Are you looking for inspiration for new kitchen appliances for yourself or as a gift? In this post I'm going to share my favourite kitchen appliances, the tools I use all the time to make life easier in the kitchen and would really miss if I didn't have. They are kitchen gadgets I actually own and can recommend and not just appliances I want.
What's my favourite kitchen appliance? That's a tough question but I do have a few items in my kitchen that I use again and again throughout the year. I love my slow cooker, my air fryer, my power blender and quite a few other tools that help me make the recipes I share here on Searching for Spice.
If you're looking to upgrade any of your kitchen appliances or are wondering if you really need that extra gadget, let me know and I'll tell you what I think.
If you like the recipes I share and would like to know what I use to make them, you'll find links to them here. I hope I can inspire you!
Crock Pot Express Pressure Cooker
I absolutely love this Crock Pot Express Multi Cooker. It has 12 different settings but I use it mainly for slow cooking in combination with the saute setting. You can read more about it my lamb jalfrezi recipe which uses the saute and slow cook functions. I also used the pressure cook functions to make this chorizo risotto.
Some of the reasons I like this appliance are:
- Great range of different functions and no need to start recipes off on the hob then transfer to the slow cooker. It can also be used as a steamer
- Easy to prep recipes in advance then cook later because of the delay timer setting.
- Easy to clean.
- Affordable - less than £100.
- Big enough capacity for family meals with leftovers for the freezer or another day.
And the cons?
Well for this item I honestly can't think of anything I'd change!
Cosori Dual Blaze Air Fryer
I've only had the Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer for a couple of months but it's already become one of my faovurite kitchen applicances. It's a brilliant and modern air fryer and one that I use almost every day. I love it because:
- It's big enough to cook a meal for the whole family.
- It has a heating element at the bottom as well as the top which means there's no need to toss the food.
- There's no need to preheat.
- Like all air fryers, it's much more energy efficient and cheaper to run than switching on the oven.
- There are 12 different functions, which means it's really versatile.
- There is an app that goes with it too that you can use to control the air fryer. I think this might be useful for some people but I have to admit that I haven't used it yet!
Tower Air Fryer 5-in-1 Oven
If you prefer an air fryer with trays then it's worth checking out the Tower Air Fryer 5-in-1 Oven. I used it for making these deliciously crispy and spicy air fryer chicken nuggets recently and reasons why I like it include:
- Plenty of space - I can cook three trays of food at once although I do need to rotate them so they all cook evenly.
- As well as air frying it can be used for baking and dehydrating. I often cook frozen croissants and pain au chocolat in it for breakfast. I love not having to wait for it to heat up as I would if I used the oven.
- It also has a rotisserie attachment. Admittedly I haven't used this yet but I will soon!
- There are lots of different settings and I can change the temperature unlike with some air fryers.
And the cons?
Well, even though it is a pretty big air fryer, it's still smaller inside than a conventional oven so space can be limited if you are cooking for lots of people.
As I mentioned above, if you are cooking food on more than one tray at once, it's best to rotate them half-way through the cooking time so that everything cooks evenly.
Andrew James Ice Cream Maker
I got an ice cream maker about 10 years ago thinking it would be a fun gadget but then I discovered just how much I enjoyed being able to create the exact flavours I wanted. Although you can get loads of different flavours in the shops nowadays, being able to be creative at home gives you even more choice. Ever since I got an ice cream maker I've used it regularly and it's great if you've got kids too.
Reasons why I love it include:
- Gives you creativity to invent your own flavours.
- Much easier than making ice cream without one and the ice cream is much smoother.
- You can also use it for sorbet, frozen yogurt and slushies.
- Very easy to use and doesn't take up too much space, although you do need to put the inner bowl in the freezer for 24 hours before making the ice cream.
And the cons?
Well, like most budget ice cream makers, you do need to remember to put the bowl in the freezer 24 hours before making the ice cream.
Plus, it only has a 1.5 litre capacity so you can't make a really big batch of ice cream. Even so, I find it easily big enough for our family of 4.
Some of the recipes I've made with it are:
Froothie Evolve Power Blender
I have a couple of blenders and if I just want to make a quick smoothie I might use a simple jug blender. Or if I'm blending vegetables for a soup I often just use a stick blender. However, for versatiliy and the capacity of the jugs I do love my Froothie Evolve. It has settings for soups, sorbet, smoothies, nut butters, ice and baby food.
I have to admit that the soup setting is one of my favourites as I can load it up and then it cooks and blends the soup for me. Or leaves it chunky if that's what I want. Do check out my review post.
I've used it to make these recipes:
Braun MultiQuick 5 Vario MQ5235 Hand Blender
This hand blender is so versatile as it has whisk, chopper and hand blender attachments. I use the chopper for making sauces such as chimichurri and curry pastes. The whisk is brilliant for meringues and cakes and anything else you might want to whisk and the hand blender is great for soups.
It's not as powerful as my larger food processor and it's smaller too but I find it really versatile.
Just one of the recipes I've used it to make is this spaghetti with avocado sauce.
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you use any of these kitchen appliances too and I'd also love your recommendations. Just leave a comment down below!
If you'd like to stay up to date with all my posts then do follow on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
Leave a Reply