Healthy Kitchen Essentials: My Must-have Kitchen Appliances, Cookware, and Dishes
The single most powerful thing we can do to create health and wellbeing, for ourselves and our families, is to eat healthy.
The best way to eat more healthy food is to reclaim the traditional art of homecooking and to prepare our own meals with whole food ingredients.
Everyone needs to eat, and we do it multiple times each day. Each time we eat, we have an opportunity to put food in our body that will either heal it or harm it.
It’s so much easier to cook at home when we have the right equipment and tools to get the job done with ease.
Also, eating healthy at home is not just about having whole foods ingredients and avoiding the preservatives, sugars, and artificial chemicals in processed food - it’s also about having kitchenware that is safe and healthy for us, without lead, leaching, or plastics.
Check out my top recommendations for setting up a healthy kitchen with the essential gear to make homecooking an enjoyable experience.
It’s time to cook up the new health revolution - at home!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Healthy Kitchen Essentials
Instant Pot
Getting the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is one of the best choices I’ve made in years to uplevel my home cooking. It makes preparing meals so much faster, for example I can cook an entire frozen chicken, in less than an hour! Then I can use the bones to make super nutrient dense bone broth - in less than two hours!
Not only does it save so much time but it’s awesome for summertime cooking or warm weather climates because it won’t heat up your kitchen like turning on the oven does. I’m a huge fan!
It took me a while to invest in one because I wasn’t sure if it was really necessary to get another appliance that was going to take up space on the countertop, but it’s so worth it! It’s actually several appliances in one too, it can replace your slow cooker, rice cooker, and yogurt maker. I use it all the time. It will earn it’s counter top space many times over.
They come in different sizes from 3 quart, 6 quart, and 8 quart. I have the larger 8 quart size and I’m glad that’s what I got, because it’s the best if you want to make bone broth or soup in your Instant Pot, and I love making double batches of recipes to have extra in the fridge for meal prepping, such as rice, quinoa, beans, veggies, etc.
Get it here: Instant Pot 8 quart
Vitamix
The Vitamix is the best high speed blender on the market. While it’s also a big investment for a blender, it’s mighty power means that you get the smoothest smoothies and can also use it for grinding grains, coffee, and so much more. I’ve used mine to whip up delectable drinks on a daily basis for years, as well as spreads, soups, batters, dips and much more.
It’s also quite worth it when you consider that the Vitamix has a 7 year warranty, and I’ve had two in my life so far, both for years more than the warranty. The first one I used for 9 years, before giving away to a friend who continued to use it for a few more years. The second one I’ve now been using for 10 years already and it’s still a power house! I definitely intend to get another one if this one ever stops working right, though it’s already outlasted it’s lengthy warranty. Once I visited a family that had a Vitamix that was over 20 years old, and they stil used it everyday! These things are mighty.
I currently have the Vitamix 5200 model, though when I upgrade I plan on getting a Vitamix 7500 because it’s got the low-profile container that fits under all kitchen cabinets. In the past my 5200 has fit fine in on my kitchen counters, but currently I’m in a house with cabinets above all my countertops and my container doesn’t fit on the base under the cabinets, so the low-profile containers with these newer models are making me want to get a new one soon!
You can also get refurbished Vitamix blenders available at a great deal that have often been used for demos at grocery stores and checked out by Amazon, and come with a 3 year warranty, if you are wanting to save money and get a slightly used model still under warranty.
Get it here: Vitamix 7500
Food Processor
A food processor is really handy for chopping, dicing, grating, and slicing all kinds of vegetables, cheeses, and more. You can grind up nuts and turn beans into spreads. It’s a great way to make healthy breadcrumbs from scratch, and a myriad of other recipes. There are so many ways that a food processor can come in handy in the kitchen, especially if you are prepping for a large family, gatherings, or preparing a lot of healthy food at home.
One of the things I most value my food processor for is for making healthy energy bars and balls, like my Superfood Brownie Bar recipe. It’s amazing at chopping and mixing nuts with dried fruit, which is a great base for all kinds of energy bars. Protein bars and energy bars can really add up in cost if you buy them all the time, and often they are not made with organic ingredients. Making your own is the best way to ensure you are eating the highest quality food and is a great way to have healthy snacks available for on the go, travel, work, or for your family.
I have been using Cuisinart Food Processors for years with great success.
Get it here: Cuisinart 14-cup Food Processor
Lodge Cast Iron Pans
I love cast iron pans! Lodge cast iron pans are quality and affordable cookware that have been made in the USA for over 120 years. Cast iron is a good choice for healthy kitchenware because it’s non-stick without having the nasty chemicals that are in Teflon coated pans.
My cast iron pans are beloved items that get used every single day for cooking up perfect eggs, stir-frying a medley of vegetables, creating a delicious sear on a grass-fed burger, and an abundance of kitchen tasks. They are completely oven proof I even use them for baking casseroles or shepherd’s pie, and many other recipes.
They are also easy to clean and the Lodge cast iron pans come pre-seasoned, so they are ready to start cooking with right away!
Get it here: Lodge Cast Iron Pan
Glass Food Storage Containers with Lids
Glass containers for food storage are an essential for reducing plastic in the kitchen, keeping your food fresher for longer, and making meal prep way easier. I love having glass storage containers with locking lids because they are the best for storing leftovers, prepped ingredients, and packing lunches and snacks and they are reusable, easy to clean, and you can quickly look to see what’s inside.
Storing food in plastic containers is not good for our health, as plastic can leach hormone-disrupting chemicals into the food which then act as xeno-estrogens in our bodies causing all sorts of issues. Plus, plastic breaks down faster, needs to be replaced more often, and then lingers in our landfills for centuries. Replacing plastic with glass is a great way to make positive changes for wellness.
I find that multiple sizes of glass containers are really handy to have for all different purposes.
Get them here: Glass Meal Prep Containers
Investing in high quality kitchen equipment is something that can make home cooking so much easier and healthier.
It will give you peace of mind, supports optimal nourishment for the whole family, and can enhance your daily life for years and years to come.
However, with so many options out there, it’s good to know what are the most worthwhile tools to get that will be actually be used over and over again for years to come.
Each of the items I’ve shared are my top kitchen gear that I use the most, have or would buy again, and are the things top items I recommend for a simple yet healthy kitchen to cook well.