Healthy Kitchen Essentials: 10 Must-Have Tools & Gadgets

Jun 6, 2013
Jessica Wilson • Lifestyle

Your kitchen is already stocked with the right foods; now it’s time to stock it with the right tools to make your cooking life a little easier and a lot more fun! With the proper gadgets, you can prep meals faster, cut calories and make eating healthy a lot more convenient. Here are 10 must-haves to get you started.

Immersion Blender

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Immersion Blender

Mix up healthy homemade soups right in the pot without the mess with an immersion blender. Throw in your favorite veggies, beans and spices and you have an instant meal. You can also use it to make nutritious bean dips, guacamole or salsa.

Oil Mister

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Oil Mister

Cut down on fat and calories in your cooking with an oil mister. Fill it with olive oil and any herbs for added flavor and use it to spritz salads, grill meats or, a personal favorite, bake sweet potato fries. Trust us, it’s better than what you will get in a can.

Vegetable Steamer

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Vegetable Steamer
As mentioned yesterday in the article 10 Secrets to Healthy Cooking, steaming vegetables is the best way to cook them while still locking in nutrients. It also requires no added oil! This inexpensive item is simple to use and can also be utilized to steam fish.

Herb Mill

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Herb Mill

Take advantage of all the healthy benefits and flavor offered by herbs with an herb mill. Ditch the dried stuff that comes in a bottle for a fresher, more aromatic spin. Place mint, oregano, sage or cilantro in the mill and mince herbs with minimal effort for salads, dressings, sauces and more.

Citrus Squeezer

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Citrus Squeezer

If you haven’t heard of all the benefits of starting your day with warm water and lemon, you’re missing out! Get yourself a citrus squeezer to make this morning routine easy and convenient. With the ease of a squeezer, you’ll be able to get pure juice without seeds or pulp.

Chef Sleeve for iPad

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Chef Sleeve for iPad

Ready to whip up a new healthy meal with your iPad and recipe in tow? Have no fear, the Chef Sleeve is here. Akin to a large plastic envelope with a resealable flap, it is resistant to water, grease, flour – you name it. Leaving the screen completely touch sensitive, it can be wiped clean after using and reused for next time.

Dressing Portion Control Bottle

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Dressing Portion Control Bottle

A perfectly healthy salad can rack up tons of fat and calories after it’s been loaded with dressing. For the perfect serving pour every time, invest in a portion control bottle set. With a simple squeeze of the bottle, the lid will deliver two tablespoons of dressing into the serving chamber so you can enjoy your salad without the guilt.

Food Chopper

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Food Chopper

A healthy and simplified kitchen is not complete without a handheld food chopper. With an instant press of a knob, blades rotate evenly to slice and dice nuts, vegetables, fruits and more for quick meal preparation. Tip: Plan your meals for the week in advance and do your chopping Sunday night.

Crockpot

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Crock Pot

For busy families on the go, a crock pot can be a savior when it comes to eating healthy. Through its “Ready At” feature, you can set your slow cooker to have dinner ready on your time. With endless recipes at hand, simply throw the ingredients in when you wake up and have a no fuss meal ready when you get home.

Vitamix

Healthy Kitchen Tools: Vitamix Blender

For the ultimate and most powerful blending machine on the market, invest in a Vitamix. Although a little on the pricey side, you’ll surely get your use out of this versatile gadget. The ideal health machine, it gives you the opportunity to make everything from scratch from juices and milks to dough and nut butters.