Wooden Knife Block

Kitchen and dining covers the everyday items for preparing, cooking, serving and storing food: food containers, bakeware and roasting dishes, frying pans, knives, utensils, openers and graters, cutlery, and disposable plates, bowls, cups and foil trays for parties and catering.

Food contact

Anything that touches food should be made for that purpose. Kitchen items that are not obviously meant for food must be labelled as suitable for food contact or carry the glass and fork symbol, and they should come with any instructions needed for safe use. Read and follow those instructions, for example on oven, microwave, freezer or dishwasher use, before the first use.

Choosing the right item

• Food containers: check the capacity, the shape for your fridge or cupboard, whether the lid seals, and how the container is marked for freezer, microwave and dishwasher use.
• Bakeware and pans: check the size against the recipe and your oven or hob, and the material: metal, enamel, ceramic, glass or a non-stick coating, each with its own care instructions.
• Knives and utensils: choose by the job, such as a small paring knife for fruit and vegetables, a larger knife for chopping, and tongs, whisks, ladles and skimmers for cooking and serving.
• Disposables: paper plates and bowls, plastic cups and foil trays with lids suit parties, picnics and batch cooking.

Knives and age limits

In England and Wales it is against the law to sell most knives to anyone under 18. The rules in Scotland differ for kitchen knives and cutlery.

To keep the kitchen organised, see general storage, and for keeping surfaces clean, see cleaning.