Kitchen Tools: Ensuring You Have the Right Ones for Health

In an article last year, we asked if it would kill us to eat healthily. What do you think?

Well, as a commenter said, no, we won’t die. But, can we enjoy it? How can we do it safely and make it fun and enjoyable?

Before we have fun, we need the right tools. I mean, if you are trying to create a masterpiece, you don’t want it to crumble to inedible mash because you don’t have the right tools, do you? And who wants it to taste disgusting?

So, let’s get that kitchen ready, shall we?

Oh, before we do that, I want to give you full disclosure. I was looking for images to represent what has been discussed and Amazon seemed like the perfect place to find those and not have to pay for stock images. So, this article (and subsequent in this series and others) do include Amazon links.

We also want the freshest ingredients. Again, who would want to go to the trouble of acquiring the freshest ingredients and subject them to a poor selection of kitchen tools?

Fortunately, you won’t need every kitchen gadget out there and you won’t need the newest fanciest gadget, either.

Pots and Pans

Likely you won’t have to go out an purchase pots and pans. You probably have those in your kitchen.

Let’s do a quick assessment. Let’s ensure that our pots and pans are of a heavy gauge. If not, time to visit a kitchen store (or amazon). If so, we are ready for the next assessment.

Why do we need a heavy gauge? It helps to avoid hot spots (inconsistent, poor-tasting food) and making stains on the pan that are hard to wash (that’s important, right?).

Kitchen Knives

A good set of premium knives is important if you will be doing a lot of cooking. You don’t want a knife that will be jagged or cut in a jagged manner. There are numerous reasons why this is the case and it could encompass an article all by itself!

If you cannot afford a premium set of knives, a mid-range set may do the trick and provide you with more time to save the money and find the right premium set to purchase when the time is right.

Another tip, in addition to how the knives cut, is testing the handle. Ensure that it is comfortable in your hand(s). Also, be sure it is not flimsy. From the cheap knives I have encountered (not in my kitchen, btw.. lol) the handle often feels like it is going to come unglued (literally) from the blade. Sometimes, the blade even seems flimsy, like it will bend when used. This is a sign of an inferior knife set and you don’t want that!

It is possible to buy one knife at a time if you have to save money and then use that knife for multiple purposes until you can save up for the rest of the set. Of course, this isn’t recommended, but it is an option if absolutely needed.

One thing that helps meat preparation, as well as taste (because it aids in the tenderizer process, is a jacquard. It is helpful if you find a suitable tenderizer. There is one pictured here…

As with all tools, gadgets, and devices, ensure that you calculate the return-on-investment (ROI). In many cases, the value that these gadgets provide (even in cases of taste and time savings) is worth the expense, especially when the expense really isn’t as bad as it may initially seem.

Cookers, etc.

I have really enjoyed my non-stick rice cooker, as well as my instant pot, which allows me to make several things all in one cooker!

Those include:

• rice cooker;
• pressure cooker;
• slow cooker (like crockpot);
• steamer;
• saute;
• yogurt maker; and
• warmer.

And, on Amazon, you have the option to get it in different sizes, whatever suits your family and your budget! And, it really is a convenient way to make tasty and healthy food!

Whether you are using a rice cooker, a crockpot, a one pot, you have options available to you, when following their accompanying recipes, to make one pot meals. And, after you get the hang of what works, you can move on to other recipes, as well. For example, if you have a rice cooker, it may be easy to throw the rice and water in and cook it, but you can also throw in some veggies and spices, etc. at the end and make that all-in-one meal for your family!

Other Necessities in the Kitchen

Even though you can buy pre-shredded and pre-grated cheese, freshly grated cheese tastes so much better. So, it is helpful to have a high-quality grater.

Also, a grater helps in other areas. You could grate fruits (citrus) and also spices (like garlic), as well as chocolate and onions (not together of course 🙂 ).

For easy clean-up, even while you are cooking and preparing food, you will want some silicone (non-stick) mats. This may even serve to save the counters and tables from potential staining (like strawberries, cherries, and rhubarb juice stains).

There are added benefits with these mats in being able to use them to roll dough that doesn’t stick. You could also get a pastry mat for large baking projects.

In Conclusion

Decide what you need and purchase the highest quality for your kitchen. This means prioritizing what needs to be purchased now (like pots, pans, knives) and what may be able to wait (like cookers, graters) and knowing when maybe a smaller cooker (as an example) may be better (saving time!) than waiting for the huge cooker. You decide what is best for your efforts, time, family, and budget (not necessarily that order).

Kudos to you. Oh, and stay tuned because we will be specifically covering other Kitchen gadgets (is that the word) in some more articles coming your way 🙂