Nutrition Month 2014: Healthy cooking tools

Posted in Nutrition on March 25, 2014 by Abboud Fahoum.

If you haven’t yet, please check out my initial post on Nutrition Month 2014 found here : https://cardioconnect.ca/2014/03/07/nutrition-month-2014-simply-cook-and-enjoy/ to give you some background information or visit www.nutritionmonth.ca.

In my previous post I talked about the importance of stocking your kitchen with healthy foods as a first step in order to set yourself up for success when it comes to healthy eating. The second step is stocking your kitchen with the right tools and gadgets to make healthy cooking a lot easier. Cooking tools do not need to be expensive and these 14 basic tools can help you to cook like a pro!

Sharp knives– include a variety of different sizes and types of knives such as bread knife, steak knife and pairing knife.

Cutting boards– ideally get two cutting boards (one for meats and one for vegetables and fruits) to avoid cross contamination when cooking supper.

Box grater– to grate cheeses, vegetables and citrus zest.

Blender– perfect for making pureed soups, smoothies and salad dressings.

Mixing bowls– a variety of sizes of mixing bowls that you can stack within one another to minimize necessary storage space.

Measuring cups/spoons– both wet (measuring cups with handles and pour spouts) and dry measuring cups to make cooking and baking easier and help take the guess work out of portion control.

Steamer basket- helps you to create nutritious tender-crisp vegetables easily.

Cooking utensils– spatulas, wire whisk, slotted spoon, wooden spoons, ladle, vegetable peeler, tongs, salad spoons, potato masher and meat mallet.

Cookware- non-stick skillets of multiple sizes, various sizes of saucepans and a stockpot help you to have all the cookware necessary for any recipe.

Bakeware- such as a roasting pan, baking sheets of various sizes, muffin tins, baking pan and two sizes of glass baking dishes.

Colander- to drain pasta, rinse beans and other vegetables.

Slow cooker– not necessary, but can be very helpful for busy families to have meals ready to eat when you walk in the door.

Instant read thermometer– help to ensure meat, fish and poultry are cooked safely and to your preference.

Plastic storage containers– to store leftovers and to use to make your lunch to bring to work/school.