I often get questions about what brand of kitchen appliances I use. Here is a list of the ones I use the most often. Some are quite expensive, while others are cheap, but keep in mind, there are cheaper and more expensive versions of all of these – However, I, obviously, can only speak to what I own. I do not provide links for any of these because where you can find the best deal is constantly changing. 

• Of everything in my kitchen I use my 14-Cup Cuisinart Food Processor the most! It was not cheap, but was worth every penny! If you have room in your budget I highly recommend getting one. These come in smaller sizes also. I use it for mixing, shredding, chopping…just about any time I am in the kitchen I have this out.

• This is my Vitamix Blender. Again, this was quite expensive, but works better than I could have dreamed. I do not have any complaints about it and I expect it to outlive me.

• This is the Cuisinart CSB-79 2-Immersion Hand Blender with Attachments. It is very affordable and comes in handy all the time. I use the immersion hand blender for soups, sauces, dressings, and mayonnaise. I use the chopping accessory all the time – for chopping garlic, fresh herbs, onions, green onions, and other small vegetables when they need to be very finely chopped. I also use it when I am making small sauces. I was hesitant to get this at first (because I did not want,  yet another, kitchen appliance) but now I can’t imagine cooking without it.

• I steam vegetables most days in this All-Clad Stainless Steel 2-Tier Steamer. This was a housewarming gift and comes in handy often. There is another steamer basket that goes on top so you can steam quite a lot at once. 

• A good Cast Iron Skillet.

• This Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler is my preferred method for making zoodles. It is more time consuming than using a spiralizer (or mandoline slicer) but I love the texture it creates and the convenience of getting it out. If you are cooking for 1 or 2 people this is all you need for zoodles, however if you will be zoodling more than 1 zucchini at a time then you may want to acquire a spiralizer or mandoline.

• I would not be able to cook Banana-Egg pancakes without this OXO Good Grips Silicone Flexible Pancake Flipper. It is a miracle. Well, basically just a giant spatula, but works wonders for me.

• I use my Swissmar Borner Mandoline for zoodles (or other vegetable noodles), ribbon zoodles, vegetable french fries, zucchini lasagna, sweet potato fries, plantain chips…the list goes on. This mandoline comes with three different blades and you can adjust the thickness to 4 different levels. If you are planning on buying a mandoline I cannot recommend getting cut proof gloves enough! I even wear them when I am cleaning my mandoline.

• I got these Tovolo Popsicle Molds from Amazon. They are relatively inexpensive and work perfectly. Homemade popsicles are so nutritious, refreshing, and easy. Whenever I make smoothies I only like to eat a little bit and then add all the leftovers to the molds and enjoy them all week.

• I have this Paderno Spiralizer from Amazon. It is absolutely wonderful for making zoodles (and other vegetable noodles). Unfortunately, 1 part has inexplicably fallen off (it looks like it was just glued on), which is rather annoying. But overall I am a fan of this and it seems to be the best option out there right now.  FYI It does have quite amazing reviews on Amazon. 

• I have had this Breville Juicer for many years, use it every day, and it still works as good as the day I bought it. They are pretty expensive, but if you are going to be juicing often it is well worth it. I juice on daily basis and will juice absolutely anything in my fridge if it is about to go bad. If you plan on investing in a juicer you should do a little research on Cold Press Juicers versus Centrifugal Juicers. Here is an article to get you started if you are interested.

•  I use Mason Jars for everything – Storing food, freezing food, as glasses, as spice holders, for fruit infused water, to make chia pudding…the list goes on and on. I buy mine at a local hardware store or Target.

• In addition to the metal lids that come with Mason jars I also have sets of these three:
  • The green (straining lids) are from Amazon and I use them whenever I make Fruit Infused Water.
  • I love using the reCap Lids from Amazon for drinking my juices out of. The caps do come off easily, so I would not buy this if you plan on throwing the mason jar in your purse/bag.
  • The metal lids that come with mason jars are wonderful, but they tend to rust easily. I have a set of Plastic Storage Caps that I use occasionally.

 

If you have any questions about any of the products listed above (or anything else) please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected]