Your kitchen tools

The essentials

Stainless-steel saucepan
A 6-litre pot is the most useful size. A 3-litre pot is handy for smaller batches, but not essential.

Wooden spoon
Strong, simple and less likely to scratch the pot.

Cutting board
Choose a solid hardwood board, ideally maple or beech. Avoid soft, cracked or heavily grooved boards. Wood and plastic can both be used safely when properly cleaned, but a good wooden board lasts well and avoids shedding plastic as it wears. Read the food-safety guidance.

Sharp kitchen knife
One reliable knife is more useful than an expensive knife block.

Measuring jug and spoons
Useful for liquids, vinegar, lemon juice and spices.

Kitchen scales
The easiest way to keep recipes consistent.

Useful, but optional

• Wide-mouth funnel: Makes filling jars much cleaner.
• Ladle: Useful for moving hot jam or relish into jars.
• Heatproof mat or folded tea towel: Protects the worktop and helps stop hot jars sliding.
• Oven gloves or jar tongs: Useful when handling hot jars.
• Potato masher or stick blender: Only needed when a recipe calls for a smoother texture.
• Plastic kitchen tongs: Useful for lifting hot jars from boiling water. They must be genuinely heat-resistant; proper jar-lifting tongs are safer if you start making preserves regularly.

Jars

Collect reusable glass jars between 200 ml and 500 ml. Smaller jars are often more practical because they are easier to share and are used up sooner after opening.

Check that each jar is free from chips and cracks. Keep only lids that fit properly and are not rusty, dented or damaged.

What not to buy

Avoid non-stick or Teflon-coated pots for jam and relish making. You do not need a preserving pan, jam thermometer, electric steriliser or another specialist gadget collecting dust in the cupboard.