Kitchen Gadgets that Help

[GBO323]

One of the key components of weight management has been the saying that "Weight Loss starts in the Kitchen" and that is so true.

Here are a few items I have in my kitchen that have been crucial to my success.

-Air Fryer. This has revolutionized how I cook and eat. I love fried foods and this machine meets me in the middle. It cooks, bakes, fries, grills, broils, etc. Anything you can cook in an oven, convection oven, grill, or oil fryer works great. Easy to manage, clean, and ready for the next use. I have a NuWave Brio 6qt and a Power AirFryerXL 5qt. 

-NuWave Induction Stovetop. This device is handy as it heats up the cookware fast. No more waiting and you can set the temp to exact numbers along with a timer.

-Digital Kitchen Scale. I hit Goal in 8/2014 and STILL measure my food since I track my diary daily. 

-Measuring Cups and Spoons. Yep, still measure out cooked foods.

-Spices. Cooking food shouldn't only be a Salt and Pepper thing. It's amazing how a steak cooked with Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder tastes. Spices increase the flavor and the contentment of how I enjoy food.

-Recipes. We have a few WW cookbooks along with a digital Recipe Manager, Paprika, handy so we can find new recipes and then keep the ones handy we like in our Paprika. Helps in the "What's for Dinner?" scenario that can be a quick road to falling off the wagon.

-Frozen Backup. This has been so helpful for that moments that time is short or hunger is quick. I keep a few frozen breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals (Lean Cuisine, Atkins, or Marie Callendars) so when I'm in a hurry to get to work or get home and need dinner quick. I also keep frozen meats like chicken or fish handy so if I don't have fresh or have meat that has sat too long in the fridge, I can still throw some in the air fryer FROZEN and cook it and have it table ready in a 10-15 minutes.

So what do you have in your kitchen that helps you stay on track and eat well?

[A_Lurker]

In my essential kitchen I have:

- good blender (I don't do protein shakes that much, but I like to have that option)

- lots of spices and herbs

- food scale that weighs in grams

- indoor grill

- vacuum sealer

- upright freezer (in the garage)

I make, and keep, my own frozen meals.  At the moment I have some chicken & mushroom stew, pesto steak, and sausage and fennel stew.  I can reheat them with whatever side I want.  Usually in the winter (and I'm down to only two now) I keep some soups made with extra meat in them so they can serve as a hearty dinner as well.  I also have a large tablet on a stand.  I use it for recipes - either bookmarked or ones from Yummly that I'm trying.

Now, also in my kitchen, but less essential are a food processor, kitchen aid mixer with attachments (spiralizer, pasta roller, pasta extruder, sausage maker), a hamburger press (great for fresh turkey burgers), crock pots (2, but one was a gift), bread maker, waffle maker, and probably other items I don't remember.  I haven't used the bread maker in quite a while, and the last time I made waffles they were protein powder/egg white/oat flour ones.   🙂

[Bill_k]

Weight scale .

Microwave oven. I cook all my fish and vegetables in freezer bags using no oil and they come out perfect in 7 minutes or less.Just leave an inch open at the end of the zip loc.No need to add any liquid as they steam themselves.

Cook scrambled eggs or egg whites in the microwave as well .

My microwave has a convection feature as well so you can cook whole chickens,steaks using no added oil . Fat drips off. Steaks come out juicy and browned.

Slow cooker. Can do many things with it .Stews etc. No oil added.