You have the essential kitchen tools, and you’re keeping your kitchen stocked with the essential ingredients that are unique to your dietary patterns and meal prep style. And maybe you've added a few extra tools to your kitchen's inventory from Part 1 and Part 2 of our Kitchen Tools that Make Meal Prepping even Better series. We're completing this three-part series with three more items!
[Microplane] Zester
Microplane is the brand, however, the style of zester is unique. Microplane zesters have sharper and longer-lasting blades than other zesters, making the process of zesting lemons, limes and oranges easy.
But this tool isn't just for zesting citrus. Use it to shave fresh parm over pasta, veggies and salads. If you need just a bit of fresh nutmeg, the Microplane is perfect for the job. It's especially awesome for grating fresh ginger root and garlic!
Yes, your standard box grater has a zester too, but its design will leave your hand and arm feeling strained. The Microplane is simply a grater zester. (Clever, right?!)
Electric Spice Grinder
Get a spice grinder to get the freshest, deepest flavors into your foods. Also get one for the olfactory pleasures it brings!
While spices will keep for about a year - especially if they’re stored in glass in a cool, dark place - they carry less flavor and aroma compared to their freshly ground counterparts. Richer flavor in your food means your food tastes amazing. Food that tastes amazing means you feel satisfied with your meal! More delicious and satisfying meals adds to a life well-lived.
You don’t need to grind absolutely everything. Find your own process as you explore the culinary world.
Perhaps one day you'll find yourself with a small container of whole cloves that you once purchased to mull a cider. Unless you’re making mulled cider A LOT, you’ll be looking for other ways to use those cloves. Why not grind them to make a your own spice blend that you can add to your coffee or banana bread?
Speaking of coffee, brew a pot made from whole beans freshly ground right in your kitchen! Just be sure you’ve washed out the grinder with hot soapy water and let it dry completely. Alternatively, you could add two grinders to your kitchen, reserving one for coffee, and the other for spices so there's less risk to flavors mixing.
If you’ve ground more coffee or spice than you need at one time, store the rest in a glass, air-tight container away from heat and light.
Here are a few spices you may love to grind fresh:
Cumin Seed
Coriander Seed
Cinnamon Bark
Star Anise
Nutmeg
Cloves
Cardamom Pods
Fennel Seed
Sous vide \ sü-ˈvēd \
If you never want to worry about overcooking chicken breast, steaks or fish ever again, you must get a sous vide! A sous vide is a heating element that keeps water at a constant, low temperature.
To cook food using a sous vide, you’ll season your vegetables, meat, fish or poultry just as you normally would. But rather than tossing them in a pan or the oven, you’ll place them in a plastic bag. Remove all the air. And place the bag in the water bath to cook.
You might finish your food with a quick sear or broil, serving the most juicy, perfectly tender dish you’ve ever prepared!
It might sound intimidating, perhaps unbelievable, but it’s really not! If you can follow a recipe, you should be able to sous vide.
Sous viding is low maintenance cooking with no need to hover over the stove! Use it to cook veggies, whole eggs, meat, fish or poultry. You can even use it to make yogurt! Sous awesome, right?!
That's a wrap for this series!
In case you missed them, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this three part series! Of course, these lists haven't been exhaustive, and there are many, many more tools and appliances to use in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed this series, let us know! Leave a comment below.
Interested in eating healthier but feel lost in the kitchen? Tired of spending an arm and a leg on take out?
Fabulous Nutrition can help with this. Founding registered dietitian-nutritionist, Alyssa Celotto, LOVES food. Along with teaching you what you need to know about food and nutrition, she'll give you the tools to implement your newfound knowledge through expert-created worksheets, recipes and direct culinary guidance. Before you know it, you'll be eating healthier, feeling energized and tossing ingredients together for dinner like a pro! Check out our services, or contact us if you're ready to start feeling fabulous.