These are the essentials! We're not talking about the junk that clutters your drawers. We're talking about the 6 kitchen gadgets you need for healthy eating!
I totally understand that it might not be your instinct to buy a ton of kitchen gadgets. I mean, just thinking about the fancy hair straightener you splurged on but never use can make you cringe! (Or for you gentleman, that 5-in-1 manscaper.) You might be reluctant to trade your time for money and then trade that money for some kitchen tools. I get it. But I also get how daunting it can feel to be like “suuuure, let me just whip up a healthy dinner” and then look at your bare hands and an onion, wondering what to do next.
So I wanted to share with you 6 kitchen tools (that are outside the obvious “knife, cutting board, mixing bowl, sauté pan” box) that, in my healthy eating experience, are MUST HAVE’s if you want to have healthy meals coming out of your kitchen easily, quickly, and frequently.
#1: Blender
It is absolutely ESSENTIAL for you to get a high-speed blender in your kitchen ASAP. Even if this means saying bye-bye to Hulu and Netflix (I’m sure you have a friend’s login info, anyway!) If you want healthy eating to happen in your kitchen, not having a blender makes it not really possible. Or at least much less enjoyable.
In a blender, you can, of course, make Sunwarrior packed protein smoothies once or twice a day (please throw a handful of kale or spinach in there!), and you can puree soups, whip up mouthwatering dressings, amazing sauces, and matcha lattes.
#2: Food Processor
Wait! Isn’t that the same as a blender?! Umm, yes, and no - not at all.
What differentiates a food processor from a blender is the blade. A processor’s blade is designed for chopping, and a blender’s blade is designed for blending. A blender’s job is to do nothing more than make whatever you put into it super creamy. It literally BLENDS it all together into one big liquid.
A food processor, on the other hand, has the job of PROCESSING the food. Which admittedly is the worst possible name because we all know that processed food is super unhealthy and should be avoided at almost all costs!
A better name for this tool would be “a food crusher + combiner,” because it’s really the boss as crushing & combining your food. That’s why it’s used to make pestos, snack balls, salsas, hummus, almond butter, and batters for things like black bean brownies and chickpea blondies and banana ice cream. Unlike a blender, a food processor doesn’t need a liquid to get the party started. That’s why it can literally turn almonds into almond butter without anything other than almonds!
Honestly, you can make do with just a mini food processor which is cheaper and takes up less space. If your whole recipe can’t fit into your mini, you can always mix the ingredients into a bowl and then split the processing into two or three rounds. Or you can just get a large food processor. Either way, get one!
#3: Citrus Juicer
While there are a few ways to extract the juicy goodness from lemons, like using an actual juicer, a hand-held reamer, one of these awkward things that I guarantee you’ll hold backward, or your hands and a fork; my all-time favorite is the citrus juicer glass reamer.
To use one of these beloved gadgets, all you do is cut open your lemon, press it (juicy-side- down) against the pointy part, and push, turn and squeeze until the juice is no longer in your lemon.
Then you add this fresh, alkalizing, cleansing, immune-boosting, health-saving, superfood-like lemon juice to recipes galore like drinks, sauces, dressings, baked goods, or just right you’re your glass of wate,r which has amazing health benefits in and of itself!
#4: Spiralizer
I 100% understand how weird this device looks (and sounds, and seems). It is really weird, but it’s one of those weird things that I encourage you not to resist; like selfie sticks or black bean brownies. The spiralizer was born to help create those whimsical garnishes for Asian dishes, but somewhere along the way, someone decided that, in bulk, these veggie noodles were cool enough to replace a bowl of pasta and so spiralized veggie pasta was born.
You can spiralize many plants into awesome things! I love to turn zucchini into raw fettuccini, sweet potatoes into sautéed noodles and apples into apple pasta (http://bit.ly/spiralized-apples) which goes great under coconut yogurt and granola.
#5: Shaker Cup
If you think shaker cups are just for meatheads, think again! They happen to be a fabulous addition to meat-free heads' kitchens. For times when you don't want to dirty a blender, a shaker cup is your next best thing, and other times, it's even a better thing. Making a homemade matcha latte? Shake matcha with almond milk in a shaker cup, pour over ice or heat on the stove and serve! Making a kombucha cocktail? Shake, not stir, kombucha with vodka and service over ice. Want a digestion-boosting drink made with apple cider vinegar and cinnamon, but can't really figure out how to make that cinnamon dissolve? Shaker cup!
#6: Waffle Iron
This is probably an unexpected one on this list, and it’s actually unexpected for me, too! I’m genuinely surprised with how often I used my waffle iron (which is every single morning). My protein waffles, made with Sunwarrior’s Classic protein, evolved because I used to make protein pancakes every day after my morning workout, but I started to get bored of the shape and texture of pancakes (first world plant-protein problems, I know). So to keep me on my toes, I started making waffles a ton! Which are a heck of a lot more fun and also a heck of a lot quicker and easier since the machine does all the work and you don’t have to linger around to do any flipping! Note: you can usually make any pancake recipe in a waffle iron, like my vegan protein pancake one (https://sunwarrior.com/blogs/health-hub/perfect-protein-pancakes-vegan-style).
