Cooking is something that is often passed down from parent to child for generations. The improvement of kitchen appliances was intended to make cooking easier. However, in many ways that extra time has sometimes led to convenience and unhealthy habits. It’s surprising how the small and large kitchen appliances can affect how a person’s diet works.
Not every kitchen has a large amount of room. That being said, even the smallest kitchen will have an oven and stove top. From there, the opportunity to build on kitchen appliances exists. While many people keep them on the counter, small appliances can be kept hidden away on other shelves or in cupboards. What follows are some of the best kitchen appliances to help with healthy eating.
1 - Blender
The blender is one of the most versatile items when it comes to cooking healthy. Blenders allow for easy preparation of a wide variety of vegetable soups. When used gently, they can pulse up healthy sauces. Arguably the most common use of a blender for healthy eating is the smoothie. The smoothie is usually a combination of dairy and fruit. Many people may include protein power or other supplements into their smoothie. Smoothies help people start their day out right and are a great option for people who may normally skip breakfast.
2 - Juicers
The juicer is not a new invention, but they are far better than they used to be. Juicers use to only get the absolute minimum amount of juice possible. Modern juicers get absolutely as much as they can. In addition, the pulp from the juicers can often be used in recipes and soups, as they are full of nutrients. Fresh juices (especially vegetable juice) are very healthy and feature high levels of nutrients. Not all vegetable juices are particularly tasty though. Adding some carrot to almost any vegetable juice can cut through some of the bitter tastes.
3 - Oven
The oven is one of the most important things to help people cook healthy. Baking foods instead of frying them allows for far less oils to be used, reducing excessive fat levels and calorie counts. Modern ovens are consistent and cook at the same temperature throughout the entire oven. Convection ovens circulate the air in the oven rather than simply surrounding the food with hot air. With the hot air circulating throughout the oven, it can make food cook more rapidly and more evenly. The downside to convection ovens is that they are too efficient at times and can result in overcooking if temperatures aren’t lowered slightly and cooking times aren’t adjusted.
4 - Air Fryer
For people who love fried foods, but don’t love the huge calorie counts from all of the oil, an air fryer is a great small appliance to help out. Air fryers can cook essentially anything which normally features a crunchy fried exterior via deep frying. By air frying items, less oil is used. It’s true that an air fryer is much healthier than deep frying. However, it also doesn’t quite reach the same flavor profile that deep frying does. The trade off is generally worth it however for people trying to eat well.
5 - Slow Cookers
Slow cookers will allow people to create wonderful one pot meals. Slow cookers are perfect for recipes that may be incredibly complicated in theory, but can be made easier by just cooking something for a long time and letting it simmer. Slow cookers cook meat in a very healthy fashion with a minimum of excess oils. Foods like chili and carnitas are common. But there’s more that can be done than people realize. It’s possible to roast an entire chicken in a slow cooker!