Whether you’re heading to a cottage on the coast or having your entire family over to your place these holidays we’re willing to bet at least some of your time will be spent attempting to make magic happen in your kitchen. Here are ten suggestions to add wind to your cooking sails this summer.

1. Le Creuset Strawberry Tea Collection 3-Tier Cake Stand
Long days of summer lend themselves to tea parties and no tea party is complete without good looking cake. Deck this 3 tiered cake platter with a host of happy cupcakes, cookies, sandwiches and mini-party-food. People will be really happy.

2. Joseph Joseph Sixty Minute Pie Timer
Simple and easy to use, this 60-minute pie-shaped timer keeps time while you cook and looks good while it does. Great design making an ordinary object beautiful? We like.

3. Le Creuset Mini Stoneware Cocottes
Cute is not a word we throw around at Yuppiechef, but these cocottes call for it. Aren’t they cute? Yes, they are, and they’re available in a whole bunch of beautiful colours to make your festive table look dandy. Nice one, Le Creuset.

4. Govino Wine Glasses
Picnics are a summer staple and with these nifty flexible glasses (that look just like glass) you can drink wine, water and anything else free from polystyrene and a nasty crunch if you drop the basket. Also, because they are modeled on perfect handblown wine glasses they deliver a perfect bouquet. Smart.

5. Joseph Joseph Quicksnap Ice Tray
It’s hot, all you want is a cold drink – then you have to spend 10 minutes chasing ice blocks all over the kitchen (we’ve all done it). But with the Quicksnap from Joseph Joseph you can release only what you need directly into the glass. Such a win.

6. Wusthof Classic 3 Piece Knife Set
There are few things more frustrating than a blunt knife. This 3-piece knife set from Wusthof is a great option including a chef’s knife, sandwich knife and paring knife which can cover a phenomenal number of slicing requirements. A solid gift for a kitchen newbie, too.

7. Kitchen Craft Masterclass Stainless Steel Flavour Injector
If you secretly wish you’d studied medicine, perhaps this will help? This stainless steel flavour injector uses a syringe to inject marinade, herbs, and other flavours deep into the body of the meat – and most joints of meat (including turkeys) can use a little flavour enhancement. Yum.

8. Chef’n Salad Spinner
Eating green things is good for you and eating them clean but dry is even better. With a trusty salad spinner you can wash and dry your salad leaves quickly and easily with the touch of a lever. Added bonus: dry salad leaves hold dressing better and stay fresh longer. We give this one from Chef’n a double thumbs up.

9. Joesph Joseph Index Advance Chopping Board Set
You know it’s important to use different chopping boards for different things but it’s so hard to keep track of which one’s touched what, right? The Index Boards from Joseph Joseph are marked with a food type (meat, fish, veg, and cooked foods) so you know which to use when. And have non-slip silicone feet so they won’t slide around. Perfect.

10. Magimix Le Glacier Turbine Ice Cream Machine
Eating ice cream is a wonderful thing to do on hot summer days, and making it yourself is rather fulfilling. Forget vanilla scoops with chocolate sauce – with an ice cream maker a host of interesting frozen desserts are suddenly possible… The Magmix Le Glacier ice cream machine is one of the best ice cream makers on the market – and if you love ice cream, it could be your new best friend.

From ice cream and cake to healthy salads and flavoursome meats, we hope these suggestions kick start some fabulous kitchen adventures and look forward to hearing tales of the food that filled you in the summer of 2011.