Equipment

Building up some basic kitchen equipment will help you get started.

To prepare and cook food you need a few basic kitchen tools, including:

  • Cooker
  • Fridge freezer
  • One or two saucepans
  • A sharp knife
  • Two chopping boards
  • An oven tray
  • A tin opener
  • Plates and bowls
  • Utensil set – cutlery, ladle, wooden spoon, serving spoon, scissors
A whisk, a spatula, mixing bowls, a masher, a grater, a vegetable peeler and a kettle will all be handy too

Some items to make food storage easier include:

  • Food storage containers
  • Tin foil
  • Food bags/freezer bags

If you have recently had a take away, you can re-use plastic containers to store food in the fridge or freezer.

Building up a good collection of storage containers is better for the environment than using “throw away” food bags.


Freezing is a great way of storing food, keeping leftovers and cutting down waste.

For food safety, it's ok to freeze most raw or cooked foods providing you do the following things:

  • Freeze food before the 'use by' date
  • Follow any freezing or thawing instructions on the label
  • Thaw food in the fridge so that it doesn't get too warm
  • Use food within one to two days after it’s been defrosted – it will go off in the same way as if it were fresh
  • Always follow the instructions on packages for storage and use-by dates

Click here for more information on safely storing food.

It is useful to keep a note on or in your storage container of the date it was prepared and stored

It’s better to figure out what you really need and build up over time.

Making a change

How to make small, manageable changes to what you eat and drink.

Make a change