Eating well can feel like a real challenge sometimes. There are always conflicting opinions in the media about what to do or what not to do. Coconut oil is going to save the world…oh wait, it’ll clog your arteries! Eat eggs, but not the yolks. Fat is the enemy! Carbs are killer! Sometimes navigating the diet + wellness space feels like a minefield. The good news is, though, that if we eat REAL food, and mostly plants, we can’t get it too wrong. Broccoli + kale will never do you dirty. And, to make your healthy eating adventures even easier, try adding these essential kitchen tools to your repertoire. They save me so much time, money + energy!
Investment Kitchen Tools Worth Every Penny
Air Fryer
I was given an air fryer for my birthday a few years ago, and I can say with no reservation that it has absolutely changed my life. I use this appliance nearly every day. It cooks meat, veggies, potatoes + apparently you can even bake or hard boil eggs in it? I haven’t tested that last one, but my air fryer does everything I’ve ever asked it to. Crispy sweet potato fries? Check. Fried chicken? Yep. Buffalo cauliflower? Done. Guys, this is WORTH EVERY PENNY.
Not only does the food from an air fryer taste amazing, but it also makes cooking a meal super simple. You basically set it and forget it. All of you mommas – you can throw in your burgers or chicken or broccoli and walk away! It will ding when it’s ready and you can guarantee that it’ll be delicious. Plus, to clean it, you just merely wipe out the bottom of the basket. So simple!
There are many models available, all ranging in price, but I really love mine – I’ll link it below. It has already paid for itself a million times over in winning meals. This is at the top of the list of essential kitchen tools.
Click for my FAV kitchen tool: my Phillips Air-fryer.
High Quality Blender
The blender that I use is the queen of all kitchen gadgets. It’s an investment piece, and I know it’s expensive. But guys, NOTHING has changed my cooking quite like this piece of equipment. When Mark + I got married, we scrounged together all of our gift cards and purchased a Vitamix blender. Oddly enough, it’s one of the weird things we had in common – we’d both wanted one for years. I remember being engaged, lying in bed watching Vitamix Youtube demos, ha! And let me tell you, it is worth every single ounce of the hype.
I use my Vitamix to process my own flours, grind my own meats, make my own nut milks, to puree sauces and soups, to blend smoothies and nice creams (banana ice cream), to froth my coffees and hot drinks. There isn’t really anything that this baby can’t do + I use it every single day.
Now, I’m well aware that this blender is not a reality for most people. Please don’t think that you can’t eat well without a Vitamix because that just isn’t the case. However, having a quality blender in your kitchen (even if it’s a less expensive version) will yield better results in many of your recipes, especially for things like sauces, soups + smoothies. Ain’t nobody got time for chunks of kale in their teeth from a poorly blended smoothie. Maybe add this to your Christmas list?
Click here for MY blender or a slightly cheaper version!
Pressure Cooker
If there’s one tool that I thought would never get used in my kitchen, it’s a pressure cooker. But, boy oh boy, was I wrong! We honestly use this baby 3 times a week!
If you’re unfamiliar with what a pressure cooker is, it’s like a slow cooker, except that it has a sealing lid that captures pressure, allowing food to cook in a FRACTION of the time normally required. It makes the most tender meat you’ve ever tasted, perfectly cooks rice + can even be used to make homemade yogurt!
We use ours for soups, bone broth, meat, whatever! It’s such a time saver + you can even cook food from frozen. I know so many people shy away from them because they’re nervous, but I promise this tool is going to give you back so many hours in the kitchen. And they’re really not that expensive – less than a meal at a restaurant for your family!
Click here for my fav Pressure Cooker!
Budget Kitchen Tools
Cast Iron Skillet
Cast iron pans are also a hugely underrated kitchen tool. They are super cheap, especially when compared to other modern cookware, but they’re superior in almost every way! A well seasoned cast iron is naturally non-stick, and therefore requires less oil for cooking. It delivers a beautiful sear on meat, a lovely fried egg and crisp + tender sautéed vegetables.
Not only are they much safer (and less toxic) to cook with than non-stick cookware, but they also improve with age! Amen to no longer replacing expensive pans after the kids scrape them to bits with metal utensils! A well cared for cast iron skillet can last for decades – I know friends who’s grandmothers have passed them down + they work better than ever.
This 12inch skillet is only $26 + is a wonderful starter pan to dip your toe into cast iron cooking!
