Recommended Resources – Cooking

Sometimes you buy a kitchen gadget that’s supposed to make your life super easy, and 5 years later, you still wonder why, since after the first try, it’s been sitting unused in a cabinet all this time. But then there are others, that you (I) sometimes buy on a whim, or because you need it for one recipe, and it turns out to be something you use every day and can’t imagine living without. These are those things in my kitchen (I will be adding to the list as I discover new things):

Le Creuset French Oven. I got this one on sale a long time ago, and it is fabulous! We use it for all our stews and soups and one-pot meals, cook beans in it, and I also use it to fry onions on the grill (because I hate the smell of onions in the house). It’s gorgeous, incredibly sturdy, and clean up is super easy! A bit of an investment but worth every penny.

Use it for these recipes:
Vegan chickpea cauliflower stew
Pasta with carrot sauce
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Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine. When I bought this, I was still eating dairy and I just wanted it so that I could create flavors I couldn’t find in the store. I loved it from the start, but it really came in handy when I gave up dairy. At that time, there weren’t nearly as many non-dairy ice cream options as there are now, and I had a lot of fun experimenting with coconut-milk based ice cream (still do!). It’s so easy to use and as long as you follow the instructions, the ice cream comes out perfect every time. And you can make sorbet and frozen yogurt in it too.

Use it for these recipes:
Vegan raspberry rum coconut ice cream
Ginger coconut milk ice cream
Vanilla licorice ice cream
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Cuisinart 14 Cup Food Processor. I wasn’t sure how much use I would get out of this, but it’s another one that I almost don’t put away because I use it so often. I have never been disappointed with its performance, and you can put all parts in the dishwasher. I had a mini-prep version of this too, but I never, ever used it, and ended up selling it at our latest yard sale. I guess I only make big batches of stuff… and the fewer appliances taking up space in the cupboards, the better!

Use it for these recipes:
Chickpea burgers with tzatziki and hot sauce
Chickpea spread
Crispy tortillas with black beans and cole slaw
Chickpea curry dip
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Slow Cooker. I actually use this less than I thought I would, but I still recommend it because it makes the best black bean soup! And cooks beans perfectly. And it IS super easy to just throw things in and let it do its thing all day. I bought it because I thought I would be able to cook stews with onion in the winter without having the house stink of food, but that is not the case. I haven’t experimented with it too much yet, will need to come up with some new recipes for it.
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Cast Iron Skillet. My Mom had the same cast iron skillet for at least 40 years and used it for almost everything. While they are heavy, I consider them a must in any kitchen. I like the ones from Emerilware because of the handle in front – super useful when moving them, especially while they’re hot. I have one large and one small and use mine for everything from heating tortillas to baking (since they can go in the oven).

Use it for these recipes:
Tortilla rollups
Crispy tortillas with black beans and cole slaw
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Stainless Steel Bowl with Lid. I bought this when I was on the candida diet and ate salads every day. I didn’t have time to make my lunch salad to bring to work every morning, so I made a big batch every few days and kept it in this. We still use it for salads all the time and the lid is sturdy enough that you can put things on top of it, so even though the larger sizes do take up quite a bit of space in the fridge, it’s not that bad. Note that the lid is not secured tightly in the bowl, so it doesn’t really work for transporting food unless you tape it down.
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Handheld Grater. I use this almost daily for garlic, ginger, cheese, cucumber, anything I want to quickly add to a dish.

Use it for the Tzatziki in this recipe:
Chickpea burgers with tzatziki and hot sauce
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Salad Spinner. Another item we use almost daily. Every time I cook in a kitchen that doesn’t have one of these, I’m astonished. How do they manage without one?! I spin all leafy greens and herbs in mine.
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Coffee Press. I don’t know how many coffee making machines and gadgets I have tried, but the coffee press is my favorite by far. Once you’ve figured out the right ratio and steep time for your taste, there is no quicker and easier way to make truly delicious coffee. And I love the design of the one we have (“Eileen” from Bodum).
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Tea Infuser. I always use loose leaf tea, both black and herbal, and you get the best flavor and draw the most out of the herbs when they have enough space to expand while steeping. Those little round mesh things are cute, but not for me; I love the infusers from ForLife, they are large and sturdy and the holes are tiny so you don’t end up with a mouthful of tea leaves at the end of the cup. They sell them separately and with mugs, and I like the ones that come with the mugs better, because the handle is covered and you don’t burn yourself when taking it out of the tea.

Use it with these recipes:
Chai Tea: How To Make Your Own Health Promoting Loose Leaf Blend
Caffeine-Free Herbal Chai Tea
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Coffee Grinder. These small and inexpensive machines are perfect not only for coffee beans, but also for spices and flax seeds. And they last for a long time. I have had the same one for years and use it almost daily, and it still works perfectly.

Use it for these recipes:
Homemade Iced Coffee Using Espresso Coffee Beans
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Popcorn maker. A machine that might seem unnecessary, you can after all pop corn in a pot, but this is so much easier – and no burned kernels. I bought mine when I was going through NAET treatments and a) couldn’t go in the kitchen for 25 hours after a treatment and b) wasn’t allowed to eat “anything” (popcorn was usually fine). This machine really saved me during that time; I used this in the living room and lived on popcorn after the treatments. I still love it, it is really quick and makes perfect popcorn every time.
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Drinking Glasses With Lids. These glasses are the best! Also known as “working glasses”, they are super thick and sturdy. I use them as drinking glasses mostly, but you can also use them for food storage. I like the lid for when someone in the house has a cold; you can just cover your glass when you’re not drinking from it and prevent germs from landing in your water.

Note: This page contains affiliate links, but please know that every product I recommend and every store I promote, I actively use myself, and should they give me reason to not continue to recommend them, I will remove them from the list.