5 Kitchen Essentials for Mastering Yotam Ottolenghi’s “Plenty” Recipes — Plus Where to Buy Them
New decade, new resolutions, new Cookbook Club pick! We’re kicking off January with Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi, which has been hailed as one of the most important cookbooks of the last 10 years. The book is packed with Israeli-inspired vegetarian recipes that are big on fresh herbs, Mediterranean spices, and plenty of vegetables. It’s the perfect excuse to give boring salads and roasted vegetables a rest and experiment with a new and delicious way of getting in your greens.
Before you start trying the recipes, though, you’re going to need the right kitchen equipment. To help you out, we’ve rounded up five of Ottolenghi’s favorite kitchen tools, along with our own product recommendations for each. So grab the cookbook, pick out the tools, and try whipping up a new recipe or two, then let us know how it goes!
Share your comments in our Facebook group, or post a photo of your dish on Instagram, with a short review of the recipe in the caption, and use our #kitchncookbookclub hashtag to be featured on our Cookbook Club hub page. Happy noshing!
1. Spice Grinder
“Use fresh herbs as an ingredient, not just as a garnish,” Ottolenghi shared with
2. Potato Ricer
“For years I struggled with all sorts of mashers, then I found the Masterclass potato ricer,” Ottolenghi told The Guardian. He likes that it’s easy to clean, neatly fits in a drawer, and creates a mega-smooth mash.
Kitchn recommends: Master Class Stainless Potato Ricer Perfect Fluffy Mash, $20
3. Digital Scale
A digital scale gives the most precise measurements for baking, Ottolenghi told Epicurious, adding that “It also often means less washing up, as you can add ingredients directly to one bowl by using the tare function.” We’re down with that!
Kitchn recommends: Etekcity Food Digital Kitchen Scale Weight, $10 (normally $19)
4. OXO Good Grips Box Grater
On a video posted on Instagram, Ottololenghi shared his favorite time-saving hack for peeling tomatoes: A box grater! “I use this pulp to add to stews, soups, sauces, spoon over grains or meat,” he said. “Everything, really.”
Kitchn recommends: OXO Good Grips Box Grater, $18
5. Knife
Most of Ottolenghi’s recipes call for sliced, diced, and julienned vegetables. Ingredients need to be a certain size in order for a recipe to work, he told