“So what is your favourite product in the catalogue?” This is probably the most common question I am asked and one which I find enjoyable to discuss. There is a huge variety of products in the Nisbets catalogue, from everyday teaspoons to large powerful ovens which can cook a roast chicken in minutes, so it’s a tough one to answer.

Let me introduce myself, my name is Richard and I head up the product training team at Nisbets. I’ve worked for the company for nearly five years now, but before I worked in a number of different roles in food service operations.

This role at Nisbets means I get to see and experiment with tomorrows catering equipment before anyone else in the trade, an added bonus! For example, I’ve already explored the Waring food processor (GG561) which still hasn’t been published in the catalogue yet. If you are interested you can watch a sneak preview of it in action on our Nisbets YouTube channel. It’s a fantastic product featuring all the attachments; the whipping disk is especially amazing.

To keep my knowledge current, I also work as a chef a couple of evenings a week in a fine dining restaurant. I’m sure my wife thinks I’m mad doing this, but the truth is being a chef isn’t a career or a job, it’s a lifestyle. I was hooked the moment I stepped into the kitchens. From the aromas of cocottes cooking in thyme and garlic, the hum of the extraction fan pulling steam off the stoves, and the banter of a team that had clearly mastered a form of unspoken communication as they all seamlessly delivered their food simultaneously from different sections of the kitchen. I found the atmosphere addictive and I’m sure the same passion drives other chefs to work long hours while chasing their perfect dishes too.

It’s been time spent at the restaurant which has helped me choose my favourite Nisbets product. Whilst many people may consider their favourite to be the Turbochef oven (GG232) which cooks ten times faster than any other conventional oven, or one of Buffalo's clip on water bath stirrers (DM868) which cooks food at scientifically accurate temperatures. Although I love both these, neither tops my current list of favourites.

Apart from my trusted serrated 1905 Dick knife (DL321) and my all round favourite Tsuki Chef’s knife (CF841) which travels with me to every kitchen, the one product I have to choose to be my favourite would be the humble grillstone (L402). This to me is a perfect tool.

Although I love the hustle and bustle of service that keeps the adrenaline flowing, it’s the end of service when the rush is over and the energy wavers when the dreaded clean down happens. In my mind anything that can make it easier is worth its weight in gold.

Scrubbing a solid top range after a gruelling service is both time consuming and hard work, but after a quick wipe down with a decent scrubber (J867) to help remove any initial grease, a few pushes back and forth with the grillstone (L402) saves me a tonne of elbow grease and offers up a clean cooking surface that any Commi would be proud of. So this is why product L402 tops my list.

What’s your favourite Nisbets product?