Mason Jars
One of the easiest ways to ensure that you always have healthy food to grab is to have some pre-made + ready to go. I’m a huge fan of making enough dinner one night to have leftovers the next day (like this simple skillet meal or sheet pan supper) . As of now, it’s only my husband and I eating in our house, however we’ll still cook a family sized portion – anything to take out some of the guesswork for the next meal!
But, you have to have something to store all of that food in! These little babies are so underrated. Honestly, we use mason jars for everything in our kitchen. They come in small, medium and large sizes and can hold hot food or cold food. They fit nicely into cupboards + the fridge. They’re great for on the go + can even be used to store food in the freezer! I especially love that you can see everything that you have because they’re glass. We drink our water from mason jars. We store our spices + grains in mason jars. I’ll use them to prep + keep sauces, overnight oats, soups + even salads! Jars of fresh berries are beautiful + make it easy for kids to grab them! Chopped veggies will keep fresh in a jar in the fridge if you fill them with water as well. Even your fresh herbs can get new life if you store them in an open mason jar with water in the bottom.
For a small investment ,you can stretch the life of your healthy food AND ensure you eat it. You can find jars of ANY size on Amazon.
Nutmilk Bag
If you aren’t sure what a nut milk bag is, it’s exactly what it sounds like! It’s a fine, mesh bag that is generally used to strain nut pulp from homemade nut milks. Whether or not your family is dairy-free, homemade nut milks are delicious and a lot cheaper than their store bought counterpart – they’re made with just nuts + water! I use nut milks in baking, in coffee, to cook my oatmeal or to add to smoothies! I prefer to make my own to avoid the added gums and stabilisers found in store bought nut milks like guar gum + carrageenan, which have been known to cause digestive distress.
Aside from nut milks, I’ve also found myself using this bag in other ways. It is an amazing filter for homemade cold brew coffee in the summer time! I’ve also used it to squeeze the water from zucchini or spinach before adding it to a recipe (like zucchini bread or spinach stuffed chicken). The other cool way I’ve started using my nut milk bag is to make homemade juice! I can throw all sorts of fruits + veggies into my blender, blend them up + strain out the pulp. It makes a gorgeous juice without a pricy juicer!
I definitely have a fav brand. I love Ellie’s! I’ve had mine for over 5 years now. Click here to check it out.
Honorable Mentions
A Stand Mixer
I love to bake + was devastated to leave my stand mixer in America when I moved to England. As a surprise, wedding gift, Mark bought me a beautiful Kitchenaid stand mixer. (Lucky for me, I have the sweetest husband in the world.) Stand mixers are brilliant tools for whipping egg whites, making cake batters, creaming butter + sugar. They really are wonderful tools. However, if you aren’t a huge baker, this piece isn’t for you – especially as they can be quite pricey! A less expensive hand mixer can do the exact same job for a fraction of the cost. But, if you’re like me + LOVE to try new things (like making your own mayonnaise or baking flourless cakes), this tool can make things significantly more easy (and more fun!). Oh, and it’s apparently the new way to shred chicken?
You can buy Kitchenaid mixers all over the place, but I’m linking mine here!
An Inspiralizer
An Inspiralizer is a tool that can turn any sort of fruit or vegetable into noodles of various shapes + sizes. It sounds odd, but it’s super cool! I use this gadget all of the time. It shreds cabbage super quickly + easily. It takes the tears out of thinly sliced onions + it saves me an arm and a leg by making my own homemade zucchini noodles rather than buying the pricy packs at the store. Also, baking up sweet potato noodles makes for the most amazing fries!
The only reason that I’ve made this tool an “honorable mention” is because you have to want to use it. It could easily become one of those tools that sits under the counter with your salad spinner and waffle iron. There are thousands of amazing recipes out there to try, but you have to want to try them! For us, it’s been a game changer + it’s really not an expensive investment (especially if you catch it on sale!)
I don’t have the money for all of these essential kitchen tools, can I still cook healthy food?
OF COURSE YOU CAN! I’ve accumulated these items over the last few years and really find them useful in my kitchen. For me, these are my essential kitchen tools. However, yours might be different! These are just meant to serve as inspiration.
If you’ve enjoyed this style of post, or found this information useful, I’d love to know! Comment below with your own favourite kitchen tools or send me a message over on instagram.
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