Cooking is much more than a chore for many people. It’s a great hobby and can be a gratifying and relaxing experience. However, cooking elaborate meals can take a lot of time. That can be inconvenient if you have a busy schedule and easily make you not want to cook. Luckily, you don’t have to do all the hard work alone. This article will explore some of the essential kitchen appliances that make cooking much faster and easier. They will help you take your cooking to the next level without sweating.
Slow Cooker
A slow cooker, also known as a crock pot, is essential in many American kitchens. This convenient appliance is excellent for batch-prepping big meals like stews and casseroles without doing too much work. You simply put in all the ingredients and spices, stir them around and turn the pot on. From then on, it’s just a waiting game, and your meal will be ready in a couple of hours.
As its name states, the cooking process in a slow cooker is, well, slow. While this appliance isn’t something you would use for whipping up a quick meal, it can be great for meal planning. For example, you can put all the ingredients in before you leave for work, and you’ll have lunch waiting for you in the afternoon. That makes it perfect for busy home cooks who don’t have too much time.
Pressure Cooker
This appliance does the opposite of a slow cooker: it increases the speed at which the food is prepared. It works by trapping steam inside a sealed pot instead of letting it escape. That raises the pressure and the temperature inside the pot, allowing food to cook faster. You can use it for preparing various foods, from meat to vegetables and soups.
The fact that it decreases cooking time significantly makes the pressure cooker one of the essential kitchen appliances for a busy home cook. It can be beneficial if you’re on a tight schedule, whether because of work or moving houses in New Jersey. During processes like that, where you should find expert moving help, you don’t want to worry about preparing time-consuming, elaborate meals. Instead, throw everything into your pressure cooker, which will cook everything quickly.
Standing Mixer
If you’re someone who enjoys baking, a standing mixer is one of the essential kitchen appliances. The best thing about standing mixers is that they allow you to multitask. Once you mix everything you need in a bowl, you can let the mixer do its job and work on something else. That can save you time, making it a helpful tool.
The mixer usually comes with a mixing bowl and different attachments. Besides saving time, using appropriate extensions can save you a ton of energy. For example, using a dough hook instead of kneading the dough by hand will make an unplanned arm workout a thing of the past. Plenty of styles and colors are available on the market, so you’ll have no trouble matching it to the rest of your kitchen.
Air Fryer
In the past few years, air fryers have grown in popularity significantly; honestly, there are a few good reasons for that. First, it’s a healthy alternative to frying your food in oil. It works by exposing your food to circulating hot air. That means you can enjoy all your fried foods with less fat and calories. Apart from that, one of the main benefits of air fryers is decreased cooking time. It prepares your food faster than the majority of classic cooking methods. That makes it perfect for those rushing to get a quick lunch in.
Another great thing about air fryers is that they’re not too big. They will fit easily on the majority of counter spaces. However, putting it away after use is probably the best idea if you have a tiny kitchen. Just clean it beforehand, which shouldn’t be too hard as there’s barely any oil in it.
Blender
Blenders are simple but multi-purpose appliances, and every kitchen should have one. You can use them for preparing various foods and snacks. Health and fitness enjoyers will love using their blender for morning (or afternoon!) smoothies. You can also use a regular blender instead of an immersion blender for making soups. Not only is it quicker than a hand-held blender, but it also helps create a smooth, uniform consistency.
Apart from these regular uses, you can use your blender to crush ice or grind your coffee grounds. One of the best things about blenders is that they’re easy to clean. Most of them need to be rinsed with water and dish detergent, which is excellent if you don’t have too much time.
Food Processor
A food processor is like a blender’s cousin. It does the same thing, except it doesn’t blend the ingredients into a smooth consistency. Instead, it just chops them down to your desired size. Chopping food by hand can take a long time, especially when preparing a big meal. If you’re not a big fan of chopping, a food processor’s your best friend. You can chop vegetables like onions, carrots, or almost anything else with a few quick pulses.
Food processors are also great at chopping nuts. Putting nuts in a blender can result in them blending too quickly, and you’ll end up with nut butter. With a food processor, you can easily control the whole process of chopping and get everything just how you like it.
Final Words
While the list of essential kitchen appliances doesn’t look the same for everyone, some of these gadgets are just a staple. Using them as a part of your regular cooking routine will save you a lot of energy. Even more important, it will save you a ton of time. Fitting cooking into your daily schedule can be tricky if you’re busy. However, with the right kitchen gadgets, everything’s possible.
