Clodagh McKenna’s unusual twist on classic cookware is inspiration that only a chef could share
Chef's kiss? What about a chef's twist
Clodagh McKenna has invited us into our kitchen, with a sneak preview of her new ITV series, Clodagh: Cooking at Home. At a glance, it's everything you'd expect from her, but on closer inspection, everything has a chef's twist.
In her teaser post, Clodagh bounces around her farmhouse kitchen, dancing, stirring, and raising a glass to her new series. But as a cookware enthusiast, I couldn't help but notice three kitchen essentials at the centre of the shots.
And whilst these can be find in any chef's kitchen, hers all put an unusual, professional spin on traditional design, making them more practical, versatile, and covetable too.
Cast iron casserole dishes are the work horse in any kitchen and normally chefs will sport a Le Creuset or STAUB dish. Clodagh, of course, is using her own. These are brilliant for holding high heat temperatures and distributing them consistently. Unlike many other classic chefs, Clodagh has opted for an oval shape, which is a clever choice, because it'll give freedom for whole joints and larger cuts of meat.
Copper pans are usually only glimpsed in professional kitchens, including Martha Stewart's and Clodaugh's. Whilst most homes will go for classic induction pans, copper is a clever choice because it heats faster and more evenly than any other material, giving far more precise control over delicate sauces and quick sautés. It's also, frankly, beautiful, which makes it as much a kitchen statement piece as a practical tool.
Not all stainless steel pans are made equally and what I love about the look of Clodagh's is that she has the main handle and a twin on the other side for better grip. You have to search far and wide for a design like this, but it's great if you'll be cooking with weight and volume (risottos are a good example), because you can get both hands on your pot to take it over to the table.
"I'm so excited to bring you into my home," McKenna says in the show's first teaser on her Instagram. And it's easy to believe her. She's smiling, dancing, and raising a glass to a table full of happy faces in and outside of her stylish kitchen (which we have taken plenty of tips from). Of course, there are cameras in the room with her, but in the shots it looks like a woman who's really enjoying herself as she promises viewers "we are going to have such a good time."
As any seasoned kitchen-watcher and Clodagh fan knows, the chef always cooks with style and synchronicity, whether it's her lemon yellow apron or her sage green cast iron. It's no surprise to see some of her own collection of kitchen tools, as they are newly launched and already doing double duty. Her cast iron pot simmers on the stove, a copper saucier fries and boils, and a stainless steel saucepan boils away.
As someone who spends my days testing and reviewing cookware, I couldn't resist picking apart what's in her arsenal. Beyond the three pans (her oval casserole, copper saucier, and twin-handle stainless steel pan) I spotted lots of other very innocuous, but useful tools floating around. A well-used spoon rest is the sign of Clodagh's practicality, as she'll often be mid-task talking to the camerals. Then she also uses a portable induction hob, which speaks to Clodagh's farm life: having heat that isn't tethered to a fixed stove is really a necessity with outdoor entertaining like this.
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If these snippets of Clodagh's kitchen has you wanting to recreate the look, you don't need her exact pieces to get the effect.
A well-placed spoon rest can work wonders when it comes to doing the washing up. If you're often multi-tasking and need a safe place to pop your utensils, this is a small investment that will pay you dividends in time.
I love my Le Creuset Oval Cast Iron Casserole Dish for its versatility when it comes to stews and bakes - the shape gives you that edge. A reason I always say that Le Creuset warrants the toppy price tag isn't the choice of colours (although there are many), it's because they have a lifetime guarentee too.
Clodagh has worked with Smeg closely and has the Smeg Portofino Range in her home kitchen, so it's not a huge jump to say that she's likely to be using their portable induction hob too. In our review, we rated the Smeg portable induction hob highly, but we do have some other, more affordable alternatives in our buying guide.
I love getting a sneak peek into celebrity chef's kitchens because they tell you so much about them, as well as giving inspiration for different ways to use your kitchen. Clodagh's cookware, at a glance, seems classic, but a closer inspection shows her putting twists on each piece to make it quicker, more versatile, and more practical too. Now, we've got to sit tight with a cup of tea until we get to see the full episodes, airing in October on ITV.
