 - £10.99 from www.firebox.com Not only will this device make light work of slicing your pepperoni-topped pizza but it will also work on naan breads, pies and toasties. Fashioned in the style of a circular saw, the stainless steel blades will easily glide through doughy bases, and with a removable blade cover, you won't have any problem cleaning off all that stringy cheese!

Very Handy - Pixel Hand Oven Gloves - £13.99 from www.iwantoneofthose.com Harking back to the times of 1980s desktop PCs, these pixelated oven mitts aren't just a practical solution but serve as a decorative item too. It is time to clear your kitchen of floral-fashioned hand protectors and trade up to this pair post haste.

App of the week: Perfect Egg Timer - iPhone Boiling an egg isn't always as easy as it sounds.

In steps My Perfect Egg Timer.

This is a simple app allowing you to key in the properties of your egg and assist you in your quest for perfection.

All you have to do is tell it what size the egg is, the temperature of it and the altitude of where you are - well, it all affects how an egg is cooked!

Then input how you like your egg and the countdown begins for how long you should cook it to achieve your ideal hard or soft yolk.

A very fancy egg timer indeed.