Are there such things as plant based kitchen gadgets? Well, there are gadgets which are ideal for a plant based kitchen, and these are my essential top ten picks! (And a few bonus picks!)

 

I spend a beaucoup amount of time in the kitchen, and I have spent 30+ years working out how to do it vegan style. You can start building your dream kitchen right now. Yeah! You’ll be the envy of every cooking show host wannabee you know!  Who doesn’t want their life to be easier? Some things are absolutely worth the investment for how they pay you back in time and food costs. And some things, are such simple and cheap fixes that change your life for the littlest investment. (Stop buying fancy gaudy chip clips that break, wooden clothespins for the win!) 

 

I’m going to share my favorite appliances and gadgets with you right here!  I am adding links to stuff on amazon because that’s how I shop these days, and  you can get a look at what I love using!

 

Big Things

 

Instant Pot /Pressure Cooker

Dude. Why on Earth did I wait so long? I got mine a year ago and life will never be the same. I never buy canned beans anymore, because you can cook dried with no soaking in 20-50 minutes. By pushing a button and walking away! Then you have 4 cans worth and they taste WAY better. I make minestrone soup, homemade hummus, always have chickpeas for salad. You can also chop a whole ton of greens and set them for zero minutes. As soon as it pressurizes, they are done. And they are perfect. Even collards and kale. And the KIDS EAT THEM! Sweet potatoes, carrots, ANYTHING YOU WANT! Cooks so fast and perfect. I could do one whole blogpost (or book) on how much I love my pressure cooker. Get one and live your best life. I have this one, InstantPot Duo 8QT

 

Air Fryer

Another miracle purchase I gifted my husband (myself?) for Christmas. An air fryer is worth it just for the home fries. You can make seasoned, restaurant quality perfection fries. They cook so fast! Without any oil at all!

 

I’m talking about fries that come out crispy, and delicious. Not in the way some vegans say, “no really, they’re good,” but they end up tasting like rubbery cardboard garbage, I mean in the GOOD way, in that you say, “are you freaking kidding me? These can’t be baked, they’re too good!”

 

An air fryer also makes fried breaded tofu easy peasy, battered veggies, homemade not-crab cakes, anything that would take forever to bake and flip in the oven. Air fry magic makes them cook faster and turn out crispier. I have yet to explore everything it can do. We have this one and I love it. Cuisinart AFR-25

 

Super Blender/Food processor

 

This is a bucketlist item for me. I have been dreaming for a long time of getting this Blendtec Super Blender with Twister Jar so I can make creamy nut butters like a champ.

 

Or the Vitamix, the standard badass blender. (You’ve seen this all-star in demos at Costco and Whole Foods.) They are both dream blenders that can be used to make soup that heats itself using only the speed of the blender, smoothies smoother than silk, and nice cream with awesome ice cream consistency. These blenders are for people who love talking about horsepower.

 

I will be getting that Blendtec combo once I hit a certain goal that I have set for myself.  But for now, I have been pretty happy with my Ninja combo blender and food processor. It does smoothies and hummus in a snap, and cleanup is super quick and easy. It is NOT one of the super blenders above, but it is definitely the budget friendly choice by a mile. You will end up with a banana chunk in your smoothie every once in a while, but I am happy for my chunk as I dream of saving up for that Blendtec. (Trust I’ll write a blog about that once I get it!) .

 

Cast Iron Cookware

 

I mean what else are you cooking with, teflon? (Please don’t!) While I use stainless for boiling pasta, I use cast iron for everything else from pasta sauce to sauteed anything to grilled cheese and quesadillas. (The veggie kind, of course.)

 

Cast iron is really affordable, and it will last for generations. (We have my husband’s grandma’s cast iron skillet.) I would start with this basic piece and build out from there, and I’d recommend a silicon sleeve for the handle.  Cast iron conducts heat evenly, so the handle gets hot!  We have about 6 cast iron pieces, but I use the starter one recommended in the link about  90% of the time.

 

Cast iron actually leeches iron into your food, which is a good thing, (bye bye anemia!) It also makes food taste SO MUCH better! It’s easy to care for and it can go in the oven, too.

Little Things

 

Mason Jars, Glass Storageware, and Fishbowls

 

Making everything simple in the kitchen is key here, and for me, that means easy, see through glass containers. For everything.

