Eating is a must primarily for living and getting energy to move on. But if you are not getting hygienic food, you are risking your survival and ability to move in the long run. While getting food is not a challenge, taking the right or healthy food certainly entails a challenge. Provided your kitchen is equipped with the right tools, healthy food becomes super fun to prep, cook, and make. Now, what are the must have kitchen appliances for healthy cooking?

To address this query, we have come out with this post to brief you on 10 must have kitchen appliances. Needless to say, this shortlist is not a result of stray selection; rather we have researched authority blogs, videos, and books of dietitians, nutritionists, and cookware experts. Here you go with the top 10 kitchen appliances.

10  Kitchen Appliances for Healthy Cooking – In Depth

01. Instant Pot

If your time is pretty tight but you want your food right, the best tool in this connection is one-pot-wonder – Instant Pot. You cannot but have an instant pot because it can prepare your desired food faster than any other appliance meant for the task. Perhaps, you have heard about it by now as it has already earned fame as a multi-cooker. Those multi-cooking functions include slow cooking, pressure cooking, steaming, rice cooking, and many more.  Not merely the amazing rapidity that Instant Pot has earned its fame for, but because it doesn’t affect the food value also.

02. Range Hood

One appliance I have enlisted here is not directly involved in cooking food but it plays the most significant role in keeping the kitchen hygienic. Yes, you have guessed right that the range hood is such a crucial kitchen appliance that ensures a healthy kitchen. It will suck cooking steam, wipe stinky odors, and remove greasy particles and dirt away from the kitchen. And you need not be a veteran dietitian to understand that healthy food cannot be cooked with the help of any appliance if the kitchen itself is not healthy.

And what can guarantee a healthy kitchen for healthy cooking but a quality range hood? Take a tour through Stuffs watch if you are after a quality range hood for a healthy kitchen – the prerequisite to healthy cooking.

03. Blender

You very often will need a blender for several thinks like smoothies, soups, pesto, nut butter, salad dressings, hummus, and other drips. Before going for a blender, you must check that the motor of the intended blender must be powerful enough just to blend anything with ease. Go for a reputed brand or positively reviewed blender to blend whatever texture you desire. The must-have kitchen appliances refer to such a blender that will make it a great option for veggie-based soup or green smoothies.

04. Salad Spinner

This is the age of more greens and you cannot avoid leafy greens if healthy food or food value is your preference. And the salad is a great item to go great with green intake. That is where a quality Salad spinner becomes crucial for washing, cleaning, and drying vegetables and fruits if you don’t want to spend for pricey bagged salads. This kitchen appliance will save you money and time by freeing you from the pain of rinsing, patting, and hand-drying the greens.

05. Mini Food Processor

A mini food processor becomes handier for healthy food items while you need nut flour, chopping veggies, and mincing herbs. A mini processor is preferable to the cumbersome larger one. It is easier and more convenient to handle to go by the veteran dietitians. If you want to make protein or energy bars in your home, this tool should come to mind first of all.

06. Herb Scissor

A touch of fresh herbs will add a powerful dose of zest to the meals. For that, you have avoided merely relying on salt and using dried spices and herbs available in the stores. Herbs snipped with a Scissor can serve the said purpose. That is why; a herb scissor is another kitchen appliance that can play a very crucial role in helping prepare delicious and healthy food. Yes, you can chop any herb with your kitchen knife but snipping those with a pair of scissors is incredibly faster and easier. And the fresh herb flavor added to any dish – soups, salads, eggs, and roasts- will make your mouth water even while prep is going on.

07. Kitchen Zester/Grater

If you are in favor of delicious food along with food value, a zester or grater is a crucial kitchen tool. Even the veteran chefs, nutritionists, and dietitians prefer adding lemon zest or other to various types of food. To be more specific, if you add lemon zest to seafood and citrus zest to baked food, it will certainly increase food intake without harming food value to the least. Moreover, you can grate hard cheese, carrots, chocolates, ginger, and nutmeg with ease provided that you have a quality zester available in your kitchen.

