Venturing out and attempting new recipes or flavours doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a few little helpers, changing up how you prepare food can make the world of difference in flavour and prompt you to reassess your cooking skills!
I personally am not a fan of being in the kitchen and creating meals, so finding appliances and utensils that make my time more effective and my space less messy are crucial. These are some of the kitchen essentials I use on a daily/weekly basis!
FOOD CHOPPER/PROCESSOR
Great uses include chopping onion and garlic to avoid teary eyes. Also can chop up the whole vegetable in just a few seconds with minimal mess!
Any other vegetables that have a course to fine consistency such as dips and bliss balls work great in these too. Mini ones take up little space in the cupboard or you can go all out and get a larger more dynamic variety.
PRICE
From as low as $15-$20 at department stores like Target and Big W
More advanced and higher quality brands can be $100+.
GARLIC CRUSHER/PRESS
Avoid the fiddly effort of slicing small cloves of garlic
and use the press for a quick and consistent outcome that can be evenly distributed over steamed greens or into a variety of more complex recipes. This is a great way to add some flavour to your less favourite vegetables making them enjoyable.
PRICE
Between $15-$25 commonly
found in homewares stores as well as department stored like Kmart, Big W and Target.
^ leave out butter for vegan option. Personally, just using olive oil is fine.
STEAMER
Many vitamins and mineral can leech out of vegetables into the water during boiling processes. Using a steamer softens fresh produce such as broccoli, cauliflower and beans whilst retaining their nutritional value. Make sure to only steam for a couple of minutes. Keep vegetables crunchy!
PRICE
Depending on brand and amount of sections these can range between $15-$60. Electric types are a bit more expensive at around $40-$100.
MANDOLINE SLICER
Speed up and have consistent slices when using small to large fruit and vegetables. Changeable settings allow for different thickness depending on your recipe. Great for eggplant or zucchini lasagne recipes as well as sliced tomato, cucumbers and onions. Make a salad in a matter of seconds!
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PRICE
$15-$40 depending on brand and amount of attachments included.