Because we spend countless hours in the kitchen coming up with delicious, easy-to-prepare, nutritious meal ideas for the Eat REAL America community, as you can imagine, we have our favorite kitchen gadgets and utensils.

Keep in mind, when it comes to kitchen gadgets, we are picky…they have to be affordable, useful and convenient…we don’t need just another pointless kitchen tool taking up space!

Get your list ready!

 

 

 

• Ninja Express Chop: this is one of our all-time favorite gadgets…similar to a mini food processor, it will make dressings, salsa, hummus and pesto, and will also chop nuts.  It has the power of a food processor, but a lot less hassle to drag out and clean.  Another favorite trick is to use it to chop vegetables to hide them in a variety of meals such as sloppy joes and marinara sauces – it will finely chop a raw sweet potato in just a few seconds, and does an excellent job of shredding Brussels sprouts, carrots and other veggies!  Whatever it takes for those picky eaters…and we’re not just talking about the kids!

 

 

 

 

• Chef’s Knife:  this knife is versatile enough to do everything from chopping herbs to butchering a chicken.  It is great for chopping, slicing and dicing fruits, vegetables and meats!  Look for an 8″ or a 10″ knife that feels comfortable.  Even if it appears intimidating at first, give it a try — you may decide this is the only knife you need!

 

 

 

 

 

• Slow Cooker:  there is nothing better than coming home to a meal that has cooked low and slow all day and is ready to enjoy!  The removable inserts make cleanup much easier.  At least a 6 quart size will work great with most slow cooker recipes — and look for one with the easy latch lid and automatic warm feature!

 

 

 

 

• Ninja Professional Blender:  this is not just any blender…the Ninja blender is a great alternative to a food processor.  The 72 oz pitcher has blades that go all the way up the center so it does a great job of chopping or crushing just about anything.  Then, with its easy-pour spout, it is ideal for the Banana Oat Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce, Pumpkin Almond Butter Bars, Super Pink Strawberry Raspberry Smoothie or Salsa Fresca, just to name a few.

 

 

 

 

• Air Pop Popcorn Popper:  back to the basics and the perfect snack!  So simple and the whole family will love it.  Match this up with a mason jar full of popcorn kernels and you have the perfect unique gift!  Air-pop popcorn can be easily seasoned with just olive oil and sea salt, or get creative and check out our other flavor combinations such as pizza-flavored popcorn and kettle korn!

 

 

 

• Olive Oil Sprayer:  great for spraying veggies before roasting or grilling and works great to add to air-popped popcorn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Garlic Press:  quick and easy way to mince fresh garlic!  Of course, you can buy jarred minced garlic, but for the ultimate fresh garlic flavor, a garlic press will easily let you mince fresh garlic cloves.  For added convenience, look for pre-peeled garlic cloves in the produce section at your local store.

 

 

 

 

 

• Spiralizer:  our favorite gadget to turn veggies into noodles and make zucchini noodles, sweet potato fries, parsnip fries, plus many more!  Available in a couple different varieties — our favorite is the crank version with 3 different blades for angel hair, spaghetti and ribbons.  So easy to use for all kinds of vegetables…carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, summer squash — if it doesn’t have a pit, you can probably spiralize it!  See more about the spiralizer.

 

 

 

 

 

• Mason Jars:  Possibly the most simple kitchen necessity…mason jars!  Half pint mason jars are perfect to mix up homemade dressings and ideal for overnight oatmeals…and so much more!  Plus, you can store just about anything in these handy little jars!  A great unique and thoughtful gift idea is homemade granola in mason jars…the Cranberry Coconut Granola is excellent for the holidays!  Perfect for co-workers, teachers and friends!

 

 

A few other ideas we love:

 

• Cast iron skillet
• Dutch oven
• Wok
• Immersion blender
• Pineapple corer
• Microplane zester
• Salt and pepper grinders
• Citrus juicer
• Spice/coffee grinder
• Salad spinner
• Rice cooker
• Fine mesh colander (for rinsing quinoa!)

 

Hopefully this helps add some useful tools to your kitchen collection.

And, use these as gift ideas for your friends and family – they will be so happy you did!  If you know someone who needs a little motivation and assistance to follow through on their desire to enjoy more delicious and healthy meals at home, remember, there is always a gift membership for Eat REAL America or an Eat REAL Cookbook!

Please share with us…

do you have a favorite kitchen gadget we need to add to our list?