My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

I like to cook elaborate meals, and take joy in preparation and feeding my guests. I like any appliance that makes my life easier, fast and efficient. That said, I’m going to give you my honest, personal kitchen appliances reviews. I’ve got two categories: essentials and toys. The former are appliances that I quite simply could not live without. The latter are appliances that help me immensely in the kitchen, but which I consider supplementary, rather than indispensable.

The Essentials

A Microwave or Convection Oven

With all of life’s modern conveniences it is hard to imagine a kitchen without a microwave, but go a step further and you have the first essential appliance, the convection oven. While microwaves are used essentially for thawing and warming, a convection oven can do that plus cook, bake, and roast. Convection ovens use forced heated air via fans that cooks food evenly while requiring 20% less cooking time than your normal oven. These ovens can be purchased in a variety of sizes from freestanding full-size to counter top versions no bigger than your average microwave.

A Food Processor

Food processors, in my opinion, are essential kitchen. They chop, grate, mix, blend, grind, and even knead dough. They’re essential for thick, creamy, emulsified salad dressings, and great for minimizing your chopping and vegetable prep time. They’re sturdy, last a long time, and amazingly versatile.

A Blender

For the home baker a good quality stand mixer is a must. A good stand mixer usually provides between six and twelve speeds and has a motor powerful enough to knead bread dough. Bowl sizes range from three to six quarts and most mixers come with a whisk, paddle, and dough hook attachment. Most models will allow for multiple functions and attachments such as a meat grinder or a pasta shaper. While the stand mixer will cost more than the traditional hand mixer, it provides more versatility and is well worth the extra money.

Electric Food Chopper

Electric food choppers can be purchased as an attachment to a blender or as a stand alone appliance and are relatively inexpensive, ranging in price from five to fifty dollars. Some choppers are powerful enough to chop raw meat, while others are made especially for vegetable. When shopping for your chopper, keep in mind what types of food preparation you will be using it for. This will help you choose the right machine for you. Food choppers are not only easy to use but easy to clean and should have a permanent place in your well-stocked kitchen.

Toaster/Toaster Oven

The toaster is yet another one of those everyday appliances that makes life simpler. Toasters have evolved over the years and yet have also retained some of their original look. Manufacturers have improved on the first toaster by adding larger slots to accommodate bagels and large breads, and have made clean up easier with pullout drawers on the bottom. The traditional toaster is not the only way to go. If you are short on counter space, an under the counter toaster oven will not only toast your bread but can be used to heat, bake, and broil. Toasters come in many sizes, and are even compact enough to store in a cupboard.

My Toys

A Mandolin

I love my mandolin, it allows me to slice vegetables grate carrots, cucumbers, and beets. It’s not essential, but I’m glad to have it.

A Dehydrator

They allow you to make lots of cool things, but they’re not essential. It’ll let you make raw breads, crackers, pizza crusts, and cereals galore. If you’re a creative chef who wants to move far beyond basic soups, salads, and pastas go ahead and get one.

A Juicer

I love my juicer and use it almost every day. This is because juicing is part of my lifestyle. If you’re like me, I can tell you honestly that the cost of a juicer is worth it. It will pay for itself again and again if you are a green juicer. If you juice at least 3 times a week, I highly recommend considering one. The model I use is the Breville Two-Speed Juice Fountain Elite, and it has never let me down.

With all of the above, I encourage you to examine your lifestyle realistically before investing in any appliance. Are you really going to use the dehydrator on a regular basis or are you going to try making jerky once and get tired of the hassle? Do you really need a big mixer and attachments or will a hand blender do the job? The answers to these questions can save you a lot of money and stress. Be realistic about what you want and need the most, and invest money in the appliances that you’ll use most frequently. Remember, you can always invest again as new models and features come out. But I cannot stress enough how smart it is to invest only in the basic kitchen tools as you begin: they’ll be much more useful to you than the fancy toys. (No matter how fun those toys can be!)