With the holidays quickly approaching, so is gift shopping. Here are the 5 kitchen items that are essentials in my house! They range in prices from relatively inexpensive to pricier appliances that I believe to be some of the smartest $$ investments you’ll make. Be sure to check out Black Friday sales for big discounts on the more expensive items! I hope this guide is able to bring some ease to your shopping trips this busy holiday season. Let the holiday fun begin!
My 5 Essential Kitchen Appliances & Gadgets
Blender: BlendTec, NutriBullet
A blender is one of those kitchen appliances that CAN be on the pricier side, but makes healthy eating a lot easier. There are a few different routes you can take with blenders. The first one is the NutriBullet (pictured right) which I love using to make smoothies- it isn’t a big blender but is perfect for college dorm rooms and smaller apartments. I think the NutriBullet is a great stepping stone to a full-size blender. This leads me to the second route which is a standard-sized blender like the BlendTec or a Vitamix. A BlendTec blender is what my family has and we love it; I make my butternut squash soup in it all winter along, blend smoothies, and even whip up pumpkin pie in it. Amazon sells BlendTecs and Nutribullets for fractions of their original prices, so do some research to find the best prices (without losing out on quality)!
2. Food Processor:
Similar to blenders, food processors can be a bit of an investment. BUT, they make dicing veggies and whipping up energy balls, hummus, & dips a lot easier. The Cuisinart food processor we use at my house is no longer for sale, but I found one that is very similar here: 8 Cup Cuisinart Food Processor. Food processors come in a variety of sizes; my mom and I have found the 8-cup one to be plenty big. There are also smaller ones, but I personally think investing in a larger one is smarter in the long run because most recipes call for a larger food processor to handle all the ingredients being chopped, blended, etc.
3. Metal Garlic Press
A garlic press may seem like a random kitchen tool, but it can truly save you a ton of time in the kitchen and is SO convenient, especially when you need a bunch of garlic minced. If you don’t have a METAL garlic press, I highly recommend the one from Pampered Chef. I say metal because we’ve had some plastic garlic presses that have not been durable at all and end up being more of a pain in the butt than anything else.
4. Silicone Baking Cups
If you follow me on Instagram, I use silicone baking cups ALL the time when I’m making just about anything- egg cups, muffins, homemade Reese’s, etc. With the silicone baking cups, gone are the hours of scrubbing out your metal cupcake pan. I’ve found that I don’t ever need to spray my silicone cups with anything before I add the batter, they’re easy to pop muffins out of, and they’re dishwasher safe. I do wipe them out with a cloth and hot water before I put them in the dishwasher, fyi!
5. Pampered Chef Microwave Steamer
When I go to college, I can guarantee you that I’m bringing this microwave steamer. At home we use it just about EVERY day because it steams fresh and frozen veggies in 5 minutes or less. It can also poach chicken, heat soup, and make side dishes in it which is pretty incredible. The best part: it doesn’t make a mess and can go in the dishwasher. The Pampered Chef Steamers also have frosted lids that help you tell when ingredients are melted or when liquids begin to boil. The holes in the lid allow steam to escape and help you drain liquid before serving.
What are your favorite kitchen gadgets?! Let me know in the comments section below so I can check them out!
Happy Holidays!
xx,
Emily
