Does the thought of chopping mountains of veggies and prepping elaborate meals leave you reaching for takeout menus? Break free from the kitchen time warp and embrace a world of speedy, stress-free vegan meals.
The secret weapon? It’s not a magic ingredient, but a collection of clever culinary companions. The solution to super-fast prep lies with kitchen gadgets that get the job done in a flash. Discover seven of the best kitchen gadgets, small appliances, and tools for making plant-based meals a breeze.
A Spiralizer for Creating Veggie Noodles
If you’re watching your carbs and are looking for alternatives to noodles, a spiralizer has you covered. Use it to make zucchini noodles to replace those flour-based noodles that do your blood sugar and waistline no favors. Making low-carb, nutrient-rich noodles is as simple as turning a knob with a spiralizer. In with the zucchini, or other firm veggie, and out with the “spaghetti” noodles.
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Cucumber
- Sweet potato (yams)
- Parsnips
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Beetroot
So, try a variety of veggie noodles and see which you enjoy most!
An Immersion Blender
The problem with standard blenders is you must transfer the food you’re trying to blend to the blender jug. Not with an immersion blender! This handheld device blends food in the pan you’re cooking for the ultimate in convenience. Plus, it costs less than a standard blender. It’s convenient and the clean-up is easier than trying to scrub a standard blender too.
Here are ways you can use an immersion blender:
- Blend nutrient-dense vegetables in the pot you’re cooking them in to create smooth and creamy soups like tomato, carrot, or butternut squash soup.
- Partially blend soups and stews to thicken them.
- Puree roasted vegetables into creamy sauces you can use on veggie noodles.
- Use one to make homemade marinara sauce.
- Puree vegetables like roasted red peppers or eggplants into creamy dips to create creamy and delicious sauces like hummus or baba ghanoush.
- Make vegetable-based spreads to add to sandwiches and wraps.
- Make smooth purees from vegetables like peas, carrots, or squash. Serve them as a side dish or add them to your recipes.
- Skip the storebought salad dressing and Blend vegies like tomatoes, cucumbers, or bell peppers into creamy salad dressings.
- Make savory custards from veggies.
Great Knives
If you’re chopping lots of vegetables, you need the right knives to do the job. The good news? You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get them. Look for knives with a full tang and a comfortable handle. The best quality knives are made from high carbon steel. If there’s not enough carbon content in the steel, your knife will eventually lose its edge and may even rust. Don’t buy junk knives from discount stores or dollar stores; they’ll dull quickly and won’t last long enough for you to make back your investment.
To keep your blades sharp:
- Never wash them in the dishwasher
- Don’t leave them lying around wet after washing (the moisture prevents them from drying properly).
- Never store them without their sheaths
A Food Processor
If you cook a lot of veggies, a food processor could become the workhorse in your kitchen. Here are some of the ways you can use a food processor to create plant-based meals:
- Make homemade hummus without the additives in commercial hummus.
- Use basil leaves, pine nuts, and olive oil to whip up a delicious home version of pesto.
- Make your own nut butter without added sugar.
- Shred vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and Brussels sprouts for coleslaw, salads, and stir-fries.
- Grate zucchini, potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Turn them into fritters or hashbrowns.
- Make chopping onions, carrots, celery, and other vegetables for soups, stews, and salads super-fast.
A Slow Cooker
A slow cooker is an old-fashioned gadget that looks like a large bowl, with handles on top. It heats food up slowly – which means you can toss ingredients into it in the morning and program it to keep what you cooked warm until you eat it at dinner. If you’re not sure what to cook in your slow cooker, here are ideas:
- Stews and soups (e.g., black bean soup)
- Sauces (e.g., tomato sauce)
- Beans (e.g., chickpeas)
- Lentils
- Whole grains
A slow cooker is a time saver because the cooking is hands-off. You add the ingredients, set the timer, and the cooker takes over. Who wouldn’t like a timesaving way to get dinner on the table?
Tea Infuser
Why not enjoy a delicious cup of antioxidant-rich tea with your home-cooked veggie meal? Make it yourself with tea leaves. Steeping loose leaf tea leaves yields a higher quality cup of tea than using tea bags. Plus, some tea bags are lined in plastic and release microplastics into hot water during steeping.
One study found that one tea bag can release billions of tiny plastic particles into your teacup. So, invest in a tea infuser instead. Look for one made of stainless steel to avoid the issue of plastic. Simply place your leaves in the infuser and place the infuser in a cup of hot water and let it steep. They’re easy on the budget too. Plus, you won’t burden the environment with more paper and plastic-coated tea bags.
Avocado Slicer
Who doesn’t love avocado with its creamy texture and heart-healthy fats? The downside is preparing avocados is challenging! Make it easier by investing in an avocado slicer. It’ll help you tackle those challenging pits and create uniform slices quickly. You’ll wonder why you didn’t grab one of these handy devices sooner!
Conclusion
Eating your veggies is simpler if you have the right tools to speed things up! Get ready to make veggie prep easier, so you can upgrade the nutrition of the meals you and your family eat without spending hours in the kitchen doing everything by hand.
References:
- “Plastic Teabags Release Billions of Microparticles and Nanoparticles ….” 25 Sept. 2019, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b02540.
- “Monounsaturated Fats | American Heart Association.” 25 Oct. 2023, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/monounsaturated-fats.
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