As you might have seen from my blog posts, I use a lot of different techniques and kitchen equipment to make my recipes. It’s kind of an addiction really, ask my boyfriend, that is exactly how he will describe it. Nonetheless, I love cooking, and I love trying new ways of cooking. Each of these pieces of equipment is something I think are useful to have in your own kitchens, although make sure you read the descriptions because some items are interchangeable or you can omit getting it if you already have their alternative.
Disclaimer, these links will lead you to amazon.ca, if you do decide to use these links, I will receive a small commission. These contributions help in keeping this blog going, so I do appreciate all of your support. If you would like to make a random amazon purchase, I have also added a link in the sidebar which will also help support this blog. Thank you!
Vitamix
It really should come to no surprise that this is the first item on this list. It truly is my most used kitchen equipment, I use it on a daily basis. Not only does it do the blending job quickly, it blends ingredients that other “regular” blenders cannot blend. Here are two great options, an entry level vitamin (the exact one I have to be exact aside that mine is in the platinum color) and one of the professional series blender. I suppose it all comes down to the amount you are willing to spend on it!
Total Nutrition Center
Professional Series 750 Heritage Collection
Food Processor
This next item is also essential, a food processor is very similar to a blender, although there are some things that must be done in a food processor as it does a better job at chopping and mixing the ingredients while chopping them. Think an homemade salsa, if you would proceed with a blender, the bottom ingredients would be pulverized and the top ingredients would still be in chunks. A food processor mixes the ingredients as it chops them, to ensure they are mixed well and that all of the ingredients are chopped equally. Both options below are great, I recommend these since they have a big capacity.
Hamilton Beach 12-Cup
Kitchen Aid 11-Cup
Instant Pot
My instant pot is definitely one of my most used equipment. I use it almost daily. For those of you who don’t know what an instant pot is, it is an electric pressure cooker. This 7-in-1 version is their latest version and has the most gadgets. I use mine to make curries, soups, chowders, beans, grains, rice, yes rice. I use this as my own rice cooker. If you are interested in getting one, skip the next item on this list.
7-in1 Instant Pot
Rice Cooker
Now, if you are not interested in getting the instant pot (previous item), then I highly recommend getting a rice cooker. Aside from my father in law (who by now I’m sure has magical rice cooking powers), people usually suck at cooking rice, myself included. One time out of two I would ace it, the other half I would either burn the bottom of the pot or end up with a white mush. Getting yourself a rice cooker will avoid that daily gamble. Below are 3 different rice cookers at 3 different price points. The choice is yours.
Cuckoo 6-Cup
Zojirushi 5.5-Cup
Aroma 8-Cup
Stand-Mixer
In my opinion, a stand mixer is a must. You can make all types of dough with this thing without throwing out your shoulder. Here is the one I have.
Kitchenaid Ultra Power 4.5Quart Series in Ice Blue
Juicer
Now, a juicer is not essential, although it is fun to have during those hot summer days. The possibilities are endless with homemade juices with only a fraction of the calories!
Breville 2-Speed
Hand Blender
A hand blender is a thing of beauty. Being relatively cheap, it is a great tool to have if you’re either a cheap cook, a student living in a dorm without access to a personal kitchen, a traveling foodie, or anyone really. For it’s size and travelling capacity, this tool is amazing. You can blend your soups or refried beans with this thing in no time.
Cuisinart 2-Spead Hand Blender with Chopper Attachment
Mandolin
A mandolin is kind of a cherry on top item. It’s not necessary, although it comes in handy when you are making a coleslaw or some homemade potato chips. It can save you a lot of time and give you professional results, just make sure to use the handle for safety.
Benriner Japanese Mandoline
Julienne Peeler
The two following items are similar in a way, this julienne peeler is quite fascinating. Being to compact, it’s a great tool to bring with you to the cottage or camping in order to spice up your salads. My favourite thing to use it on is carrots and cucumbers.
3-in-1 with Cleaning Brush
Spiralizer
This item does a similar job to the julienne peeler above, although it does more. More you say? Yes more, introduce, homemade curly fries. I make these fries on a weekly basis, you could say I’m obsessed. I simply toss the potatoes with my seasonings of choice and bake them on top of the non-stick silicone mats (mentioned below).
3-in-1 Stationary Spiralizer
Dehydrator
A dehydrator is certainly a “luxury” item, as in it’s not a necessity. I love mine, which is the 4-tray listed below. I use it to make homemade crackers and wraps, and my delicious tofu bacon. If you are interested in purchasing one, don’t forget to get some non-stick dehydrator sheets. These are especially handy when you’re dehydrating something that’s wet/soft such as fruit roll-ups for example since it avoids the mixture to seeps through the grid cracks.
Excalibur 4-Tray
Excalibur 9-Tray
Non-Stick Dehydrator Sheets 5-Pack
Tofu Press
If you eat tofu once or twice a week, I would recommend getting a tofu press, especially if you have the habit of marinating it. I find that pressing my tofu before mixing in the marinade removes all of the excess moisture from the tofu which turns it kind of into a sponge, making it super absorbent for the marinade.
EZ Tofu Press (amazon.com)
Non-stick silicone mats
These are god sent. I mean, I hope you already have them in your kitchen. If not, here are two links to super cheap and affordable mats. I’ve seen these for as much as 50$ for 1 mat in some kitchen appliance stores. Since then, they’ve become more popular and many companies produce them, even Amazon themselves! These mats will enable you to remove all cooking oils from your diet, nothing sticks to these, I swear. Plus, they will save you a lot of money that you would have spent on parchment paper.
Artisan (pack of 2 mats)
Amazon (pack of 2 mats)
Food Scale
A food scale is again not essential, although very useful, especially when it comes to baking. I use to never weigh my ingredients and the recipes I would follow would always turn out slightly off. Weighing baking ingredients is a must.
Digital Food Scale
French Rolling Pin
Another must in baking is a rolling pin. This specific one is great for a wide variety of things such as for pizza dough to wonton wrappers and dumpling skins. The fact that the ends are small makes them ideal to roll out small dough balls since it provides good control compared to traditional rolling pins.
20-Inch Wood Rolling Pin
Baguette Pan
If you’re a fan of baking, you should really give baking your own baguettes it a shot. It’s a great conversation starter at wine and cheeses (vegan cheese of course!).
2-Baguette Pan
Mini Muffin Tin
Mini muffin tins are great for small bites (savoury) or small snack balls (sweet). These two below are oddly the same price, so I would recommend the 48-cup version unless your oven is tiny.
Norpro 24-Cup
Wilton 48-Cup
Mason (Glass) Jars
Mason jars are one of my go-tos. I use them as storage for my grains and beans, I use them as storage for my homemade dressings in the fridge, I use them for canning of course and I also use them for my breakfasts. I make overnight oats on a daily basis during the week and always store them in a 500ml mason jar. A great thing I recently discovered are these plastic caps, these never rust and are much easier to clean. I would stick to the traditional metal ones for canning, but use the plastics ones for all the rest. Some plastic caps even have a mouth opening so you can turn your mason jar into a on-the-go drinking cup.
500ml Regular Opening Jar
Plastic Caps for Regular Openings
Drinkable Cap for Regular Openings
750ml Wide Opening Jar
Plastic Caps for Wide Openings
Drinkable Cap for Wide Openings
Canning Funnel
A canning funnel is a must when canning and making overnight oats. My oats would always make a mess until I decided to purchase one of these.
Cuisinox Stainless Steel
Plastic Funnel
Squeeze Bottles
These bottles are great to store homemade sauces and dressings in the fridge, plus they make a cute drizzle when you feel like being fancy.
Wilton 2-Set