The appliances you keep in your kitchen can really be the key to whether you love, or hate, cooking.
As a nutritional therapist (you can find me over at Rosy Nutrition), home cooking is one of the first things I tend to discuss with my clients. As in, how often do they cook at home? What does their week in eating generally look like? And how easy do they make the cooking for themselves?
This is because, with the right appliances, cooking can not only be a breeze, but something that becomes a healthy hobby. For example, a food processor can make homemade salad dressings in minutes, eliminating the UPFs (that’s ultra-processed foods) often found in store-bought versions; a stick blender is an essential cupboard staple for the cooler soup months; and a glass storage container is the perfect catch-all for small kitchens and spaces, easily keeping food fresh while being both microwave and oven-safe.
What is a healthy kitchen appliance?
Most kitchen appliances can be considered ‘healthy’ because they encourage home cooking. And studies have found that people who tend to cook at home often have better diet quality and better prevention against diseases like metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
So, what appliances do I keep in my kitchen? Read on to find out what I use weekly, if not daily.
Best healthy kitchen appliances at a glance:
Find out more
Kenwood FDP65.180SI Multipro Express Food Processor
Best for: a kitchen all-rounder
A food processor is, by far, my favourite kitchen appliance. While I don’t tend to use it for its original purpose (fast chopping vegetables), I find it to be a jack-of-all-trades, from making homemade salad dressings to making date energy balls, making homemade pizza dough, and even making banana ‘nicecream’ from scratch. There should be a space for one of these in every kitchen, and Kenwood’s designs are top-notch.
Buy now £80.00, Argos
Ninja Foodi Possible 8-in-1 Slow Cooker
Best for: throw-together meals
Healthy eating is more time-consuming than picking up fast food on your way home, that’s just a fact. However, slow cookers allow you to do all the work in the morning before heading to work (or starting your WFH day), and have dinner ready for you by the time you walk in the door. Magic. This Ninja Foodi Possible 8-in-1 Slow Cooker is the perfect size for a family, or those looking to meal prep for a busy week ahead.
Buy now £149.00, John Lewis
Habitat Healthy Eating Salad Spinner
Best for: quick washing
An unassuming champion of the kitchen, the salad spinner does all the hard work when it comes to washing vegetables. I use mine daily for washing leafy greens before making a lunchtime salad.
Buy now £9.50, Argos
Ninja 7.6L Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer and Dehydrator AF300UK
Best for: healthy frying
Long gone are the days when we needed to douse our food in oils to make it crisp and crunchy. The air fryer does all of this without any oil at all. Ninja’s bestselling 7.6L Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer and Dehydrator has two trays, meaning you can cook your protein on one side, and your vegetables on the other, for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner.
Buy now £200.00, Argos
Habitat Large Spiralizer
Best for: making vegetable noodles
Hear me out: vegetable noodles are actually really delicious. While I’m all for pasta, on nights where you feel like something a little lighter you can whip out your spiraliser and go to town on courgettes and sweet potatoes, or simply use it to jazz up carrots for your evening meal.
Buy now £15.00, Argos
Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Skillet
Best for: everyday cooking
A pan that can transfer from the stovetop to the oven is an essential part of any kitchen, and I use mine regularly to cook omelettes, frittatas, and other one-pan dishes. This Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Skillet comes in 12 different colourways – so there’ll be one to suit any kitchen’s palette – and it has a lifetime guarantee so you know you’re investing in something that will last.
Buy now £120.00, John Lewis
Mepal EasyClip Oven Safe Glass Storage Container
Best for: safe storage
If leftovers are a common feature in your cooking, then you need to make sure you have some glass storage containers on hand to keep them in. These Mepal containers are both oven and microwave safe, meaning you won’t create any extra dishes while warming them up.
Buy now £10.99, John Lewis
Russell Hobbs Go Create 3-in-1 Electric Hand Blender 27560
Best for: quick blending
For three seasons of the year, soup is a way of life (sorry, summer). After having it boil away on the stove, one of the best ways to combine it is by using an immersion blender – if you like it chunky, just lift out some of the veg before blending and add it back in after. I have this Russell Hobbs blender which has been my faithful soup companion for years.
Buy now £30.00, Argos
KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175BPT Stand Mixer
Best for: home baking
Just because you’re eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some baked goods – but there’s something extra special about making it yourself from scratch. I don’t really need to go into the benefits of KitchenAid’s iconic mixers, but they are an investment that you will use, likely weekly, for years to come. The dough hook is particularly great for making your very own loaves of bread.
Buy now £599.00, Currys
Verdict
A food processor is an essential kitchen appliance for anyone looking to eat a little more healthy, which is why the Kenwood FDP65.180SI Multipro Express Food Processor should go straight to the top of your to-buy list.
