Everyday Essentials For The Conscientious Cook

Kitchens come in all shapes and sizes. A studio apartment kitchen may not have the luxury of space but there are five essential appliances you shouldn’t be without no matter the size of your creative space. SO whether you are de cluttering or just starting out, including this fantastic five will make everyday kitchen tasks simpler, faster and save you time and frustration. 

An electric mixer

There are two options for an electric mixer: a stand mixer or a hand mixer. If you bake a lot, you should probably get a stand mixer. It’s the number-one recommended kitchen splurge for avid bakers. In short, it will make your life easier as you can leave it to be doing it’s thing while preparing the next ingredient.

If you’re not a big baker, most home cooks do fine with just a hand mixer for the occasional mixing task — beating egg whites, making whipped cream, or getting a smooth cake batter. Either way the time and wrist sprain saved makes it work it’s weight in gold!

A food processor

This is the one tool that can do so many things in the kitchen. A larger capacity is really handy if you have a family to feed, or you like to double or triple whatever recipe you’re working on. That being said, don’t discount how much you can do with a mini-prep food processor! There is plenty to be done in a smaller model and especially handy for the solo chef.

A blender

A blender of some kind is an incredibly useful tool to have in the kitchen. But there’s a great debate over whether you need a countertop blender, or if you can get by with an immersion blender. If you go the countertop route, it’s probably worth it to upgrade to a high-end model for the sheer power and versatility. But if you’re low on space and need a reliable, multi-functioning tool that’ll whip or purée with ease, an immersion blender is the way to go. Check out sites such as Blender Friend, which can give you an insight into which type is best to suit your lifestyle. 

A pressure cooker

Enjoying a massive revival is the cult of the pressure cooker, so much so that it deserves a spot in every kitchen. It beats out the slow cooker, especially if you’re tight on space. As pressure cooking cooks food faster than conventional cooking methods, it also saves energy. Image

An electric kettle

I know it sounds an obvious choice but an electric kettle is one of those deceptively essential small appliances, Perhaps you don’t think it’s necessary – until you have one that is. It’s only then you realise you use it all the time, possibly more than any other single small appliance in your kitchen. It’s far more energy-efficient than boiling water on the stove, and 10 times as fast. If you drink a fair amount of coffee or tea, it’s a game-changer. Now available in almost every colour of the rainbow you can match it to the rest of your kitchen decor with ease Image