Not sure whether you’ve noticed, but we’ve slowly but surely been adding to our kitchen gadgetry here in the GPD household.
Ben and I live very simply and don’t consider ourselves to be big consumers, but there have been a few things that I’ve been anxiously awaiting for our home for a while now. We place a huge emphasis on our health, and since we eat at home most of the time we don’t mind investing in a few good kitchen gadgets [the food itself as well as what we need to prepare it]. Since we aren’t big purchasers, we want to be sure to get high quality kitchen stuff whenever we can so that we can have high quality results and so that we won’t need to worry about replacing them over the years.
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Ben is much more logical and analytical than I am, so usually what happens around here is that I make an impulsive, emotion-filled argument along the lines of:
“Our lives would be so much easier if we got a ___! [bunch of chickens, crock pot, jacuzzi, etc.]”
And Ben responds with something like:
“Hmm, okay… do we really need it?”
If we can agree on good reasons to purchase something, Ben will take the time to do his research, finding out which product is the best and why, where we can get it, and when a good time to buy it would be.
It’s amazing. And yes, I recognize just how lucky I am.
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Over the seven or so years that Ben and I have been together, we’ve accumulated some stuff [even though we always donate whenever we get anything new]. Lately, the kitchen gadgets have been my greatest obsessions as I use them on a daily basis and they make cooking so much fun! I am such a kitchen geek it’s ridiculous.
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First of all, our invaluable Champion juicer rocks my socks.
We bought one a few years back after years of debating whether it was something we needed, and I’ve never regretted the purchase. It is incredible at making healthy juices as well as nut butters [you can also make sorbets and ice cream with it!]… and I think we’ll be utilizing it a lot for baby food once the baby’s at that age, too.
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This past fall I went 30 days without sugar and Ben surprised me with the most amazing kettle in the universe:
I literally use this bad boy every single day. Of course I use it for tea, but it also boils water for pasta/oatmeal/recipes in a fraction of the time it would take on the stove.
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My beloved Crock Pot joined our family just a few months ago:
I didn’t realize just how simple it would be to boil my own dried beans [canned food is extra expensive in Hawai`i!] or prepare meals [with leftovers] in minutes! At the beginning of each week, we usually cook a few chicken breasts [they’re always super tender and juicy]. The chicken is an easy and quick protein for casseroles, salads, and veggies. This was actually one of our cheapest ‘kitchen geekery gadgets’ and it’s already invaluable to me!
A few recipes I’m looking forward to trying soon: Kathy’s homemade evaporated milk, Stephanie’s turkey + wild rice soup, and Suzy’s spicy chicken, black bean + corn soup!
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And, last but certainly not least, the newest addition to our kitchen, the Blendtec high-speed blender!
I’ve wanted a high-speed blender for years and after hearing personal stories about both the VitaMix and the Blendtec, it seemed like the Blendtec barely fit my wants more [it’s got a wider base making it easier to clean, is a bit more compact, and doesn’t have a tamper to fiddle with… I actually did MY research this time!]. So when Mom and saw the Blendtec reps at Costco one day, we decided to make the investment [after about an hour of watching in awe and taste-testing all the incredible samples they blended up right there, of course].
I use this thing every day already. To make my own flours [buckwheat, oat, etc.], for green smoothies, to make dressings, chia seed pudding… for hummus!
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I know, it’s kind of incredible how excited I get over my kitchen gadgets, but I love being in the kitchen to begin with, so having these tools at my disposal makes me that much more giddy! 
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What’s your favorite – or most used – kitchen appliance?
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