If you enjoy cooking Asian and Oriental food, then you’ll love using a traditional bamboo steamer.

They really set the scene for adventurous, authentic cooking and they look great in a working kitchen as well. Traditionally, dishes can be brought to the table in the bamboo steamer, which makes a great impression with guests and cuts down on the use of serving dishes and trays.

Bamboo steamers are circular shaped with a tight, bamboo lid and a strong frame. They create a more authentic and tasty end product as well as offer true Oriental ambience. The steamer fits easily into a wok and is easy to use - simply fill the wok with water and place your ingredients in the steamer.

Steaming your food is always the healthiest choice. There is no need to use fat or oil and steaming retains a greater proportion of the vitamins and minerals in the food in comparison with boiling, whereby many of the nutrients are lost.

Placing a layer of greens, lettuce or greaseproof paper at the bottom of the steamer should avoid the problem of sticking. You can also easily keep control with steaming, and you can choose to cook your ingredients well or to serve them with a slight crunch.

Bamboo steamers can be stacked – the lowest tier should contain the foods that take longest to cook. What’s more you can re-use the water you’ve placed in your wok as a flavoursome base for a sauce or stock, especially if you’ve added some spices to it prior to cooking.

It is advisable to maintain separate steamer tiers for meat, fish and vegetables if you’re going to regularly use a bamboo steamer. This means that future dishes won’t be tainted by strong flavours as the bamboo has the tendency to absorb them. You should also ensure that you wash your bamboo steamer well with warm, soapy water soon after use to keep it hygienic and fresh.

There’s nothing better after a hard day’s work than coming home to a comforting stew, casserole or soup bubbling away with that delicious home cooked aroma.

Ready meals never live up to expectations, with meagre portions, an imbalance of ingredients and an artificial taste. But if you find that you struggle for time to create home prepared food or you’re just too tired at the end of the day investing in a slow cooker could be the best thing you’ve ever done.

I recently purchased a stainless steel appliance with a ceramic bowl from my local superstore for less than $30 (£20) and I’m amazed at just how easy it is to use and the variety of tasty dinner time treats that can be rustled up.

The slow cooking process works magic on cheap or tough cuts of meat, and flavours from herbs and spices will infuse into potatoes and vegetables beautifully by the time your dish is served, as long as you use enough of them.

You can also experiment with pulses such as pui lentils and pearl barley to create delicious rustic style broths that will warm the heart and remain kind to the waistline. It’s even easy to prepare a tasty tomato based pasta sauce in your slow cooker and all you’ll have to do at dinner time is boil up some spaghetti and grate some Parmesan cheese.

You’ll find that home cooked food is not only tastier and better for you but you’ll also save money by buying fresh ingredients as opposed to ready meals – a great bonus in this financial climate.