It's been a while since our last kitchen gear guide and we're way overdue for a new one.
We've got lots of awesome equipment to share with you today, all of which will make your cooking and food prep tasks easier and more fun. Let's keep this intro short and dive right in, shall we?
Quick-Jump Links
- Stand mixer
- Blender
- Digital scale
- Mortar and pestle
- Mandoline slicer
- Dutch oven
- Pasta machine
- Glass jars and terrines
- Air fryer
The KitchenAid 600 Series stand mixer. ($500–$900, depending on color)
KitchenAid “Professional 600 Series” 6-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer »
The KitchenAid Pro 600 Series stand mixer has the capacity to make up to 13 dozen cookies in a single batch and boasts 10 speeds to thoroughly mix, knead, and whip ingredients quickly and easily. And like their classic “Artisan” mixer, the 600 Series can be upgraded with various attachments for rolling out pasta, grinding meat, and more.
Check this Amazon listing to see a bunch of the available colors, or head here for that gorgeous “Plum Berry” edition.
+ Read our original post here.
The Vitamix 5200 blender. ($414–$436, depending on color)
Vitamix 5200 “Legacy Series” Blender »
With a motor that peaks at two full horsepower, the Vitamix 5200 “Legacy Series” is “just a blender” in the same way an ECM Technika is “just a coffee maker.” The blade friction alone is enough to heat soup to steaming in 10 minutes or less! Not that we'd necessarily recommend preparing soup that way, but simply knowing it can do that? ?
You can do just about anything with this bad boy. Frozen fruit smoothies, soups from frozen veggies, nut butters, pancake/crepe batters, baby food, guacamole and salsa, pesto, silky smooth purées, quickly chopped onions, slaws, DIY rice flour…do we need to keep going?
+ Read our original post here.
The MyWeigh KD-7000 digital scale. ($59)
MyWeigh KD-7000 Digital Scale »
The MyWeigh KD-7000 is an extremely accurate mid-sized digital scale for all your home baking and other cooking needs. It can hold up to about 15lb/7kg of weight, and is extremely accurate no matter what mode you use:
| Mode: | Capacity: | Resolution: |
|---|---|---|
| Pounds : Ounces | 15 lb : 7 oz | 0.05 oz |
| Pounds | 15.450 lb | 0.002 lb |
| Ounces | 246.9 oz | 0.05oz |
| Grams | 7,000 g | 1 g |
| Kilograms | 7.000 kg | 0.001 kg |
We love the big backlit display that's easy to read from all angles, the sturdy scale platform that's easy to wipe down, and the fact that the device doesn't overwhelm the user with extra functions/buttons.
+ Read our original post here.
Libertyware's granite mortar and pestle. ($21)
Libertyware Granite Mortar and Pestle »
The mortar and pestle is one of those technologies that, like the wheel, is just as useful today as it was thousands of years ago. This granite one is a real attention-grabber too, worthy of keeping on display.
Whether you need to grind whole spices, crush cloves of garlic, prepare a proper pesto sauce, or make your own restaurant-style guacamole, it’s an age-old tool that won’t let you down — no electricity required!
+ Read our original post here.
The Japanese-made Benriner mandoline slicer. ($49–$63, depending on size)
Benriner Mandoline Slicer with 4 Japanese Stainless Steel Blades »
A mandoline slicer is one of those tools that, if you can get over the danger factor, can be absolutely indispensable for quickly slicing and julienning veggies and hard fruits, whether you're working at home or in a professional kitchen.
Practice those knife skills all you want, but you'll never beat the speed and clean consistency of a good mandoline.
+ Read our original post here.
Lodge's enameled cast iron Dutch oven. ($70)
Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven »
Lodge's enameled cast iron Dutch oven works just as well as those fancy French ovens at a fraction of the price. You’d have to be running a high-output professional kitchen to tell the difference.
Like any Dutch oven, the 6-quart Lodge model is a true workhorse that will serve you well for braising, baking, broiling, roasting, sautéing, simmering, and frying up all kinds of meals. The large size and heavy construction makes it ideal for soups, stews, sauces, and pastas, as well as oven-made casseroles and even baking bread.
You could find uses for it every day for the rest of your life.
+ Read our original post here.
The Marcato Atlas 150 hand-crank pasta machine. ($80)
Marcato Atlas 150 Hand-Crank Pasta Machine »
This time-tested manual pasta machine is a real pleasure to use and has helped generations of home cooks quickly and consistently produce rustic pasta that would make Nonna proud.
It’s not dubbed the “Ferrari of the pasta machine world” for nothing.
+ Read our original post here.
Le Parfait's “Super” glass jars. (prices vary)
Le Parfait “Super” Glass Jars and Terrines »
Le Parfait's iconic, beautiful glass jars have been made in France since the 1930s. With their wide mouths and signature orange rubber hermetic seals, they're just as useful today for long-term food preservation, canning, pickling, fermentation, and storage of bulk dry goods.
In addition to being useful in your own home, these jars are perfect vessels for gifting your homemade delicacies to friends and loved ones.
+ Read our original post here.
The NuWave Brio air fryer. ($100)
NuWave “Brio” 6-Quart Air Fryer »
If you’ve never tried the gloriousness that is an air fryer, you’ve really been missing out. NuWave’s 6-quart “Brio” is a very highly rated model we recommend.
Like all air fryers, the Brio doesn’t actually fry foods at all, it simply circulates hot air at high speeds to not only cook foods perfectly evenly but also sear their outsides to a crispiness that tastes fried, without requiring a bunch of unhealthy oil.
Just about any frozen food comes out of this thing better than any oven-cooked version you’ve ever tried. It’s perfect for cranking out batches of amazing homemade fries (just a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt does wonders), quickly roasting veggies, cooking all kinds of meats (burgers, bacon, pork chops, chicken wings, and many more)...the sky’s the limit.
Heck, you can roast an entire chicken in this thing in an hour or less! And the results are way better than any pre-cooked rotisserie chicken you’ll ever buy at the store.
+ Read our original post here.