Top 10 Healthy Kitchen Essentials part 2

Missed Round 1? Check it out here.

6.Blender

Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, a fast food junkie, whatever, I think that most of us can agree that having a blender does come in handy.

Now although I have been using a basic Cuisiniart Blender, and have had success with it, a Vita-Mix Blender is like the “Gold Standard”.

The Ferrari of blenders.

You could make liquid pulp from wood scraps and DVD cases in a Vita-Mix, though I wouldn’t recommend it.

Expect to spend anywhere from $175 (a used demo model) to up to $400 for a brand spanking new one out of the box.

If you’ve got the funds, do it. It’ll last you a lifetime of green smoothies.

Check it out in action here: http://www.vitamix.com/

7. Food processor

One of the things about cooking whole, unprocessed foods is that you will have to do some of the processing yourself, like cutting, chopping, blending, mixing etc.

But that’s part of the art of cooking your own meals — you get to be there to see your food go from raw ingredients into an edible and delectable delight.

From sauces, salad dressings, pie fillings, pie crusts, to Naked Nutrition Bars, food processors are vital to any healthy kitchen.

What To Look For:

Don’t skimp on quality with a food processor.

Spend the extra dough and get something of high quality, a large container and multiple blades for various tasks.

8. Rice cooker

Ok, I will admit. I am a little biased on this one.

As long as I can remember, having a rice cooker has been a staple in my household. No proud Filipino family would be caught without one.

Heck, even when I went away to college I had a mini-rice cooker in my dorm room. I even went as far as to bring it with me during a rowing meet…

I’m not too picky about quality with a rice cooker, this is something you can get away with. But if you are going to opt for a rice cooker, it does help to find one that has multiple settings as cooking brown rice requires a bit more time than white rice. Plus, you can use it as a steamer for veggies.

9. Glass bakeware

Essential. I mean, what else would you use to bake?

10. Stainless steel metal or wooden utensils.

Ex-nay all your plastic spatulas, cooking spoons, and tongs.

Like plastic tupperware, heating plastic utensils can expose you to unnecessary carcinogenic toxins.

Plus, if you ever make the mistake like I did once and leave a plastic spatula hanging on the side of heated skillet, you’ll be left with one very plasticky, gooey and hard to clean mess.

Some basic utensils to have on hand: Wooden spoons for sauteing and stirring, a flat thin metal spatula, metal tongs, a metal sift, and a grater.