The lap of luxury
The sheer cost of some ingredients and kitchen tools puts many of us off going anywhere near them. But, if you're looking for something outstanding, here are some of the very best, says Richard Ehrlich.
The honest copper
Every self-respecting kitchen should possess at least one copper pan. Copper is the best conductor of heat in cookware, warming up (and cooling off) faster than any other metal. That's why so many chefs have stuck with it despite the excellence of modern stainless steel, aluminium and nonstick technologies. Copper needs two things: careful attention once you've started using it, and lots of money before you can take it home. Worth it? Hundreds of thousands of chefs certainly think so. Copper 24cm sauté pan (ref P3286), £115, from Cucina Direct, 0870 420 4300 (cucinadirect.co.uk) .
Every self-respecting kitchen should possess at least one copper pan. Copper is the best conductor of heat in cookware, warming up (and cooling off) faster than any other metal. That's why so many chefs have stuck with it despite the excellence of modern stainless steel, aluminium and nonstick technologies. Copper needs two things: careful attention once you've started using it, and lots of money before you can take it home. Worth it? Hundreds of thousands of chefs certainly think so. Copper 24cm sauté pan (ref P3286), £115, from Cucina Direct, 0870 420 4300 (cucinadirect.co.uk) .
The priceless pearls
Real caviar, whether beluga, sevruga or oscietra, is one of the world's great foods - and increasingly rare because of pollution and over-fishing in the Caspian sea. If you're going to spend a small (or medium) fortune on it, I beg you not to mask the flavour with raw onion and hard-boiled eggs. Serve with a mother-of-pearl spoon as metal will taint the flavour, and eat it on thin buttered toast. WG White, founded in 1895, imports four to five tonnes of the stuff every year. It'll sell it to you in tins of 30g, 100g or 1kg. Buy as much as you can. Caviar, from £22.25-£1,550, WG White, 020-8831 1400.
Real caviar, whether beluga, sevruga or oscietra, is one of the world's great foods - and increasingly rare because of pollution and over-fishing in the Caspian sea. If you're going to spend a small (or medium) fortune on it, I beg you not to mask the flavour with raw onion and hard-boiled eggs. Serve with a mother-of-pearl spoon as metal will taint the flavour, and eat it on thin buttered toast. WG White, founded in 1895, imports four to five tonnes of the stuff every year. It'll sell it to you in tins of 30g, 100g or 1kg. Buy as much as you can. Caviar, from £22.25-£1,550, WG White, 020-8831 1400.
The loveliest livers
Some will complain at seeing foie gras mentioned here. Others will swoon at the idea of this luxurious liver. If you eat meat, you might want to cook with fresh foie gras at least once. Most fresh foie gras makes its way into professional kitchens of the luxurious variety. Solstice, established six years ago by multi-starred über-chef Philip Britten, sells mostly to restaurants, but it also retails to the general public. It's the place to go for this unique indulgence, if this is what you're after. Fresh foie gras, around £20 each, from Solstice, 0800 328 7701(solstice.co.uk).
Some will complain at seeing foie gras mentioned here. Others will swoon at the idea of this luxurious liver. If you eat meat, you might want to cook with fresh foie gras at least once. Most fresh foie gras makes its way into professional kitchens of the luxurious variety. Solstice, established six years ago by multi-starred über-chef Philip Britten, sells mostly to restaurants, but it also retails to the general public. It's the place to go for this unique indulgence, if this is what you're after. Fresh foie gras, around £20 each, from Solstice, 0800 328 7701(solstice.co.uk).
The fantastic fluid
Balsamic vinegar has become a mass-market commodity in the past decade or so, and you'll now find it drizzled on just about anything. True balsamic vinegar, however, is made under the strictest of regulations through a process that takes many, many years to complete (and, to do it full justice, pages to describe), and is incredibly rare. If you want to find out what the fuss is about, here's your bottle. Outstanding balsamic vinegar can be 30 or 40 years old - this specimen makes those look like spring chickens. Put a few drops on your tongue and wait for a taste like nothing else on earth. Salad? Not with this stuff, folks. La Vecchia Dispensa 100-Year-Old Balsamic Vinegar, £245/100ml, from The Oil Merchant, 020-8740 1335.
