REFILLABLE OIL MISTER – This allows you to saute veggies, lean protein, and other ingredients without adding many fat calories to recipes. Use the gadget to coat a skillet evenly with oil or to mist your veggies or a salad. Have a few misters and fill each one with a different healthy oil, as well as balsamic or other flavored vinegars. You can use this whenever a recipe calls for nonstick oil spray. Suggested oils to use are olive oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS – These are essential for measuring spices, fats, flours, and other ingredients. I have quite a few sets of each in my kitchen!
BLENDER AND/OR FOOD PROCESSOR – You can literally chop minutes off food prep with either of these tools. It makes chopping, shredding, and mincing large quantities a cinch. For most people, one 4 cup to 7 cup processor does the trick, and it won’t take up too much counter or cabinet space.
IMMERSION (OR HANDHELD) BLENDER – This is great for making pureed soups or sauces because you can skip the step of transferring hot liquids to a blender in batches.
SLOW COOKER – This is a must-have for busy parents. Simply toss all of the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning, and when dinnertime rolls around…VOILA! A delicious, wholesome meal is waiting for you. It can be used for soups, stews, and chilies.
ONION GOGGLES – Slicing an onion can be a real tearjerker. That is because the onion releases a sulfur compound that may irritate your eyes and cause them to water. (Just thinking about this is making my eyes burn and water!) A pair of onion goggles costs about $20.00 at most home-goods stores. (Budget-saving trick: if you have a pair of ski goggles lying around, they work just as well.)
CUPCAKE TINS (VARIOUS SIZES) – If you bake often, these are a great investment. Mini cupcake tins are great for bite-size treats – automatic portion control! Jumbo cupcake tins are great for large muffins and tasty frittatas. Don’t limit standard cupcake tins to just baked goods. I LOVE making mini meals in muffin tins and individually freezing them. Perfect for those (like me) who only have themselves to cook for.
SPIRAL SLICER – In several of my recipes, I use zucchini noodles (or “zoodles”) to take place of standard starchy pasta. I have also used carrot noodles and sweet potato noodles. To get perfect zoodles, I recommend a spiral slicer. There are various types at various price points. Choose one that suits your budget. And in a pinch, you can also always use a vegetable peeler to make julienned vegetable noodles.