08. Kitchen Knife

A kitchen knife is one of the most important kitchen appliances not to miss in your crucial kitchen appliance list. Some chefs and dietitians opine that this is one item they want to save from their kitchen. But take care that the intended kitchen knife is equipped with a razor-sharp blade that will slice and dice everything with less effort. Another crucial factor to check, the knife must be designed to work conveniently both for rightist and lefties.

09. Pineapple Corer

You may not go for an appliance meant to deal with a single fruit but the food values and merits pineapple has may encourage a second opinion on a Pineapple corer. Pineapples are enriched with vitamin C, manganese, and bromelain. Manganese is essential for collagen growth and healthy-looking skin and bromelain are a type of enzyme. Therefore, you can prefer a pineapple corer to slice it as the sharp leaves and tricky center core of the said fruit may prove tough to deal with without a corer.

10. Baking Mats

There are horrible by-products of cooking which include impossible-to-remove buildup on your cookware and stuck cooked-on food. But with baking mats available in the kitchen, you market can happily heat-up frozen foods, cook bacon in your oven, toast seeds, and more. These frequent kitchen activities will leave no stuck-on baked goods after you have prepared your food if only you use baking mats.

Start using baking mats and it will get you rid off painful scrubbing the pans. Moreover, using those mats will keep your cookware unstained and the quality baking mats will last longer without showing signs of wear and tear.

Conclusion

These are a round-up of 10 best Kitchen Appliances for Healthy Cooking to have for good meals. From a herb scissor to baking mats, each one will ensure you quality food despite you are not a pro cook. In this world of fast food, takeaway food, and microwave meals, your kitchen time is growing lesser. But with the said tools available in your kitchen, you can have healthier food prepared in your home with ease and in a short time. And this is much better than pre-packaged and bought-on-the-run food and more economical too.

What Does Healthy Cooking Mean? 16 Questions and Answers to Help You Better Understand the Concept

People nowadays are preoccupied with staying healthy more than anything else. Not only that, they look for healthy ingredients, but they’re also interested in the most effective ways and tools for cooking healthy meals.

Eating healthy is a combination of using wholesome ingredients, methods, and tools. The next FAQs will help you get some glimpse of what healthy cooking actually means.

1. What does healthy cooking mean?

You don’t need to empty your pockets for cooking healthier. You must use the proper methods for healthier cooking.

Healthy cooking means that you cut the saturated fats. A healthy cooking method will help you get the best flavor and the nutrients in foods, without adding too much fat or salt. Using the proper tools is also essential, nevertheless.

Some foods need cooking for providing you the best nutrients, whereas others should be consumed in a natural state. Look for the tools that maintain the nutrients in foods, without altering the cooking/eating experience in any way.

2. Should you use a citrus press?

You don’t want to use too much oil, butter, or salt when cooking, and fresh citrus will give your food a nice zing. The citrus press is going to provide you with any drop of juice you need, without being messy. Sure, you can also use your hands for squeezing, but you’re going to make a big mess. And if you press more than you need, you can always freeze what’s left and put it in an ice cube tray for another time.

3. Is the microwave healthy or not?

Microwave cooking may dry some food out, but adding a bit of water can reduce the risk of drying. You can use if for many foods, from veggies to rice and meat.

According to the latest studies, microwaves may be a great way to preserve nutrients in veggies. It’s the best way to use for cooking broccoli. As long as you’re using a microwave-safe container, microwaving food is an excellent method too.

4. How often should you boil your food?

Boiling is straightforward, and you only need to add some water and a pinch of salt for the best results. However, keep in mind that boiling will eliminate 60-70%of minerals in some foods, especially in some vegetables.

Carrots, zucchini, and even broccoli should be boiled for preserving the nutrients, especially when compared to frying, steaming, or eating raw.

5. Why do people use steaming so often?

You may steam anything from vegetables to fish fillet as steaming lets them stew in their juices while maintaining the natural taste. You don’t need to add anything for moisture, either.

Add a bit of seasoning at the beginning for better taste. Some suggest that steaming is the perfect cooking method for broccoli.

