My guess is that one of the first things you'll bake when you get a new stand mixer is bread.

In fact, it's probably one of the main reasons to get one in the first place.

As a cook, nothing gives more pleasure than baking your own bread from scratch. 

You can't beat the feeling of satisfaction you get when you take a perfectly risen, golden loaf from the oven.

And who can resist the smell of baking bread? whether it’s a warm crusty french stick, a light and airy ciabatta, or a slice of soft buttery brioche.

It's a real labour of love though, especially if yeast as a raising agent of choice. All that mixing, kneading, and proving takes time and effort.

And having the best stand mixer for bread sitting on your countertop can easily shave 20 minutes off your prep time.

It also frees you up to get on with all those other little jobs around the kitchen. Like greasing tins, prepping other ingredients, or just making the dinner.

Coming up, we’ve got a rundown of some of the strongest and most rugged mixers around. 

The ones that are capable of handling large batches of the toughest bread doughs made with some of the coarser flours like wholemeal, spelt, or rye.

We’ll also check out every feature you should look for if you think you’ll be using your stand mixer to knock up a lot of bread.

And I know you're probably thinking power, durability, and bowl capacity are the most important factors to consider (they are, and we’ll get to them in a sec)

First off though, we need to talk about a possible nightmare scenario that could become a reality when you make your first batch of bread in your gleaming new stand mixer.

That once mixed, the dough climbs the hook and sits there going round in circles doing nothing at all.

If you’ve never cleaned a fish before then using the best electric fillet knife is probably not an ideal place to start.

These days for most home cooks and even pro chefs like me all the heavy lifting is done by your friendly fishmonger or wholesaler.

Take a trip to any fish market and you’ll be able to buy your fish all neatly cleaned, filleted, skinned, and even pin boned if that's the way you want it.

In most restaurant kitchens it's the same. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to fillet a fish in work over the past year.

And on the odd occasion when we do get a couple of fish on the bone that needs filleting a regular knife does the job just fine.

Even most professional fish filleters, the guys who do it day in day out for a living prefer the precise precision and control of manual blades.

It begs the question, do you really need to invest in an electrically driven blade?

So, here's the deal.

There's a buddy of mine though, a hardcore grillmaster, who’d never dream of using even the best indoor smokeless grill.

Rear round, rain or shine, he’s been known to brave the elements and some quite chilly temperatures to cook up a few steaks on the BBQ.

Because he knows it’s the only way to get that unique, smoky, flame grilled flavour. 

And even though the best indoor smokeless grill won't give you that exact same charcoal flavoured effect, there is a way to cheat (more on this in a minute)

But Indoor grills do offer a good alternative for food lovers to indulge in a bit of grilling right from the comfort of their own kitchens. 

Without having to deal with the weather or any smoke. 

You might think these grills are a bit of a gimmick and you're probably wondering....

It’s an age-old tradition.

We’ve been at it for centuries.

And back in the day curing and smoking your salmon was the only way to preserve it for any length of time. 

That delicious earthy smoked flavor was just a happy byproduct.

Times may have moved on but the delicious well-worn art of smoking salmon persists because you just can't beat that magical combination of soft fish, salt, and smoke.

Chowing down on a plate of smoked salmon used to be the domain of the powerful and wealthy. While smoking fish was only done by artisans or in fish processing plants.

Now that farmed salmon is available everywhere, anybody can smoke it up in their backyard, or on their stove-top once they have the right kit (more on this a bit later)

And if you’re a newbie fish smoker it’s easy to obsess about what is the best wood for smoking salmon.

There's so many different types out there that it's easy to get a bit bamboozled and wonder which one to go with.

Coming up we’ll take a look at some of the best woods to try and give you a bit of insight into what you can expect from them flavor wise.

We’ll also explain which types are traditionally used, as well as give you a list of woods you should definitely avoid.

Let's get to it.

It's the fish cookery method beloved by chefs everywhere.

It's quick, ultra controllable, and gives the most amazingly delicious results.

In fact, pan-searing is the only way you’ll get that crispy skin on your fish and have dinner on the table in 5 minutes flat. 

To do it all you need is a little knowledge, some practice, and the best pan for fish on your stove.

And if you're wondering which pan will give you the best results we've got you covered.

In this article we’ll take a look at some of the different materials used to make pans. Review some of the best skillets around. And give you a step by step guide on how to get those restaurant like results.

But before we get to it and if you’re in a hurry......

Spring has sprung. Summer is finally here and pretty soon it will be time to dust off the BBQ for another season of outdoor cookery and alfresco dining.

Weather permitting.....

Meat eaters are always well catered for at barbecues. Steaks, burgers, ribs, chicken and chops are all easy and hassle free to cook over coles.

For pescetarians it's a different story.

Cooking fish presents its own unique set of issues even when your indoors, baking in your oven, or frying on the stove top.

Throw some open flames into the mix and the risk of over cooking, burning, leaving it raw in the middle, or just not quite getting it right multiply.

Not only that, but the delicate sweet flesh of fish can easily break apart and disappear right before your eyes in a flurry of flakes through your grill on to the hot coals.

So, if you want to avoid this particular culinary disaster than it's probably time to invest in a good fish grilling basket.

If your in a hurry below are a few examples.