Guest Picks: An Arsenal of Tools for Healthy Eating
Make cooking and juicing easier whether you follow a vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, primal or other diet
As someone who has been subscribing to the Paleo diet for a while, I find that I'm often asked by people who are trying it out for the first time what they should eat on a day-to-day basis. When I think about it, I realize that it's much harder to find ways of making my daily meals without the proper kitchen equipment.
Although these might not be the cute designer tools that are fun to send as gifts, they make up the essential, important, everyday-use items that I believe make up a healthy relationship with food. Whether you are a Paleo, clean-eating, vegan or any other number of healthy eaters, these are the tools that help you live your life as a foodie. It's important to give yourself the element of choice in any kind of lifestyle, and these will help expand your cooking possibilities. — Mariko from The Little Foodie
Although these might not be the cute designer tools that are fun to send as gifts, they make up the essential, important, everyday-use items that I believe make up a healthy relationship with food. Whether you are a Paleo, clean-eating, vegan or any other number of healthy eaters, these are the tools that help you live your life as a foodie. It's important to give yourself the element of choice in any kind of lifestyle, and these will help expand your cooking possibilities. — Mariko from The Little Foodie
Yonanas 901 Deluxe Ice Cream Treat Maker, Black/Silver
The Yonanas machine accepts all kinds of frozen fruits. You could make mango soft serve, and then turn it into a smooth popsicle with the included molds.
Norpro Herb Keeper
It's important to flavor food, but I find myself throwing away bunches of slimy herbs after they get crushed at the bottom of my crisping drawer. These containers will keep your herbs for up to three weeks, and I'm happy to find that they're great for asparagus too!
Krups 203 Fast Touch Coffee Grinder
A coffee mill is just the thing for making almond flour as well as freshly ground spices for homemade curry pastes and other fun dishes. I just toast my whole spices, grind them up in a coffee mill, and they come out more fragrant than any bottle in my cupboard.
Wood Lidded Glass Jars
I need a lot of reusable jars around for my homemade nut milks and soups. I also like to keep soaked oats, leftover smoothies and other grab-and-go breakfast or snack stuff around. I especially like these jars because of their wooden lids — I won't have to worry about the metal rusting in the salty sea air.
InterDesign Fridge Binz Fruit Chute, Clear
I find that the fruit and vegetable drawers in my fridge start overflowing pretty fast. These kinds of storage bins help keep things from rolling around and ensure that I won't lose an orange behind a bag of greens.
Victorinox Forschner Fibrox Chef's Knife
This is my most important tool in the kitchen. These knives stay sharp longer and can be replaced whenever needed. The size is perfect, and I can get through mounds of vegetable sticks in no time.
New Professional Commercial Grade 20-Quart Heavy Gauge Stainless Steel Stock Pot
My stockpot has been making my life easier, and healthier, for years. After I finish roasting a chicken, I use the bones to make a homemade broth for soup. A pot of coconut broccoli soup that can be eaten all week helps me so much when I need to reach for something healthy.
12-Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
A well-seasoned cast iron skillet is invaluable. I use my pan for perfectly seared steaks and don't have to worry about burned Teflon. I am amazed at the price and quality of this piece, which will be making my sunny-side up eggs and sauteed veggies for years to come.
Magimix by Robot-Coupe Food Processor Juice Extractor & Smoothie Attachment
I have limited space in my kitchen, so I really love that the Magimix food processor (which I use for everything from making hummus to cauliflower rice) has juicing and pureeing attachments.
Nut Milk Bag, 2 Quart
If you are lactose-free, then you have probably noticed that many alternative milks sold at the store contain sugar or other additives that you probably don't want. Making your own rice or almond milk is surprisingly easy: You just need a straining bag, a blender and one or two ingredients.
Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler, Plastic Handle
Rather than take hours to julienne zucchini with a knife for some healthier "pasta," I turn to a peeler or mandolin. This gadget can also make short work of my carrots and daikon radish for some quick pickled vegetables.
Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator and Jerky Maker
I've been eyeing this dehydrator for a while now. The possibilities of kale chips, homemade jerky and even flaxseed "crackers" is so fun, and I won't have to tie up my oven to make them.
Jalapeno Corer | Williams Sonoma
I like spicy foods, but I still want to get rid of the cores of my hot peppers. With this corer, I can keep the oils off my hands.
Easy-Squeeze Garlic Press
Another flavor boost comes from the loads of garlic I peel and press for seemingly every meal. I recommend this press because it comes for a great price and works so much better than most of the other presses I have tried.
Vollrath Wear Ever 5314 Heavy-Duty 13-Gauge Half-Size Bun/Sheet Pan
My sheet pans are the workhorses of my kitchen. I churn out roasted root vegetables, thinly sliced browned cauliflower and sweet asparagus several times a week. A solid sheet pan won't warp easily and conducts heat evenly. I love these very basic, under-appreciated tools.
Henckels International Kitchen Shears
These very inexpensive kitchen shears are still powerful enough to butterfly a free-range chicken for roasting. They are necessary and more easily used than knives for thinly slicing herbs as well.
Architec Gripperwood Wooden Cutting Boards
When you're making salads or cooked vegetables every day, often more than once a day, you need more than enough cutting boards, and in many different sizes. I like simple wooden boards best.
Vasconia 4-Cup Granite Molcajete Mortar and Pestle
Guacamole, from-scratch curry pastes and salsas all make regular appearances in my kitchen. I find that stone mortar and pestles work best, as the prettier, lighter ones are hard to keep still as I smash up my flavors.
Norpro 809 Salad Dressing Maker
I have to appreciate the convenience of dressing recipes printed directly on this very simple bottle. I need to make my own dressing, and I like to have a few simple containers.
Edlund Company 12-Inch Heavy Duty Tong With Lock
Whether I'm flipping a piece of steak or serving my salad, I use tongs very often while cooking. You have more control over a roast and even a slippery potato with these than with other kitchen tools.
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Next: Ecofriendly Kitchen: 9 Healthy Lifestyle Habits