[Double Helix]

lovethesea, no appliance is worthwhile unless it is being used. So the question is, what kind of food person are you? Do you eat simple foods like fresh fruits, vegetables and salads, or do you plan on making a lot of gourmet recipes?

So...


If you are planning on eating fresh fruits & salads:

~Good knife (I love Santoku and ceramic knives)

~Bamboo cutting board - 1 extra for garlic, onions and ginger

~Salad scissors

~Microplane or ginger grater

~Garlic press, I like Zyliss

~Magic Bullet, Tribest or other personal sized blender for dressings


If you are planning on making smoothies, soups & puddings:

~Good quality high speed blender, such as a Blendtec or Vitamix


If you are planning to make all kind of gourmet recipes:

~ 11 or more cup food processor. High end would be a KitchenAid, mokre affordable would be a Black and Decker or Hamilton Beach

~Food dehydrator, high end and dependable would be Excalibur, also it is best for breads and no 'hole' in the middle, more affordable round with hole in the middle brands could be found at Walmart, make sure there is a thermostat or it's no good.

~Veggie spiralizer for making zuchinni pasta - Joyce Chen Saladacco for angel hair size noodles, Spirooli for spaghetti size noodles

~ High speed blender

For Nut Milks

~ Blender and nut bags or paint strainer bags from a home improvement store

-or-

~ A soy milk maker that has the option to make raw nut milks without heat

For opening young cocounts

~ Large, heavy wide butcher's type knife with a strong corner - for whacking out the shell

~ strong paring knife - to help with prying the shell off

~ metal slotted serving spoon - for spooning out meat

~ I use a dead head mallet sometimes if the paring knife needs assitance getting through the shell - took out from hubby's toolbox and is now in my kitchen drawer, he's not thrilled, but I use it much more than he!


For soaking & sprouting seeds/nuts/grains

~Large bowls or mason or quart jars

~Cloth and rubberbands for covering jars

~Mesh strainer


For making nut yogurts and cheeses

~cheesecloth & string for straining and hanging

~ glass jars or containers

Forgot to add...

For juicing

~ Basket style juicer for most fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apples, celery citrus, etc. (firm to soft) - I have gone through quite a lot of juicers and have found Breville Juice Fountain Plus to be excellent. The lower setting is for your juicier fruits like oranges and grapes, higher setting for harder foods like apples and carrots.

~ Twin gear juicer more specifically for greens and wheat grass. This juicer is slower and I don't have the patience, plus I throw my greens in my smoothies in the blender. Good brands are the Green Star, Green Life and Solo Star. These are excellent for making nut butters and fruit ice cream as they have a homogenizing feature.