There are two things I take with me to any holiday cottage - a sharp knife and a humble steamer. The old fashioned petal steamer is my favourite - fits any pan - but I have 3 types, the bamboo steamer, the basket on the pan type of steamer and the petal steamer. Not only is it my vegetable cooker, but also my microwave, my ready meals reheater, my bottle warmer, my leftover regenerator and my defroster. Steam cooks food at a higher temperature than water and therefore cooks potatoes, chicken, fish and all foods much quicker. And because the food is static in the pan fragile foods, such as broccoli don’t get knocked around and inedible. I simply turn out a box of frozen cooked rice to be ready in minutes, and reheat roasted meats to a beautiful succulence in the moist environment. It is an oldie but a goodie.