It's a pretty popular culinary opinion that everyone should own a cast iron pan, but I am of the opinion that everyone should also own a mini cast iron pan. Like its classic 30cm counterpart, the mini has a myriad of delicious uses from appetisers to dessert.

In general, I don't use nonstick cookware, but there are some instances -- such as cooking the perfect over-easy egg, omelettes and thin pancakes -- where nothing else will do. I do not, however, recommend spending a ton of money on one.

Video: Seasoning cast iron with flaxseed oil isn't super new -- Sheryl Canter first wrote about it on her blog seven years ago -- but it has some serious fans. Both Cook's Illustrated and The Kitchn are believers, with the former saying it created "a sheer, stick-resistant veneer, that even a run through our commercial dishwasher with a squirt of degreaser left them totally unscathed".

Just like cast iron, a carbon steel pan needs to be seasoned before its first use. Oil is a must-have for the process, but Cook's Illustrated recommends an additional surprising ingredient for prepping your pan: Potato peels.