 

I use mason jars to hold lots of things, like my flaxmeal, chia seeds, and walnuts that we leave out for daily use, but also for many storage solutions in the fridge. I like the little ones for holding rinsed berries, and the big ones for sauces. and everything in between! Once you start, they’re so easy and practical you’ll keep buying more!

 

Check out Jars here:

Big Ones,  Normal sized, Lil guys, Lids

 

Having glass storageware with snap on lids will change your food prep and refrigerator game! Glass goes from fridge to microwave, oven, freezer… And it makes you look like a refrigerator interior designer. You’ll end up eating everything because YOU CAN SEE IT! I have these and love them.

 

Lastly, the fishbowls are a great way to fancify your pantry and also help keep an eye on stock levels of rice, flour, oats, nutritional yeast, etc.

 

Good Knives and a Good Peeler

 

Don’t waste your time with crappy stuff! Working with dull items will really suck the fun and energy out of food prep, so be sure to get yourself functional tools.

 

We love bamboo as a renewable material, and it’s really affordable, so get yourself a set of cutting boards.

 

As a lefty, I love a U shaped peeler like this, which makes quick work of peeling carrots or potatoes, and is easier whatever your hand orientation.  Before this upgrade I was using an old dull metal peeler from my Mom that I grew up with. Major upgrade!

 

I won’t get into knives, they are so personal, I have some from Sabatier, some Hinkle, and a Cutco knife. They’re all good, but no knife remains sharp without regular sharpening, so use this knife sharpener every draw. This is on of those things that is hands down the cheapest, best, and easiest! A triple win! You do not need anything fancier, this is the best one, and it’s under three dollars.

 

Freezer Bags, produce bags

 

I use these everyday.  Nowadays, it is absolutely essential that we consciously avoid excess plastic waste.  I LOVE these reusable ziploc bags for the freezer, and I also love these produce bags! I wash the ziplocs in the sink and the produce bags in the washing machine with towels. I use them at the grocery store instead of the tearaway plastic produce bags, and during food prep for chopped greens. They make me smile every time I use them with their camping-gear style cinch cords.

 

Clothespins

 

for pinching chip bags, cereal bags, coffee bags, nut bags. and you’ll be amazed at how many uses these have in the kitchen. Classic wood clothespins.

 

Bamboo straws

 

Yeah, forget about steel and glass straws, and definitely say NO TO PLASTIC STRAWS! Paper straws feel icky, but bamboo straws, well they are a game changer! They feel so satisfying, they are antibacterial, a renewable resource, and they just look and feel SO COOL! It’s the only way to go.

 

I love straws and I am so glad that I can use and enjoy them guilt free! (Don’t forget to use the pipecleaner thingy every use!) I recommend a pack of them like this Bamboo straw set, and bring them with you when eating out!

 

Some bonus items:

Weesprout freezer trays

I just bought these to freeze breastmilk in one ounce pieces, and they can also be used for so many things, maybe make your own fun juice ice cubes, baby food puree, ginger cubes, pesto sauce, whatever. If you have a use, this is the one. It is silicon and pops out really easily and washes easily too. Their customer service is amazing as well. check these out.

Bamboo toothbrushes

Maybe not a kitchen gadget, but a necessary tool for all eaters nonetheless! I have been using electric toothbrushes for awhile. I’ve used everything from disposable Spinbrushes to the top of the line Oral-Bs and even those trendy Quips. They were great, but eventually they always broke down. They had problems, needed a battery or a charge, always needed expensive replacement heads, and at the end of the day they were kind of a headache. I would end up manually brushing with a heavy electrical gadget that wasn’t running, with an old used up brush head on it.

 

So I  perused around amazon looking for toothbrushes, and in line with my no more plastics on the planet efforts, I came across these Bamboo toothbrushes. All those electronic dinosaurs went in the trash for good! These are all the family and I will ever use again!  And a ten pack for this cheap? Whaaat?? I have found my new toothbrush for life. 

 

These kitchen gadgets might just change your life! As a matter of fact, I know they will! They will get you well on your way to succeeding in a plant based kitchen! (Please let me know how much you love your blender if you get one, I can’t wait, so give me all the juicy details!)

 

If you haven’t yet- this is a great time to join the mailing list by giving your first name and email in the box below because as a bonus, you will receive the free Plant Based Kitchen Prep guide.

 

Hey, you can use all this stuff from the blog here while prepping your kitchen for the week! Download your guide and I’ll see you in the newsletter!

 

Share this with a vegan or plant based curious friend of yours!

 

XOXO 

Britt Your Kickin’ Vegan