Kitchen Tools

By no means am I a chef or even a great cook. I am, however, a busy mother, who wants to provide my family with healthy meals, and these are the tools I use to make my life easier in the kitchen.

Below you will find links to purchase what I consider the necessities in my household, along with explanations as to how I use them. To be fully transparent, these are affiliate links, meaning that I receive a small commission when you purchase. I only recommend items that I use and like. People often ask what I use for certain tasks, so I thought this page would be helpful. If you have ANY questions about the items listed here, please do not hesitate to contact me (ejohnson@getfitward.com).

Small Appliances

Bought this Ninja System as our first food processor and a replacement blender. We used the blender to make smoothies. Works pretty well for that purpose. With time (around 2 years) the blades seemed to not work as well. Use food processor to make items like vegan Parmesan (yum!), energy balls, and pizza dough (using dough blades). Get starter set for sure.

Bought a Vitamix January 2020 as a replacement for our Ninja blender. Love it! Smoothie texture is so smooth and luscious. There's definitely a learning curve with this appliance. I haven't ventured past smoothies and sorbets but there are SO many possibilities including nut butters, sauces, and soups (you can heat the soup in the blender on high speed!)

I bought this to use for a homemade, plant-based ranch salad dressing. It's a handy tool with I'm sure several more uses.

We use this to make homemade whole grain waffles. With regular use, this recipe and making homemade waffles can become super fast. My husband whips up batter in around 5 minutes! For the recipe, click here.

This Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer has so many possibilities with its attachment capabilities. We use the mixer to make batter for special treats. You can use it to make batters and doughs of many sorts. With attachments for pasta making, food prep and processing, juicing, and more, the possibilities continue. I have yet to purchase any attachments for our mixer.

We've had this toaster for years. Toast with whole grain bread can make a convenient breakfast, snack, or lunch.

HandHeld Tools

Food Prep

Whipping up pancake/waffle batter. Recipe here.

Mashed potatoes, sweet or white, are a quick dinner addition.

My kids love apples and this slicer gets a workout.

I use these a lot for straining and rinsing canned beans.

Peeling veggies. Have also used to fun veggie strips for the kids to eat.

Assistants at the Stovetop

My husband uses these when cooking and serving chicken and fish. I use them to serve some fruits and veggies.

My go-to for scrambled eggs.

We use this smaller spatula for flipping pancakes.

My sidekick for stovetop dishes for sure.

Citrus Assistants

A zester and citrus squeezer helps us get the most of citrus when a recipe calls for zest or juice.

Pizza Must-Haves

We use this pizza sheet and cutter for family pizza nights where we make pizza. Don't forget a rolling pin for the dough! Try these gluten-free and whole wheat recipes here.

Misc.

Nice for serving up sorbet made with Vitamix or Ninja.

I use this for making energy balls. Recipe here.

Measuring

Whether it's items that must be weighed, or our wet and dry ingredients, these are our go-to measurement items at home.

Specialty

I use the coarse side of the grater to grate boiled potatoes into a bowl, season them, then use one of the small circle cutters to mold the potatoes into tater tots. Preheat the oven to around 400 degrees F, drizzle the taters with a little olive oil, and bake until browned.