6. Why use a steamer basket insert?

It’s not only for carrots and broccoli, and you can also use it for steaming shrimp and shellfish, vegetable dumplings, or fish fillets. You can also use it for chicken. Remember that steaming is a healthier method than boiling for vegetables. Use stock and not water when steaming, though, topping with some lemon and chopped herbs afterward.

7. Have you considered buying a Magic bullet?

It’s also possible to use a bulky blender, but wouldn’t you instead do it more comfortably? The Magic Bullet is going to chop, blend, and make purees without having you to clean for hours afterward. You can use it for salsa and bean dips, chop garlic and onion, and even for turning the chicken breast into chopped meat.

It comes with screw-on lids so that you may store the food straight in the blender attachment in the fridge. It takes 10 seconds to make a puree, and the portion-controlled to-go cup is excellent for keeping an eye on your weight.

8. What is poaching?

Poaching is similar to boiling but without the additives. Poaching means that you’re cooking the food in a small amount of hot water, but below the boiling point. It’s going to take longer to cook, but it’s healthy when cooking eggs, fruits, or fish.

9. Have you ever tried to broil?

Cooking under high and direct heat for a couple of minutes is a fantastic method for cooking tender cuts of meat. For best results, you want to trim excess fat before cooking. It’s not an excellent method for cooking veggies as they dry out too fast.

10. Is the meat mallet useful for healthy cooking?

The meat mallet allows you to pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or port to even thickness. It’s the best tool to use for cooking chicken evenly every time. Remember to use the toothed side for tenderizing leaner and tougher cuts of beef before cooking.

11. Are non-stick saute pans reliable?

A non-stick coating pan will help you not to add oil so that the food doesn’t turn brown, not stick when cooking. You can use it for whole-wheat veggie quesadillas, omelets, Asian stir-fries, and even for turkey burgers.

12. Is grilling always healthy?

When you want to get the highest amount of nutrition out from your food, without compromising the flavor, grilling is the way to do it. You don’t need to add fats and your meats and veggies remain tender and juicy.

You should take it with a grain of salt, as not everything about grilling is healthy. Some studies revealed that consuming charred, well-done meat may lead to breast and pancreatic cancer.

Cooking at high heat will lead to a chemical reaction between the protein in meat and the fat, which results in toxins. The latter will affect the balance of antioxidants in your body and inflammation, raising the risk of developing cardiovascular conditions and diabetes.

Don’t throw your BBQ out of the window, but only grill the lean cuts of meat that don’t need much cooking time. Grill the dark meats only once a year or so.

13. Why is the instant pot a reliable tool for healthy cooking?

Slow cookers are no news, but people often forget how great they are. You can cook big batches of turkey, chicken, and even game meat with slow cookers.

Nowadays, you can also go with a pressure cooker, which cooks a lot faster. The modern programmable pressure cooker is safe and effortless to use and quite the game-changer for cooking meat.

14. Can stir-frying be healthy?

In all fairness, you’re going to need some oil in the pan, but only enough for searing your veggies or meat. Stir-frying is good to use for bite-sized pieces of beef, particularly grains (quinoa) or thin-cut veggies such as snow peas, julienned carrots, and bell peppers.

15. Should you switch to cast iron tools?

Cast iron is long-lasting and ensures fantastic heat retention and conductivity. It’s great for cooking dishes that have to go from the stovetop to the oven. When searing meat, cast iron is a dependable choice. It’s also affordable and durable.

One downside related to casting iron cookware is that you may have to keep an extra eye on the maintenance. But it’s worth the extra effort.

16. What don’t you need for healthy cooking?

There are many tools out there that seem tempting and fundamental in any kitchen, but they’re not as useful as you may think. Egg slicers, avocado cuber, garlic press, a strawberry huller, and anything that works as a thin knife isn’t fundamental in your kitchen.

Now it’s the time to get rid of the deep fryer as nothing fried like this is healthy. As for the heavy electric wok, just think about the space you need for it. A saute pan can easily replace it, as it’s all about the skills, and not the tool per se.