I love a good appliance! And I love it even more when it makes my job as a mom and housewife easier! I don’t need to hand-mix all my cookies so my kids feel loved. They’re going to eat them regardless of how they were made. And take it from me, every mom deserves a helping hand – both in the kitchen and every other aspect of life.
I take my job as a product tester seriously! I have tried so many appliances and gadgets over the years. Some appliances stand the test of time because they are just that good and get better with every iteration. And some come out of the gates a 10 because of all the failed models before. So everything here absolutely has my stamp of approval.
Having said that, I will be the first to say that I’m a big believer in starting with the basics that you can afford. The kitchen appliances industry is getting better and more high-tech and there are so many good options out there at every price point. But whenever you can save up and invest in a really solid model of a product that you use often, you will have an appliance that will perform better and last longer. This is especially true for kitchen appliances!
INSTANT POT | SILICONE MEASURING CUP | OIL BOTTLE
1) PRESSURE COOKER
In my opinion, every kitchen should have a pressure cooker. Or every busy mom should. It’s a sealed pot, with a lot of steam inside, that builds up high pressure, which helps your food cook faster. In a nutshell. You can cook everything from beans and soups to chicken and eggs. Heck, I even saute my veggies in it. I can cook frozen or raw chicken in 12 minutes and they are awesome in this chicken taco dinner I do for my family. I have the Instant Pot brand and I may be biased but I think it’s the best. As one reviewer says:
“I’m pretty sure that Instant Pots are made from magical unicorn horns and the tears of rainbow-colored manatees … Since it arrived, I’ve used the thing almost every single day. Sometimes more than once a day. I’ve made, literally, gallons of yogurt, hard-boiled eggs that peel like they’re just wearing little jackets they want to take off and haven’t bought a single box or bag of instant rice and probably never will again. I’m systematically working my way through cookbooks and blogs, and my husband’s wondering why we didn’t buy one of these years ago.”
I couldn’t have written it better myself!
My Model: Instant Pot 6 Qt
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SHOP MY FAVORITE APPLIANCES
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SLOW COOKER | MEASURING SPOONS | WOODEN BOWLS | BUTTER DISH
2) SLOW COOKER
It’s like the lazy man’s (or woman’s) secret weapon. Get up, get your kids ready for school, and while they’re eating breakfast, toss a bunch of stuff into your slow cooker and get it out at dinner time. It’s seriously that easy!
My Model: All-Clad Gourmet Plus Slow Cooker with All-In-One Browning, 7-Qt
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3) CREPE MAKER
At just under $40 some of you might not consider this a splurge. But someone told me the other day that you don’t absolutely need one of these in your kitchen to survive *gasp* and so here it is. While we don’t have an extra packed in our 72-hour kits, this crepe maker does get us through a lot of meals. You can make them savory or sweet, thick or thin, and they are appropriate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just ask the French. Plus, I have a killer gluten-free crepe recipe so now you have no excuses. This is one kitchen gadget that is totally worth splurging on.
My Model: Cucina Pro Crepe Maker
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4) PROFESSIONAL BLENDER
If you’re a serious cook who makes a lot of pureed soups, sauces from scratch or enjoys a morning smoothie, then a high-end blender should be at the top of your wish list. There are less expensive options out there, but a blender that works quickly, efficiently, doesn’t stop every time you drop a piece of ice in it and gives you a smooth consistency needs to be on your list. These are also great for making nut butter, ice cream, pesto…just toss in your ingredients and blend!
My Model: Blendtec Professional 800 Blender
Comparable Models: Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender | Vitamix
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5) FOOD PROCESSOR
There’s a reason everyone from Ina Garten to restaurant chefs to every person who likes to cook or bake swear by this multi-purpose kitchen tool. Whether it’s lightening-quick veggie slicing and shredding, pastry mixing or pesto making, this is the one that kinda does it all. I love this for a fool-proof salsa (watch the super amazing chopping below) and pie crust is a cinch. Buy this before Thanksgiving hits and you’ll impress your MIL and probably your own mother. Seriously, this is one of my favorites!
My Model: KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor
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6) TOASTER OVEN
The official name of the one I have is a ‘Gourmet Countertop Oven‘ but it’s really just a fancy name for a toaster oven. And everyone should own one. It cooks a pizza just like an oven, is bomb.com for sweet potato fries, and comes in clutch at Thanksgiving when you’ve run out of oven space and need to cook one more side dish or pie. Using a toaster oven instead of a full-sized oven for smaller jobs also avoids heating up your house or waiting forever for your full-size oven to heat up! Countertop ovens preheat very quickly! Plus, they’re so much safer for kids to use than a large oven, allowing them to gain cooking independence.
The one I have has seven cooking modes: Proof, Warm, Roast, Bake, Broil, Toast and Bagel.
Earlier this summer I actually went to an event where the celebrity appearance was a toaster oven! And it was soooo fancy. You can read about the toaster oven that recognizes your food, has a camera, and can be run from an app on your phone!
My Model: Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven
Wallet-Friendly Option: BLACK+DECKER Countertop Convection Toaster Oven
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7) STAND MIXER
You can juice, make sauce, juice citrus, grind food, make ice cream, roll and cut pasta, grind grains, make ravioli, slice, dice, shred, and julienne vegetables, grate cheese, and cut veggies into sheets…and these are just the attachments. You can also get a wire whip, flat beater, dough hook, edge beater, and spiral dough hook just for mixing! There’s a reason why KitchenAid has had a corner on this market for so long — their stand mixers are beautiful and strong and built to last. And I use it regularly to make everything from making protein bites, cookies, brownies, rolls, cake, whip cream – everything. Even with tons of use, the motor in my stand mixer continues to perform like a champ, and the mixer itself still looks lovely on my countertop (except for the lovely paint chip – this poor thing has made many moves). And you can get them in pretty much any color!
My Model: KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
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Honestly? These gadgets make my life so much easier! And like I said above, go with a model that fits in your budget or save up to buy something you think you’ll get a lot of use out of. What I love about the models I have, they’ll last forever. I wouldn’t be surprised if I have most of these, if not all of them, 20 years from now. They’re quality appliances and are made by companies who are still making things that last!
If you have some of them, tell me below! And if you have any good recipes drop the links in the comments – especially the gluten-free ones!
Xx Tara
We have a crockpot, of course. We also have a pressure cooker and all the rest, but I’m on the hunt for a toaster over that does it all but won’t put me in the hole where I only have the choice to eat toast after I buy one.