Start with less, not more

Thai home cooking is not about a cupboard full of gadgets. Walk into a family kitchen in Chiang Mai and you will find a handful of well-worn tools that earn their place every day. The good news for anyone cooking in Britain is that most of them are inexpensive, widely available and fit happily into a standard UK kitchen.

Get these right and your Thai cooking will taste more authentic and come together far faster.

The granite mortar and pestle

If you buy only one piece of specialist equipment, make it this one. A heavy granite mortar, known in Thailand as a khrok, is the foundation of the cuisine. It pounds curry pastes, crushes chillies and garlic, bruises lemongrass and makes salads such as som tam.

Why granite rather than the light ceramic versions sold in many kitchen shops? Weight and texture. A good granite mortar feels surprisingly heavy for its size, with a rough, unpolished interior that grips ingredients so they break down instead of skidding around the bowl. A smooth, shiny surface will not do the job.

Buy the largest one you can store and lift comfortably. Six inches is a reasonable compromise for a British kitchen; if you have space, go bigger. Expect to pay twenty to fifty pounds from an Asian grocer or online specialist. Before first use, scrub it with water and a handful of rice to remove grit, then rinse well.

Using it is physical but simple. Pound firm ingredients such as galangal and lemongrass first with a steady downward motion, then add softer items like garlic, shallots and dried chillies. The finished paste should be smooth and fragrant, and the aroma alone will show you the difference from a blender.

A flat-bottomed carbon steel wok

The wok is the workhorse of the Thai kitchen, used for stir-fries, deep-frying, steaming and omelettes. For a British hob, choose a flat-bottomed carbon steel wok around 30 to 32 centimetres across. The flat base sits securely on electric, gas and induction hobs, while the sloping sides give the high heat and quick tossing that stir-frying needs.

Avoid non-stick coatings. They cannot take the fierce heat that gives Thai food its smoky edge, and they wear out quickly. Carbon steel is cheap, light and, once seasoned, almost entirely non-stick.

To season it, wash off the factory coating, dry thoroughly, then heat over a high flame until it darkens. Rub in a thin film of neutral oil, let it smoke, and repeat a few times. Afterwards, never scrub it with washing-up liquid. Rinse with hot water, wipe dry and rub in a little oil before storing.

• Buy a wok with a long wooden handle and a small helper handle.
• Heat it until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates instantly before adding oil.
• Give it a permanent spot on the hob if you can; woks improve with frequent use.

A rice cooker earns its counter space

Rice is not a side dish in Thailand; it is the centre of the meal. A simple electric rice cooker, available from most UK supermarkets and Asian grocers for under thirty pounds, turns jasmine rice from a gamble into a certainty. It also keeps rice warm for an hour or more, which is genuinely useful when juggling several dishes.

Look for a non-stick inner pot and a keep-warm setting. Measure rice with the cup that comes with the machine, rinse until the water runs clear, then add water to the marked line. That is the whole process. For sticky rice, eaten across northeastern Thailand, you will also want a bamboo basket and a pot to steam it over.

Knives, cleavers and the small essentials

Thai cooks rely on a light, sharp cleaver for almost everything. A small carbon steel cleaver from an Asian grocer costs very little, takes a keen edge and makes short work of lemongrass, chillies and meat. Pair it with a large, sturdy chopping board that will not slide around.

A few other inexpensive items are worth keeping within reach:

• A spider strainer or wire skimmer for lifting food from hot oil.
• A bamboo steamer for fish, dumplings and vegetables.
• Small bowls for prepped ingredients, so everything is ready before the wok goes on.
• A fine-mesh sieve for draining fried shallots and garlic.

Making it work in a British kitchen

British kitchens are smaller and better sealed than Thai ones, which changes a few things. High-heat cooking produces smoke, so open a window, use an extractor hood and cook outside on a barbecue ring if the weather allows. Induction hobs work well with flat-bottomed carbon steel, but check that your wok is magnetic before buying.

Storage matters too. A granite mortar is heavy and a wok is bulky, so decide where they will live before bringing them home. Many cooks keep the mortar on the counter as a permanent fixture; it looks handsome and reminds you to use it.

Above all, buy slowly. A good mortar, a seasoned wok, a cheap rice cooker and a sharp cleaver will see you through almost every classic Thai dish. Add the rest only when you find yourself reaching for something you do not yet own. That is how Thai home cooks build their kitchens, one useful tool at a time.