Must-Have Kitchen Tools
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated! While it does take some effort, you can also easily include healthy eating habits this into your everyday, busy life. With the right tools in your kitchen, you can prepare nourishing means faster and make healthy cooking more fun!
We’ve rounded up 10 must-have kitchen tools we personally use and love for making quick, healthy, and delicious meals. Start with even one or two tools from this list and add more as you continue to continue to grow your home cooking capabilities. The investment in these tools will pay off!
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Cast-iron skillet
Why we love it: Ideal for all kinds of cooking, no harmful materials, durable and very long lasting, easy to clean, and if seasoned correctly, it is naturally non-stick. Use it to make everything from seared meats and fish, oven baked cinnamon rolls, and one-skillet meals. We love ours so much that we even take it camping and bring it along when we stay at Airbnb’s. Be careful because the handle can get hot, but this one comes with a silicone sleeve (I usually just keep a potholder handy).
Our pick: Lodge 10.25” Cast Iron Skillet
2. High-powered blender
Why we love it: This is our go-to tool for perfectly blended smoothies, soups, and sauces. We use the smaller “Adapter” cup and blade to make ground nuts and seeds, and homemade flours. This gets multiple uses per day in our house and it is reasonably easy to clean, has lasted 5 years so far and still going strong.
3. Food processor
Why we love it: We only recently got a food processor, but it has quickly become a favorite. We use it to mix the ingredients for protein balls and granola bars because mixing by hand is tough and time consuming. We also use it to mix ingredients for salmon burgers and veggie burgers. It is also very convenient for chopping onions, carrots, and other veggies when making soup and skillet dinners.
4. Espresso maker
Why we love it: We use this machine every morning for a fresh, easy, affordable morning caffeine fix. When you make espresso at home, you can control how much sugar and fat you are consuming with each cup. When we are feeling creative, we make different espresso based drinks such a latte or dirty chai (chai with espresso).
Our pick: De’Longhi Dedica Duo Compact Expresso Machine
Note: you may also need a coffee grinder to finely ground your coffee beans because regular ground coffee does not work in the machines. We recommend this one because it is compact, easy to use, and low cost: Amazon Basics Electric Coffee Grinder
5. Glass meal prep containers
Why we love it: Essential for meal prep and saving leftovers. We mostly eat our leftovers for lunches the next day. These are the perfect size and shape!
6. Bamboo cutting boards
Why we love it: These are an environmentally-friendly, non-toxic tool for chopping all of your fresh fruits and veggies! The small one is perfect for slicing an apple for a quick afternoon snack, while the larger ones are perfect for chopping veggies for dinner.
7. Non-Toxic Cooking Utensils
Why we love it: Level up your cooking by ensuring that the tools you use support your healthy lifestyle. Metal, silicone, and wood are good options. We like these metal spatulas because the thin edge allows for clean, easy flipping when cooking in a skillet or when using baking sheet in the oven. We like these because they are one piece with no plastic or separate handle that can break off or take up too much room in your utensil holder. use silicone spatulas in large and small sizes to scrape batter out of bowls, sauces out of the Vitamix, and mixed goods out of the food processor.
8. Citrus press
Why we love it: Lots of recipes call for lemon, lime, or orange juice. Using this press along with fresh, organic citrus tastes better, is more affordable, better for the environment, and results in less waste and plastic use. This one comes in lots of cute colors!
Our pick: Zulay Kitchen Metal Lemon Squeezer
9. Swedish dishcloths
Why we love it: These are perfect for cleaning up the kitchen after you prepare your wholesome, homemade meals. We love these for all kitchen cleaning tasks (and other cleaning, too!) - wiping down appliances and countertops. They are made from natural materials and are even compostable and can be used in place of paper towels. They are extremely absorbent and do not leave microplastics on surfaces or in wash water. Check out all the different prints!
Our pick: Swedish Dishcloths