Inside Johanna Griggs' kitchen

She's best-known for hosting television shows and being a swimming champ, but when Joh Griggs gets time out she hunkers down with cookbooks and food magazines and plans feasts. Coming from a large family that was always billeting visiting swimmers, she now emulates her mother's vast scale in cooking and the same open-house policy. She lives on Sydney's northern beaches with her builder husband Todd Huggins and her two hungry teenage sons, Jesse, 19 and Joe, 18. Continuing her longstanding role on Better Homes and Gardens, she's also hosting a new series of the renovation show House Rules on Seven.

The staples

My pantry: I have a go-to selection of spices like paprika, cumin, chilli flakes, fennel seeds for crusts and rubs for meat. Maple syrup and mirin I turn into a quick teriyaki sauce or marinade for salmon or steak. Pasta and grains are essential to flesh out every meal when you have two teenage boys. I'm always making big platters of sushi which is healthy so there's always sushi rice, seaweed and Kewpie mayo. The Gooramadda dressings are great for salads or for marinating meat. Ditto Mazzetti​ balsamic glaze.

My fridge: Horseradish is always on hand for a quick sauce with apple and garlic for pork. There's some porridge I make with chia seeds, coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla, which is a great high-protein breakfast with fruit. The boys love a bit of haloumi and chorizo as a snack.

I'm cooking

Last dinner at home: We had mirin-and-maple marinated steak with mash and steamed vegies.

Secret vice

Instant coffee. I don't have a coffee machine and I really like a strong cup of Moccona​ Indulgence with a dash of milk.

I'm drinking

Todd makes us each a banana smoothie every morning so I have that with my coffee. I love a glass of Scotch with ice or red wine while I'm cooking. I'm not into any particular brand but I love a heavy red, anything from the Coonawarra region.

My toolkit

The NutriBullet is awesome – it's so easy to clean and it's become a staple bit of equipment for us all. The mortar and pestle gets a workout, as does the pepper grinder. These Dinosaur Designs platters go with all the pops of colour I have throughout the house.

Favourite

I love the aesthetics of the Gessi​ tap. The head pulls out so it's easy to keep mess to a minimum but it's really about how it looks.

Inspiration

I have hundreds of cookbooks: I go to bed reading them. I subscribe to loads of cooking magazines too, and I get to work with Karen Martini and Ed Halmagyi​ so I'm always picking their brains.

Kitchen highlight

I love the mirrored splashback so when you're standing at the cooktop and people are milling around behind you can still see everyone. And you're always looking at the greenery of the garden reflected in it.

Culinary goal

We've just come back from Hong Kong and I'm determined to master the elusive art of dumpling-making. That, and making light, melt-in-the-mouth gnocchi.

Most memorable meal

It was recently, at Mrs Pound in Hong Kong. It looks like a stamp shop with no number or signage and to get access you have to pull the right stamp and move it and a whole wall opens up. They serve modern Asian fusion food, things like eggplant skewers covered in fresh garlic, cooked just enough for the eggplant to be tender and the garlic sweet and caramelised. There was corn on a stick with chilli coating and cheese on top. Also there were fries covered in red curry. The combinations were bizarre but unforgettable.

Qoute: When I was growing up, our house was always full of people. My dad picked up a hitchhiker once and the guy ended up living with us for three years.