I love cooking but I also love doing other things. Depending on the day, my available choices and of course my mood, making food takes different shapes.
My oven is my top performer. With a convection option and a double rack space, roasting anything from carrots to pork loin is easy and delicious. What makes it all work nicely is having a variety of pans I can use based on what I want to cook. Preheat, prepare, cook and serve.
My bread maker has a great relationship with the panini press. Makes a decent size loaf that lasts enough days to make some nice sandwiches, avocado toast, homemade croutons for my soup, and lastly duck food if I forget about it. The panini press and indoor grill takes just enough time to heat up as I prepare the stacks of bread and gouda cheese, spinach, ham, turkey. Lots of options. I can always rely on it to make me something yummy for a quick lunch.
The air fryer made its way to my kitchen years ago and never left. From famous french fries, crinkle cut, shoe string, steak fries, we do it all. Cook halfway, spray some avocado oil, just a bit, shake it, let it cook the rest of the way, shimmy some pink salt when done and I can't complain. It also has roasting options so I use that when I don't feel like dealing with the oven. Smaller portions, quicker cook time, why not.
The Instant Pot pressure cooker was intimidating at first. When I used it for the first time and it started to hiss, I ducked behind the counter and called for my husband. What a silly goose. It's supposed to do that. Now I love using it for everything from rice to chili, soups and anything else I need when I am too lazy or antsy to play that new video game I got. Preparation is simple, press a few buttons, beep, see ya later.
Who doesn't like homemade cookies or banana bread, but my wrists knew better so the kitchen stand mixer joined the team. Dancing around the kitchen and dropping the next ingredient into the bowl while it runs, oven preheating, dough done, goes in the oven, the house smells good and I feel great about it all.
Fresh orange juice? Yes please. It took a bit of research before I settled on a citrus press. I knew I wanted to stay away from plastic, and most affordable juicers were exactly that. Long story short, I decided to bypass the convenience of an electric juicer for a heavy duty manual press and I am very happy with it, my wrists included. It's heavy, durable, all metal and squeezes every last drop of juice.
Then there's the supporting cast. The toaster, the smoothie maker, the coffee maker and the hand mixer for my smooth soups. Their roles are simpler but no less important. Each one shows up and does its job without drama, every single time.
These gadgets really help make cooking a lot more fun. Having the right tools on hand, along with keeping the fridge and pantry stocked, helps me eat better and cook at home more often. Even my teenage son joins in and we cook together. That alone is worth all the gadgets in the world.