Joseph Joseph - Kitchen Kit of the Month

Joseph Joseph twins' funky, functional and affordable kitchen gadgets that alleviate a bit of the grind of everyday cooking chores

You might have noticed a sleek silver box with coloured tabs appearing on kitchen work surfaces in the homes of friends and family. If you’re food-curious, as no doubt you are given you’re reading this site, you’ll know it’s not one of the standard culinary gadgets – mixer, food processor, coffee machine, etc., etc.

It is Joseph Joseph’s Index chopping board set, four colour-coded polypropylene boards that sit snugly in their silver box. There’s a red board for meat, green for veg, blue for fish and white for cooked food. And don’t worry, preparing food separately like this is not just for the anally retentive, it greatly reduces the chance of cross-contamination of food types. Even better, it looks great and comes with its own storage.

Being a slave to style, hygiene and functionality in the kitchen is not the simplest of tricks, but if you have any of the Joseph Joseph twins’ other products you’ll already know their schtick: funky, functional and affordable kitchen gadgets that focus on alleviating a bit of the grind of everyday cooking chores like chopping and mixing. Think Alessi for the iPod generation living in the age of austerity, and you’re about there.

35-year-old twins Antony and Richard Joseph’s innovative business launched in 2002 from a pretty pedestrian product, a glass worktop saver, but it was a visit to New York’s Museum of Modern Art that provided their Eureka! moment. Richard spotted a plastic folding chopping board that the boys got into production as their Chop2Pot (from £11) board, a durable plastic board with sides that fold up so ingredients can be transferred into the cooking pot with no spillage. They’ve sold more than 1.5m Chop2Pots and still love it. “It’s not rocket science,” says Antony. “It’s about taking something simple and improving how it works. The key is that you don’t have to explain what it does – it should be apparent.”

Other stand out products include Nest 8, a selection of mixing bowls, measuring cups, a colander and sieve in vibrant blues and greens or white, and the Fold Flat Grater

To celebrate the popularity of the Index chopping boards, the boys launched Index Plus earlier this year, which comes with four knives matched to each board, and will soon launch another Index special exclusively with John Lewis. The function is genius – no more scrabbling around in the drawer for the right knife – but the form isn’t quite as pleasing as the original Index.

Also worth your attention:
Joseph Joseph Index Colour Coded Chopping Board Set

Joseph Joseph Index Plus - Chopping Board Set With Co-ordinating Knives

Joseph Joseph Nest 8 Food Preparation Bowl Set (Multi-Colour)

Joseph Joseph Space-saving Fold Flat Grater (Black)