Balsamic vinegar has become a mass-market commodity in the past decade or so, and you'll now find it drizzled on just about anything. True balsamic vinegar, however, is made under the strictest of regulations through a process that takes many, many years to complete (and, to do it full justice, pages to describe), and is incredibly rare. If you want to find out what the fuss is about, here's your bottle. Outstanding balsamic vinegar can be 30 or 40 years old - this specimen makes those look like spring chickens. Put a few drops on your tongue and wait for a taste like nothing else on earth. Salad? Not with this stuff, folks. La Vecchia Dispensa 100-Year-Old Balsamic Vinegar, £245/100ml, from The Oil Merchant, 020-8740 1335.
The white gold
Salt from a big plastic tub is just fine for salting pasta water or seasoning a tomato sauce. But when you want salt as an ingredient as well as for flavouring, you require something more substantial. Something with its own texture. And something altogether ritzier. France is a famous source. So is Wales, and Essex, home to the wonderfully crunchy Maldon sea salt. This new contender hails from the Algarve, where it's hand-skimmed from the surface of 2,000-year-old salt ponds. Soft, delicate, five times as expensive as ordinary table salt. Rain Tree Fleur de Sel, £2.19/200g, from Waitrose nationwide (waitrose.com).
Salt from a big plastic tub is just fine for salting pasta water or seasoning a tomato sauce. But when you want salt as an ingredient as well as for flavouring, you require something more substantial. Something with its own texture. And something altogether ritzier. France is a famous source. So is Wales, and Essex, home to the wonderfully crunchy Maldon sea salt. This new contender hails from the Algarve, where it's hand-skimmed from the surface of 2,000-year-old salt ponds. Soft, delicate, five times as expensive as ordinary table salt. Rain Tree Fleur de Sel, £2.19/200g, from Waitrose nationwide (waitrose.com).
The box of delight
Pierre Marcolini makes some of the best chocolates ever to have passed my lips. The chocolate itself comes from estates all over the world, and is sold in its pure form or as the base ingredient for pralines of rare excellence. Those heavenly pralines comprise the population of this hand-painted gift box, a luxury offering if ever there was one - and the box will stay with you when the delights within have passed into memory and on to your hips. Boxed or box-less, these are delicacies to cherish. Pierre Marcolini chocolate box, £185/1.3kg, 020-7795 6611(pierremarcolini.co.uk).
Pierre Marcolini makes some of the best chocolates ever to have passed my lips. The chocolate itself comes from estates all over the world, and is sold in its pure form or as the base ingredient for pralines of rare excellence. Those heavenly pralines comprise the population of this hand-painted gift box, a luxury offering if ever there was one - and the box will stay with you when the delights within have passed into memory and on to your hips. Boxed or box-less, these are delicacies to cherish. Pierre Marcolini chocolate box, £185/1.3kg, 020-7795 6611(pierremarcolini.co.uk).
The swankiest swimmers
Some people regard langoustines, aka Dublin Bay prawns, as the tastiest of all crustacea. When very fresh, they have a sweet flavour and firm texture matching that of any lobster. The best swim in waters around the UK and Eire, yet they're notoriously difficult to buy here: the shellfish-savvy French and Spanish pay prices that reflect rarity and quality. Isle of Skye Seafood - ace purveyors of all marine products - will ship them to you so fresh that they'll probably still be alive when you open the box. Expensive. Worth it. Langoustines, £18/box of six, Isle of Skye Seafood, 01471 822135 (skye-seafood.co.uk).
