Looking to make healthier choices? Perfect! This is Day 22 of 30 of my 30 Day Paleo Plan. For more information on 30 Day Paleo as well as 30 Minute Paleo, check out the get started page. Post each day on your 30 Day Paleo journey to Twitter or Instagram and show me by tagging me with @dranthonygustin — get after it!
Cutting out processed foods and sticking to high quality food sources often means a significant increase in home cooking. Now that you’re cooking more often, you may be seeing some limitations in the kitchen. Don’t worry, there’s a fix for that! Equipping yourself with the right tools in the kitchen will go a long way towards success.
If you were trying to build something beautiful that required screws, you wouldn’t use a hamemer instead of a drill and expect it to turn out well. If you’re trying to build a healthy body by cooking healthy food, use the right tools to get the right result.
Essentials
Great Knife
A great knife will make or break you in the kitchen. These are spendy but will be worth the investment. Constantly buying and prepping a lot of vegetables, you’re going to need a good way to process all of that produce. A good knife will make the journey much more navigable. Look for German or Japanese, 8-10 inch utility knife. Try a few out and see if you like a rounded or flat blade. Don’t go too cheap or you’ll end up replacing them more than you’d imagine.
Cast Iron Skillet
Much like a good knife, a good cast iron pan will last you a lifetime. The good news is that they’re a fraction of the cost. These are very versatile and can handle quite a beating. Use them to braise meat, create breakfast skillets or even desserts. They don’t leach weird chemicals into your food like other “non stick” pans you will find as well.
High Powered Blender
Vitamix or Blendtec are the only players in this game. Don’t try to go cheap – bad blenders are extremely frustrating. Blenders are so versatile, you’re going to wonder what you did without the high powered kind for so long. They are great for soups, sauces, shakes, dressings, nut butters, coconut oil, and on and on. We side with the Blendtec here, but that is extremely personal preference. Both do the job and do it well.
Slow Cooker
We’ve already highlighted the importance of the slow cooker on Day Eight. When you can do little work and even less clean up for a gourmet prepared bulk meal, it’s a no brainer. Stew, roasts, ribs, bone broth, soups, and more can are all easy in the slow cooker. Slow cookers are also relatively inexpensive. Pick one of these up and never look back.
Air Tight Containers
If you invest in fresh food, invest in keeping it fresh. The clip side glass storage containers are the best for doing so. You can easily toss these back into the oven to reheat. Salads or veggies that are prepped in advance last much longer in airtight containers. You will make your investment back on these containers without having to toss out expensive wilted produce. As an added bonus, they are easy to throw back in the oven (you’re not using a microwave, are you?) and reheat in the oven safe glass!
See our kitchen equipment guide for more information and recommendations. It may be expensive to get your kitchen fully stocked with quality equipment. But it will pay off in the long run because you’ll be able to prepare your food in ways that will keep you going back to the healthy choices.