nutrition & recipes

Top 8 Kitchen Gadgets for Healthier Cooking

Melissa Eisler April 27, 2017
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Top 8 Kitchen Gadgets for Healthier Cooking
Even if cooking is your favorite thing to do, sometimes you just don’t have the time to create healthy meals. Looking up new recipes, prepping the veggies, timing everything just right … at times it seems easier to hit Whole Foods on your way home from work and buy an overpriced salad, than make yourself a healthy meal.

If you’re pinched for time and tired of the same old recipes, it’s time to spice up your kitchen. New gadgets not only make your life in the kitchen easier, but they can motivate you to try new recipes, experiment with new ways of prepping food, and get creative—probably the reason why you fell in love with cooking in the first place.

Take note of these eight items that will add to your credibility as a chef, reduce your time spent in the kitchen, and help you wow anyone who comes over for dinner.

Citrus Press

I begin every morning with the Ayurvedic ritual of warm lemon water—juice from half a lemon in 16 oz. of warm water. With an easy-to-use and easy-to-clean citrus press, this daily routine becomes easy. I also use it to squeeze lemons, limes, and oranges for salad dressings, sauces, and homemade margaritas.

My recommendation: The Innovee Lemon Squeezer sells for $16.95.

Spiralizer/Shredder/Slicer

Want to make zucchini noodles? Check. Shredded cabbage to top off your tacos? Check. Homemade salad dressing? Check. The Veggie Bullet, the latest offering from the makers of the NutriBullet, encourages you to be creative in the kitchen and make healthy meals for your whole family. I got this item because I have a gluten allergy and have been looking for a spiralizer that actually works well to make my noodle substitutes—without cutting my fingers or taking an hour. This machine does just that, and a lot more. I made my entire meal with the Veggie Bullet—zucchini noodles with the spiralizer attachment and homemade pesto with the blender attachment. Easy as 1-2-3.

My recommendation: The VeggieBullet 3-in-1 machine comes with a bonus blender, 4 spiralizer blades, and grocery discounts for $149.95.

Ceramic Cookware

Before cooking with ceramic cookware, I didn’t understand all the praise. I used to use non-stick and it worked just fine. Then … I got ceramic. The best thing about ceramic cookware is you need such a small amount of oil to do the cooking, which means healthier recipes without sacrificing flavor or texture. These are also easy to clean and scratch-resistant, so they look new after miles of cooking.

My recommendation: WearEver Pure Living Ceramic Cookware. You can buy the whole 15-piece set for $158.10

Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

If you think you’re too busy to make healthy meals, leave your excuses behind and grab one of these crock pots. All you have to do is toss in fresh vegetables, herbs, or meats in the morning before work, and when you get home: joila! Your healthy soups, stews, or bone broths are ready to enjoy.

My recommendation: The Hamilton Beach Set’n Forget Slow Cooker sells for $45.88.

High-End Ground Knife

This is by far the most-used item in my kitchen. I only own one high-end kitchen knife—because this one is all I need. Warning: use this and you may get hooked on cooking, if you aren’t already. It’s lightweight, sharp, and precise—and it even has a comfortable grip that is also intended to keep you safe. You can use it to slice, chop, dice—and it’s so sharp you can even use it to cut sushi.

My recommendation: Global G-48 sells for $128

Rice Cooker

Gone are the days of waiting over your stove for the rice to boil so you can turn it down, only then to wait for it to be done so it doesn’t burn. When you get a rice cooker, it takes all the timing and thinking out of it. Rice cookers are great for making most grains—rice, quinoa, faro, and millet to name a few. Just measure, pour, and turn the switch when you start making dinner. By the time the rest of the meal is done, your rice will be ready to go, too.

My recommendation: Black + Decker 6-Cup Rice Cooker sells for $14.78.

Microplane

This handy kitchen friend makes it easy to grate, zest, and garnish. It’s the best tool I’ve used for grating ginger, onions, and parmesan cheese, and it works wonders for zesting citrus. Easy to clean and easy to handle, I mostly use it when I have a small amount of ingredients to grate, otherwise it can take a lot of elbow grease. I leave the larger shredding jobs to my Veggie Bullet.

My recommendation: Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater sells for $11.95

Silicon Steamer

If you like steamed veggies, this is a must-have. Silicon steamers make it fast and easy to whip up your favorite veggie dish and still keep it healthy since steaming vegetables require no oil. Because the silicon is flexible, this steamer fits in almost any size pot and is easy to clean. Cooking doesn't get much easier than that.

My recommendation: OXO Good Grips Silicone Steamer sells for $16.99

Do you have any other kitchen recommendations to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.


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