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This article is not intended to be a holiday gift wish-list
so if you or someone you know has requested a new kitchen
appliance, make sure you check the reviews before making a
final purchase. If you are looking at a new appliance, keep
in mind how it can be used for making healthy food choices.
Some of the suggestions for healthy meals include eating
food from all five food groups: protein, grains, fruits and
vegetables and milk, watching portion size as well as
preparing the food in a healthy way like skipping the deep
frying. In addition to preparing healthy food, a home
cooked meal can limit the need for picking up food at a
restaurant, which in turn can also help with the household
food budget.
Blender/immersion blender
can be used for a lot of different foods and are a great way
to add more fruits and vegetables to the diet. One easy way
is to create some tasty smoothies with both fruit and
vegetables. Looking for something warm and cozy? The
blender can be used to puree vegetable soups like potato
soup, butternut squash soup – any soups that would be thick
and creamy. In addition to the traditional blender with a
base and motor that sit on the countertop, an immersion
blender can be used for those same types of recipes. The
immersion blender is handheld and “immersed” right into the
pot of soup or tall container for the smoothie. It takes up
less space than a larger blender but cannot do all the same
jobs – mainly it’s not great for crushing ice.
Slow Cooker -
One
advantage of cooking food in slow cooker is that it helps
keep it tender. This allows for the use of less expensive
cuts of meat that are lower in fat because slow cooking
tenderizes the meat. Liquids do not boil away like on the
stovetop and slow cooking keeps more of the natural juices
and flavors of foods. While the slower cooker is a great
option for less expensive cuts of meat, don’t forget, the
slow cooker can also be used for soups, side dishes
including vegetables and fruits and even overnight for hot
breakfast options.
Pressure Cooker –
Although stove top pressure cookers have been around for a
while, in the past few years’ electric pressure cookers have
become more popular. Although different companies make them,
Insta Pot is probably the most commonly recognized brand.
The pressure cooker uses pressure to heat the food hotter
and faster than a pot on the stove. One advantage is that
they cook food fast. Many models of electric pressure
cookers offer different settings such as sautéing, warming,
sometimes yogurt making and pressure cooking. Although they
have the word “pressure” in the name, they are just used for
cooking. An electric pressure cooker cannot be used safely
for canning food that requires pressure canning. You would
need to own a pressure canner for that kitchen task.
Air fryer -
The main health advantage of air fryers is that they do not
require oil to cook the food. Food prepared in the air fryer
is crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside.
The air fryer cooks small batches of food in a way similar
to a convection oven. The extremely hot air is circulated
around the food using a mechanical fan for the crispy
outside.
Many of the previously mentioned foods and recipes can
usually be made with basic kitchen tools such as pans
and baking sheets and a stovetop or hotplate or an oven
(even a small toaster oven as long as the baking sheet
fits). Having different kitchen tools can offer
different advantages but that doesn’t mean that you need
any new equipment. Use what you have – pull out the
tools you haven’t used in a while. Try a new recipe or
update an old one.
Information compiled from University Nebraska Lincoln
and Iowa State University Extension
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