My Healthy Kitchen Gadget Essentials

My Healthy Kitchen Gadget Essentials

One of the top questions that I get asked is “what kitchen gadgets/appliances do you recommend” (as well as what are my top supermarket staples!), and so here is my answer! You can either scroll down to the end of this blog post for a video or carry on reading :).

I’ve divided my ‘Kitchen Gadget Essentials’ into three categories:

  1. My Basic Kitchen Essentials that I simply couldn’t cook or bake without
  2. My Bigger Kitchen Essentials that make baking and cooking my recipes easier to create
  3. My Kitchen Luxuries that you can live without… but living with them is so much better!

Before I start, if you want to use this list as a ‘student essentials’ or ‘new home starter’ guide then don’t forget to buy crockery (plates/bowls), cutlery (knives/forks/spoons), a can opener,egg cup holderglassesmugs, a steeping glass if you like fresh tea, knives, a grater, chopping board,fruit bowlnon-stick frying pan and cooking pans!

 

Kitchen essentials

Basic Kitchen Essentials

  • Egg Poachers – Ditch the frying pan and instead opt for healthier poached eggs with none of the hassle of poaching eggs straight in water!
  • Tupperware – Essential for storing baked goods and cooking left-overs (as featured in my Spanish Omelette recipe!).
  • Measuring Cups & Spoons – These are really popular in America and are essential for when following recipes that measure ingredients in ‘cups’. The cups are also useful for measuring out portions of foods before cooking e.g. pasta, rice or porridge oats, and the spoons are great for measuring oil!
  • Silicone Muffin Cases – Low fat muffins and cakes, or recipes using oats can have a tendency to ‘stick’ to paper cases, which is why I only ever use silicone muffin cases – as featured in my Oat & Blueberry Muffins!
  • Mixing Bowl, Spoon & Spatula – No explanation needed. A must for any baking recipe (spatulas are useful for getting the entire mixture out of the bowl!).
  • Hand Blender – Useful for blending Soups or for making my Oat & Blueberry Pancakes or for making PROTEIN FLUFF (check out the video for the recipe!).
  • Food Scales – Essential for following baking recipes which aren’t measured in cups (I try to state both in my recipes!).

 

Kitchen Gadgets

Bigger Kitchen Essentials

  • Food Processor – A food processor combines ingredients (as used in my Protein Flapjacks and Chocolate Black Bean Cookies) and also chops, slices, kneads and grates. They are extremely powerful and cope well with large quantities of ingredients.
  • Blender – My blender is the most used kitchen appliance that I have. A blender is essential for making smoothies, you can also create oat flour from oats in it, as well as blending soups. [UPDATE] – I have a new blender and you can read my full review [here]!
  • George Foreman Grill – This was my most used kitchen item as a student and is a must for people with busy lives. It cooks meat and fish in super quick time whilst removing any excess fat, it grills vegetables, caramelises fruit, warms breads, creates grilled sandwiches and is the saviour for when it rains on your BBQ!
  • Electric Whisk – A must for combining wet ingredients, for example in my Total Greek Pancakes!
  • Weekly Meal Planner – I wasn’t going to include this but a weekly meal plan is essential if you want to eat healthily and prevent food-waste – it’s also the only way I am able to write my weekly shopping list!
  • Kettle – Not only for tea and coffee, kettles are essential for speeding up cooking time for boiling vegetables (don’t over-boil though as you’ll lose more vitamins and minerals!).
  • Microwave – I use this every day in winter to make porridge (I have over-night oats in summer!) and it makes reheating soup and left-overs quick and easy!

 

Kitchen Luxuries

Luxury Items

My Wish List:

  • Ice Cream Maker – To help me to create healthy ice-cream recipes from yoghurt (check out my fro-yo recipe if you don’t have one!).
  • Steamer – I used a steamer almost daily as a student but no longer have one.. I really should get a new one as they are great for cooking vegetables whilst retaining nutrients!

 

Kitchen Essentials

I hope you find this blog post useful! What are your kitchen essentials?!

P.S To watch an updated video all about mine & Zanna’s (aka Blonde Health’s) Healthy Kitchen Gadgets then just click play below!

To see Zanna’s video about our Healthy Baking Ingredients Essentials [click here]! 

 

*The Food Processor & George Foreman mentioned were supplied to me free of charge however this review is 100% honest and of my own opinion. I was not influenced in any way by the free products supplied and do not promote these products more than other products that I have not reviewed. This blog post contains affiliate links. read my disclaimer page for more information.

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16 Comments

  1. Liza Salt
    September 21, 2013 / 1:16 pm

    My kitchen essential has to be my blender for whizzing up smoothies, nut butters, flour making, cake mixtures, hummus, healthy snackbars, soups…. Everything! Measuring spoons are also in my pinny pocket at all times! *

    • September 21, 2013 / 1:46 pm

      Haha I love that! I make hummus in my food processor – never thought to use my blender! x

  2. Liza Salt
    September 21, 2013 / 1:17 pm

    Ooo, and I bought a waffle maker after reading your waffle recipe and use it at the beginning of the week to make lots if waffles which I freeze to keep fresh, then pull a couple out each day 🙂 *

    • September 21, 2013 / 1:45 pm

      Omg I have never thought of freezing waffles!! Great idea Liza!! Thanks!

  3. Dorthe
    September 22, 2013 / 9:12 am

    I love my bread maker. Specially on a Sunday morning when you can just put the ingredients in and have freshly made bread. 😉

    I also love my steamer. As it makes having vegetables really easy and it’s a great timer for when dinner is ready.

    The waffles look interesting but I don’t like bananas 🙁

    • September 22, 2013 / 9:36 am

      Oooh I love your suggestions! You can’t really taste the bananas in the waffles.. or you can swap the banana for apple puree 🙂 x

  4. Ginny
    September 26, 2013 / 9:24 pm

    Hi Nic

    New to your website but loving your recipes – so good to see healthy food which tastes GREAT – but wondered if you’d come across steam bags? Only a pound for 30 or so, bung in some brocolli or other green veg, 3 minutes in the microwave and done. I have a tiny kitchen and these have been a *godsend*! Can send you some if needed! Thanks
    Gx

    • September 26, 2013 / 9:32 pm

      OOOOH wow they sound amazing!! I will look out for some but thank you for the kind offer 😀 No need for a big steamer then hey!! And welcome to my website too – thank you for your comment! Nic x

  5. Leonie
    March 30, 2014 / 4:00 pm

    Hi Nic, great post! I was just wondering, when you say you blend oats in your blender, do you just blend them dry? I want to make some oat flour but just assumed you need a food processor!

    • March 30, 2014 / 5:04 pm

      Hey! Aw thanks 🙂 Yes to make oat flour I blend dry oats in my blender, not a food processor x

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