'tools' to use

[kathy]

i am a bit confused about how to sort out waht is needed for 'tools' i am looking at a vitamix and also an excalibur 9 or 5. can anyone help me out here? does a raw foodist need these tools?
thanks for any answer.
kathy

[rawhippie]

absolutely.
i wouldn't be able to make much without the main tools recommended by most raw food chefs/authors:
vitamix
champion juicer
a good food processor
excalibur dehydrator
you could survice without them, however, these tools give you the ability to be more versatile with your creations, thus, never getting bored or tired of food.
for me, they've already proved to be their weight in gold. i love all my appliances as they help making food less of a chore. they've helped cut prep time in half which helps soooo much.
good luck shopping!!!

[elizabethh]

i hear from most raw foodies that the ktech is actually a better choice than a vitamix.
look at both though, and compare

[Kristen's Raw]

Here are the staples to have in your Raw Food Kitchen and get you started...

Chef ??s Knife
The thing you will be doing the most when prepping Raw food is ??.chopping. So, get a fantastic chef ??s knife for yourself. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Blender (high-powered, preferably)
When you are starting out, you can use any blender. As you start making more Raw foods with nuts and seeds, it will be very helpful to have a high-powered blender. My first choice is the brand Blendtec and my second choice is Vitamix. I have both of these and I always use my Blendtec first. It ??s easier to clean, has a digital display and panel, and it ??s fantastic. Vitamix is truly excellent as well, but I prefer the Blendtec.

Food Processor
12 or 14-cup is the best choice, because you will end up using it. I also highly recommend getting the extra discs when you can (1mm, 2mm, fine, shredding). I like both Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid brands.

Juicer
If you are going to juice a lot, then I recommend getting an excellent juicer. The brand I prefer is the Green Star. It juices wheatgrass so you don ??t need to buy a separate wheat grass juicer. The twin gears used to extract the juice maintain the integrity of the nutrients and enzymes so it does not oxidize immediately. This way, you can make a juice and store it in the refrigerator for the day (even 2-3 days studies show). If you use the centrifugal type juicer, you have to drink it immediately after juicing or it oxidizes.

Dehydrator
Excalibur is by far the best company. I highly recommend buying the 9-tray model instead of the 5-tray because you ??ll end up using all 9-trays. Trust me. There are so many things you can make with a dehydrator. Make sure you also get the teflex or paraflex non-stick sheets for each tray.

Spiralizer
You will use this handy tool to make vegetable pasta. The Spiralizer is a ??must have ?? for your Raw food kitchen.

Food Saver
See my blog (url below) for some info about how great the food saver is for Raw food

CHEERS!

[SnowBunny]

Kristen - Can you make nut butters with that blendtec??

[Kristen's Raw]

Yes, although I've not done it. When I make nut and seed butters, I use my food processor

[rawhippie]

you can do nut butters in the vitamix, too. the only problem is getting it out when it's done!

i use my champion with the "blank" plate to do butters, although i rarely make them at all.

i actually have been feeling lack luster in the kitchen this past week, my creative juices are at a stand still, it really stinks. i find myself eating a salted tomato over the sink for dinner most nights. other nights....raw cheese with LOTS of minced fresh local garlic.

what is my deal lately? i know how great i feel not only physically, but emotionally after i make/eat my food, where did all that go lately?

HELP!!!

[greenbunny]

Great list of tools Kristen!

I would like to add that you can't make nutbutters in a blendtec from what I understand without using oils whereas in my vitamix I use the plunger and make live nutbutters all the time.

The difference between raw nutbutter (wouldn't eat it if you paid me) and live nutbutter (manna from the heavens) is that when you make raw nutbutter you use raw nuts and when you make live nutbutter you use nuts that have been soaked and dehydrated (we are having a discussion on this topic elsewhere on this site).

I also use the champion with the blank in but it's not as good as the vitamix.

I also make it in my food processor - which also is not as good as the vitamix because of that nifty plunger.

If you can only get one other device besides the knife, personally I would make it the blender and then the dehydrator.

That being said, you don't really have to have anything but a knife and fork and a plate to eat raw food. All these tools just make it more interesting and fun.

Greenbunny

[greenbunny]

Rawhippie, no one keeps up doing wonders in the kitchen all the time and I personally believe that eating mono meals of plain single meals is the most natural way to eat. Don't worry. You are doing just fine.

Here, let me give you an idea if you are eating mostly tomatoes and cheese and italian like seasonings and you say you crave bread. Try this:

Take some manna bread (a slice or so) and break it up in a bowl. Add soaked pine nuts, raw feta cheese broken all up into little pieces, tomatoes, raw basil chopped up into itty bitty pieces (very little or it will overwhelm the taste), just a smattering of flax seed oil (or olive oil if you like), celtic sea salt and pepper. Very little cherry tomatoes work great (you might have to cut them in half to be the right size).

This is an amazing meal. It hits all your needy spots and it's oh so meditteranean.

Greenbunny

oh, and a little bit of oregano. yes, oregano does add a nice flavor