Dumplings. Little packets of food contained in a silken envelope of dough. Almost every culture on earth has a variant of these, from pierogis to wontons, from momo to tortellini. These ones come from the frozen wastes of Siberia, and are a staple of Russian cuisine.

Traditionally made of a mixture of pork, beef, veal and grated onion, pelmeni are boiled for three to five minutes and served in a mixture of butter and vinegar. They were folded by hand and thrown into the snow to freeze, then packed into sacks to be taken on long voyages. There are varieties both old and new (although any non-meat ones are technically called vareniki) including tvorog cheese with herbs, mashed potato with caramelised onion, and sour cherry.

I’ve made all of these, but not by hand – I am not a Siberian babushka and I do not have the dexterity. Instead I have used the greatest invention known to man, probably: THE PELMENITSA!

*crowd goes wild* What unusual bits of kitchen kit have you embraced in your cooking life?