Some people regard langoustines, aka Dublin Bay prawns, as the tastiest of all crustacea. When very fresh, they have a sweet flavour and firm texture matching that of any lobster. The best swim in waters around the UK and Eire, yet they're notoriously difficult to buy here: the shellfish-savvy French and Spanish pay prices that reflect rarity and quality. Isle of Skye Seafood - ace purveyors of all marine products - will ship them to you so fresh that they'll probably still be alive when you open the box. Expensive. Worth it. Langoustines, £18/box of six, Isle of Skye Seafood, 01471 822135 (skye-seafood.co.uk).
The frightening blade
If you want to spend £2,000 on a bespoke knife - as I do - go to the Japanese Knife Company and place your order. If not, there is still luxury aplenty in this Santoku: handmade (and signed) by Hattori; Damascus steel blade; 61 layers, with a core (the cutting edge) of ultra-hard VG10 steel. Jay Patel, of the JKC, describes it as 'ludicrously sharp, frightening'. But also easy to sharpen. This model is a perfect, all-purpose size and shape. Others range from £105 to £422. Luxury to last a lifetime. Hattori Santoku, £169, from the Japanese Knife Company, 0870 240 2248.
If you want to spend £2,000 on a bespoke knife - as I do - go to the Japanese Knife Company and place your order. If not, there is still luxury aplenty in this Santoku: handmade (and signed) by Hattori; Damascus steel blade; 61 layers, with a core (the cutting edge) of ultra-hard VG10 steel. Jay Patel, of the JKC, describes it as 'ludicrously sharp, frightening'. But also easy to sharpen. This model is a perfect, all-purpose size and shape. Others range from £105 to £422. Luxury to last a lifetime. Hattori Santoku, £169, from the Japanese Knife Company, 0870 240 2248.
The earthy paradise
White truffles, the costliest food on earth, are even rarer and costlier now because of poor weather in Piedmont, northern Italy (where they grow). Unlike their black counterparts, they do not like heat. Cook pasta, risotto or scrambled eggs, then shave on the truffle as thinly as possible. You will be much poorer after making your purchase, and much richer after eating it. Carluccio's, London's uppermost-scale Italian food shop, is one of the few places to get them. Take a deep breath. Whip out that credit card. White truffles, around £3,600/kg, from Carluccio's Food Shop, 020-7240 1487. (NB: black truffles are around £600/kg.)
White truffles, the costliest food on earth, are even rarer and costlier now because of poor weather in Piedmont, northern Italy (where they grow). Unlike their black counterparts, they do not like heat. Cook pasta, risotto or scrambled eggs, then shave on the truffle as thinly as possible. You will be much poorer after making your purchase, and much richer after eating it. Carluccio's, London's uppermost-scale Italian food shop, is one of the few places to get them. Take a deep breath. Whip out that credit card. White truffles, around £3,600/kg, from Carluccio's Food Shop, 020-7240 1487. (NB: black truffles are around £600/kg.)
The ham from heaven
I won't say anything against prosciutto di Parma, but nor will I argue with those who think Spain's Jamón de Jabugo is the better ham. Jabugo, a village in the Sierra de Aracena, near Huelva, possesses perfect climatic conditions for rearing Iberian pigs and then curing their hams for as long as two years. The flavour is so sweet and so intense that a serving can consist of a single slice. Don't mess around with something this extraordinary - or expensive, for that matter. Jabugo ham, cut to order at £140/kg, from Solstice, as before
I won't say anything against prosciutto di Parma, but nor will I argue with those who think Spain's Jamón de Jabugo is the better ham. Jabugo, a village in the Sierra de Aracena, near Huelva, possesses perfect climatic conditions for rearing Iberian pigs and then curing their hams for as long as two years. The flavour is so sweet and so intense that a serving can consist of a single slice. Don't mess around with something this extraordinary - or expensive, for that matter. Jabugo ham, cut to order at £140/kg, from Solstice, as before
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