My Kitchen

It is no secret that I am passionate about healthy cooking. In addition to a good set of pots and pans, a set of sharp knives, a great big stock pot and lots of mason jars (I use these all the time for various kitchen products), here is a list of my favorite equipment for preparing healthy meals.

• My blendtec high speed blender. This probably gets more use than any of the other items in my kitchen. I use it daily to make healthy smoothies, and it’s also great for blending soups and for making raw food cookies. I have had mine for at least 3 years and I have never had a problem with it, so while it is a bit on the expensive side for a blender, it’s a great investment, especially if you are looking to increase the amount of healthy raw foods that you eat.
• My dehydrator. Like the high speed blender, the dehydrator is also great to get you eating more raw foods as it allows you to make things like vegetable chips, grain-free crackers, and raw cookies using organic ingredients and
  without heating them too high (generally under 115°F) so the enzymes are preserved.
• My food processor. I received it as a gift a few years ago, and while the set-up takes a bit of practice, it is, in my opinion, completely indispensable for making certain recipes such as regular or sweet potato latkes. I also love
  it for shredding cabbage and other veggies to make cultured vegetables. Making homemade whipped cream in the food processor is also a snap.
• My rice cooker. Rice cookers are nice because your grains will never burn; I use mine to make not just rice, but quinoa, millet and other healthy grains, as
  well.
• A crockpot. I have owned the same crockpot for many, many years. I love the crock pot because you can throw everything in there in the morning and dinner is done when you come home in the evening. Almost any soup recipe can be adapted to the crock pot and the crock pot is also a great way to cook healthy chicken and meat dishes (see healthy crockpot recipes).
• Two other items I use occasionally are a mandoline and a spiral slicer. These are devices that allow you to cut vegetables in complex and visually appealing ways. If you consider yourself a gourmet cook or if you aspire to be one someday, these are fun to have, but honestly, I don’t use mine a lot.
• Lastly, I suggest purchasing a juicer if you enjoy fresh juice and want to take advantage of its health benefits. From my research, I believe the Breville Juice Fountain is a very good one. I had a different brand that I bought at a yard sale and unfortunately it did not last long, so the Breville is on my wish list…

The items above are definitely good investments for a healthy kitchen. If you are worried about costs, keep your eyes out for sales, and look for deals at yard sales, on ebay, craiglist, freecycle, etc. Make sure to mention what you are looking for to friends, as well. You never know what they may have collecting dust in the basement- a nice dehydrator or juicer could be yours for the asking!