Cooking is not something that I always enjoyed, it was something I had to learn to enjoy. It was time-consuming, frustrating and cleaning…ugh. When healthy eating became a priority, I began to believe in the power food had on our bodies and realized that to be there, I need to learn to enjoy cooking. It took time, practice and failures and I have a long way to go but I can honestly say I enjoy it. I find joy in taking real foods, adding healthy fats and spices and making something delicious out of it. Even better, I am feeding my body real food, that is going to give me lasting life and nourishment.
I can tell you from experience. If you are not someone who enjoys cooking, you can get there. Learning is what takes the longest but once you get started you learn how to be more efficient, what you can prep and ways to save time. Start with easy recipes and work your way up. I still have a bucket-list of foods I would like to experiment cooking and cooking with. Over the years I have acquired various kitchen tools to help me in the kitchen. Here are five kitchen gadgets that are my go-to essentials that I use ALL the time.
1. Vitamix 5200
This is probably my most used appliance. It is a beast and can puree anything, it can even cook. Yes, you can put in ingredients, turn it on, let it sit and you have yourself a warm creamy soup. NO JOKE! Plus it would be a great purchase for the upcoming summer – smoothies, ice cream, salad dressings, etc.
2. Salad Dressing Maker
This is literally just a bottle (you can use a mason jar) but it tells you and shows you with lines on it how to make dressing, what ingredients to add and how much. Just pour it to the appropriate line, add the correct seasonings, shake, pour and save. Perfect, especially to eliminate the highly-processed, store-bought dressings at the grocery store.
3. Cast Iron Dutch-oven
This cast iron dutch oven is a must in our house. From cooking on the stove to popping it in the oven, anything and everything can be made in here. I see a lot of one-pot-wonders in your future with this .
4. Spiral Fruit and Veggie Slicer
My newest additional to the kitchen, I was amazed at the ease it took a vegetable and turned it into a noodle. We even whipped up a batch of coleslaw and cut two heads of cabbage in minutes. A great way to hide veggies for your picky-eaters.
5. Cutco Knives
You aren’t going to get anywhere but hurt and frustrated if you don’t have a good quality, very sharp knife. Although dangerous, knives are one of the most crucial kitchen tools there are. And being the frugal one I am, expensive knives were not something I put on my wedding registry and thus never bought/received. Since then I have learned the hard way, knives make it or break it. I got this knife as a gift from my parents and LOVE IT! My most used knife for sure. Pricey? Yes, so add it to a wish list…or just spend the money. It is probably less expensive than an ER visit for cutting yourself with a dull knife. Cutco is my new favorite brand.
These items are worth every penny as you can’t really cut corners when it comes to kitchen gadgets and utensils. If you do, you’ll regret it. What would your top five kitchen gadgets be?
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