Must-Have Appliances for the Plant-Based Chef
Are you pushed for time? Do you find yourself eating out because you don’t have time to cook? Do you believe a plant-based/vegan diet takes too much time and effort in the kitchen? I think we’ve all been there at one time or another. Here are my favorite appliances, the ones that save me time, money, and make a plant-based diet so much easier to follow by helping me to make delicious meals with little to no fuss. These are the ones I couldn’t live without. My husband and I spent 2 months on the road traveling around the United States in the fall of 2020, 10,000 miles door to door, these are the appliances I packed along for the ride. When we moved to Hawaii in January, I brought two suitcases, and a carry-on. One suitcase had my Instant Pot and Airfryer, the other my Espresso Machine and my Vitamix was in my carry-on. Enough said.
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Instantpot
I love my Instant-Pot, no exaggeration. I use it almost every day. Not only does it save me a ton of time, but it also saves me money. It has more than paid for itself since I purchased it 5 years ago.
An Instant Pot is a combination electric pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice steamer, saute, yogurt maker, sterilizer, air-fryer, and more. From the 7 in 1 functions on the original Duo to 10-in-1 on the Pro-Plus Smart Multi-Cooker, this is a must-have appliance for the serious plant-based chef. Coming in sizes ranging from 3-8qt, and prices from $60-$160 there is one to suit every family’s needs. I bought my 6qt, 7 function model in 2016 and it is still going strong.
I usually start my day with oats, my Instant Pot takes care of that, “set it and forget it” as they say. It takes 4 min under pressure for old-fashioned rolled oats and only 10 for steel-cut oats. I cook a cup or two at a time and just keep the cooked oats in the fridge and take what I need each morning, microwave it, and top it off with berries, yogurt, and nuts or seeds. Cooked muesli only takes 4 minutes also.
Lunch for me is usually a salad or bowl of some sort with beans. I cook all my beans from scratch in the Instant Pot; Black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, etc. Dry beans only take 25-35 minutes under pressure, I set them in the morning or after dinner and freeze the cooked beans for later use. These are so much cheaper than canned beans and you don’t have to worry about the sodium content.
Brown rice, quinoa, and grains for dinner are a breeze, 22 minutes for perfect brown rice, and only 3 minutes for quinoa. Enhance the flavor by using your favorite veggie stock instead of water.
I also use my instant pot to make seitan (a plant-based protein made using vital wheat gluten), tempeh, (a plant-based protein made from fermented soybeans), yogurt, veggie stock, soups, stews, curries, steamed veggies, and potatoes. As I said, I use mine almost every day and have no hesitancy in recommending it. It makes a great gift for the plant-based chef.
Airfryer
Air fryers offer a healthier alternative to deep-frying, cooking up crispy, juicy foods without all the extra calories and fat. Aside from the health benefits, convenience is the best feature for me. It saves me heating the oven and entire kitchen when I need to bake something. Given the small compact size, it also does the job in a fraction of the time needed when using the oven. Initially, I was quite happy just using mine to make tofu but since then I have expanded my repertoire and now use it for so many different things,
- Crispy tofu to toss into stir-fries, curries, or on top of salads
- Crispy seitan for salads
- BBQ/teriyaki/your favorite sauce with seitan
- Air Fried BBQ Soycurls by Cadry’s Kitchen
- Roasted potatoes, veggies
- French fries
- If you only wish to cook one or two biscuits or cinnamon rolls
- Veggie burgers
Again, I love that most things only take 5-10 minutes and it doesn’t heat the entire kitchen.
Vitamix
Who hasn’t heard of Vitamix? They are an American company that makes powerful blenders that are made to last. While on the more expensive side these multifunction power-houses deliver on their promise. One initially thinks of smoothies, and yes, we make smoothies daily with ours but they can do so much more.
- Smoothies and juices
- Soups
- Salad dressings – try Sweet Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing from Mary at One Perfect Bite
- Sauces, try Fit Vegan Chef’s Low-Fat Pad Thai Peanut Sauce
- Baby food – ok I don’t use it for this anymore, but it still makes great applesauce.
- Frozen desserts – Banana ice cream, sorbets, smoothie bowls
- Dips and spreads,- Hummus, bean dips, salsa
- Pancake, waffle batter, check out PCRM’s Oat Waffle Recipe
- Ground flax seeds
- Ground coffee
- Nutbutter
- Nut-milks
- Oats, sugar, etc
- Wet chopping vegetables
Espresso Machine
But first – coffee! Ok, this may not be for everyone but I like to start my day with a vanilla soymilk latte. It’s a daily ritual I’ve had for many years. In the wee hours of the morning, I would get up 20-30 minutes earlier than my work alarm so I could steal a little quiet time just for myself before the crazy rush of the day. With my latte and journal in hand, my beloved Buddy at my feet, I would greet the dawn as I did a brain dump into my journal and wrote my gratitude list for the day. I have countless journals filled with gratitudes, often the same ones over and over. I still write every morning with coffee in hand. My Barista is the first thing I use every morning, I’d hate to be without it.
What are your favorite appliances and why? If you are looking for the perfect gift for someone in your family, why not consider one of these must-have appliances as a gift that keeps on giving, not only for enjoyment but for the health benefits for years to come. Subscribe and stay tuned for some of my favorite recipes using my fab four.
