THE 5 ESSENTIAL KITCHEN APPLIANCES EVERYONE SHOULD OWN

Let’s play a game of “What if.” Let’s say you walk into an empty kitchen. What if you had only five appliances you are allowed to install in the empty kitchen? That’s a tough question and one that requires considerable debate. After all, it boils down to what you cannot afford to leave out of one of the most important rooms in your home.

In other words, what are the five essential kitchen appliances everyone should own?

Microwave

A microwave is arguably the most useful appliance in your kitchen. When you think about a microwave, you’re probably thinking about an appliance that heats up instant popcorn, as well as the delicious leftovers you made the day before. Yet, a microwave is much more than convenient appliance. Did you know that a microwave poses less of a risk for burns than other types of cooking appliances? Think about how the appliance heats food, but remains cool to the touch even after you open the door after a lengthy cooking session.

Because of cooking at lower temperatures, microwave cooking prevents the build up of char and tars. The carcinogenic substances present a significant health hazard, especially for vulnerable segments of the population such as children and the elderly. Using a microwave to heat up food before moving the food to a stove or grill dramatically reduces cooking times. Of course, heating up yesterday’s delectable dinner takes less time than putting the food into a conventional oven or within a large pan. Spinach retains nearly all of its healthy folate, while a standard oven loses about 77% of the nutrient.

Dishwasher

One of the longest running kitchen appliance debates of all time centers on whether washing dishes by hand or in a machine is the most effective way to clean pots, pans, plates, and silverware. You can make the point that washing dishes by hand is better for the ecosystem, with fewer chemicals leeching into the soil and less energy used by working with your hands. However, in today’s time strapped society, hand washing dishes is about as common as one of the Kardashian sisters staying out of the news for a year.

Advanced technological breakthroughs have made dishwashers much more eco-friendly. With the environmental argument diminished, adding a dishwashing machine to the kitchen is a no brainer for more reasons than saving you time. Dishwashers do a much better job of cleaning and rinsing dishes and we’re not just talking about food particles. We’re also talking about germs and bacteria. You need to wash dishes in water that exceeds 145 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent germs and bacteria from growing. Water dispensed from a faucet simply does not reach the proper dish cleaning temperature. Moreover, using water more efficiently by operating a dishwasher will save you money on the monthly water bill.

Blenders

Notice we went the plural version of blender. You can never have too many blenders in the kitchen, especially if you frequently host large dinner parties. Many blenders double as effective juicers to give you one of the most versatile appliances in the kitchen. The blending process is extremely quick and it takes little effort to load the ingredients for your favorite sauce or ice cream. Blenders represents one of the most accurate measuring tools, which is an essential task for anyone interested in cooking by the recipe. You never have to worry about using too much or not enough of one or more ingredients.

Multiple blenders allow you to designate each blender for a specific purpose. For example, you can use one type of blender for making a nutritious shake after a fat burning workout and then break out a second blender that specializes in creating delicious orange juice. Instead of going with a limited number of ingredients, you expand your culinary horizons by incorporating more ingredients into a blender. If you count calories, a blender can create just about every type of weight watching smoothie.

Slow Cooker

Ah, the soft, juicy pieces that fall off a side of braised beef is about the only reason you need to make a slow cooker one of the essential appliances you add to the kitchen. Slow cookers create delicious meals that pack plenty of nutrition. Think a slow cooked pot roast smothered in several different vegetables. Slow cookers save you time, but not by cooking food fast. The time saving attribute comes from the less time you have to spend over a hot stove cooking the family meal. You can run errands, work out at the gym, and even spend the entire day at work, while a slow cooker finishes your culinary masterpiece.

Slow cookers are great to have year round, not just during the winter months when hearty soups and stews rule the dinner menu. The essential kitchen appliance uses a lot less energy than other types of cooking appliances that include standard electrical ovens. Do you hate scrubbing down the oven after cooking a pot roast? With a slow cooker, you can wipe away the mess, as well as have to clean as many kitchen accessories.

Electric Stove

We mentioned how a slow cooker is a more efficient appliance than a standard oven. However, this doesn’t mean you have to leave a stove off of your five essential kitchen appliances list. We’re talking an electric stove and not a gas stove for several reasons. First, an electric stove is less expensive to install and maintain. Second, electric stoves a much easier to clean because of the lack of nooks that collect hard to get rid of grime and grease. Third, electric stoves that have smooth tops produce a more stable cooking surface for pots and fans. In addition, electric stoves are simple to turn on and off, and you never have to wonder if you left on of one of the gas burners. That brings us to our last point: electric stoves are safer to operate than gas stoves, as well as just as safe as using a slow cooker.

Why You Need Hoods in Your Kitchen

All of this cooking has got us wondering: How do you plan to keep the kitchen fume and smoke free? The answer is installing hoods that provide enough ventilation to keep the kitchen a healthy place to cook meals. Hoods filter by removing pollutants from the air and sending them outside via a rugged vent. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, yet odorless gas that you need to remove quickly by installing a hood system. By installing hoods in your kitchen, you can avoid hearing the timeless mantra, “If you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.” After you clean the kitchen, you don’t want eye watering chemicals to remain behind. A well ventilated kitchen hood system ensures you and your guests never have to deal with an unhealthy dose of Mr. Clean.