This post is part of our series: Crafting a Healthy Kitchen!  Follow along via email as we share practical tips for creating a healthy, real food kitchen, and pick up a copy of our cookbook, on sale for 31% off!

As a soon to be wife and homemaker in training, I was overwhelmed as I sat in the kitchen section of Target with a list and a scanner trying to make my wedding registry. My future hubby was no help beyond knowing he wanted a coffee pot and waffle maker (and an a Wii).

As I shared earlier this week, I came into marriage with very little cooking or kitchen knowledge (beyond knowing how to make spaghetti with a jar of Ragu). I felt lost standing in aisle 11 of Target, looking at all these expensive kitchen appliances. How was I supposed to know what to register for and what I was going to need?

While I made some good choices such as registering for a steamer, I also forgot to add a crock pot and for some reason decided to get a full wine glass set…even though we don’t drink wine! Now five years later, I still have a long way to go before I’m an “expert” chef, but I have learned a lot about what is essential in my kitchen!

Pssst: I am only listing my top 10 kitchen tools here but if you want to check out my book, Real Food for the Real Homemaker, I list more of my favorite kitchen tools, all kinds of different models and price ranges, and yummy hands on recipes for trying it all out (75+ recipes to be exact). And my book is on sale this week ONLY! Find out more HERE.

Please note: Some of these links are affiliate links. But I just wanted to provide some real examples of how you can stock a kitchen for healthy cooking without breaking the bank!

My Top 10 Favorite Kitchen Tools

Crock pot

I didn’t register for a crock pot or slow cooker when I got married. I have no idea why but it wasn’t even on my radar. I didn’t get a crock pot until our second year of marriage and now I have two! Now I use my crock pots weekly and sometimes daily. Currently I have the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6 Quart Slow Cooker that’s $30 on Amazon right now. It has been perfect for what I need and wasn’t a huge financial investment.I got my second one from my mom that is similar to this model: Hamilton Beach Set’n Forget 6 Quart Slow Cooker.

What to look for: Since I didn’t know how often I would use my crock pot, the first one I got was a simple and easy one that just has three settings: warm, low, and hot. But when I was searching for my second one, I knew that I wanted one where I could program a time so that if I was out of the house, the crock pot would automatically turn off or switch to the warm setting. But as far as crock pots go, it’s hard to buy a bad one!

Food Processor

I am still relatively new to my food processor but I use it for everything! I have been wanting one forever but didn’t want to spend the $150 price tag on most nice ones. So when I found a cheap one on Amazon I thought I would give it a try – and I LOVE it! I make all my homemade nut butters (like peanut butter), salsa, guacamole, butter, and more. I use it in almost every meal.

I have the Hamilton Beach 10 Cup Food Processor from Amazon for $40 {although it was $30 when I purchased it}. One day I hope to invest in one of the ultra nice fancy ones, but my Hamilton Beach has been working well for over a year without the hefty price tag.

What do look for: There are some really fancy and pricey food processors on the market (I hope to have one one day). But a basic food processor was all I needed to try it out. A big thing to look for is how many cups the food processor will hold, especially if it seems to be a really good price. Food processors range from about 3 – 12 cup capacity. Mine is 10 cups and it’s perfect! Also check to see if the food processor comes with any accessories. Many come with different blades and accessories for cutting slices of cucumber, shredding cheese, and more.

Immersion Hand Blender

I’ve seen bloggers talk about these from time to time but never saw the use in them. But when I got one from my mom, I couldn’t believe I’ve been cooking this long without it! I rarely get my big mixer out anymore, my hand blender is perfect and all I need. I’ve seen some really pricey ones but for around $30-60 you can get a really good blender that has a whisk attachment and also a blade attachment. This is a similar model to the one I have: Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender.

What to look for: As with the food processor, make sure to find out what accessories the hand blender comes with. I use the whisk attachment almost every time with mine but the wisk doesn’t always come with the blender.

Popcorn Maker

Yes, I only use this for one thing: Making delicious homemade popcorn! I have it on this list because we use it at least four times a week. We will never go back to buying bagged popcorn again. Not only is air popped popcorn better for you (it doesn’t have any of the icky chemicals) but it tastes sooo much better!

This model is very similar to the one we have: Presto PopLite Hot Air Popper from Amazon for $20. You can also pick one up from Target for around the same price; that’s where we got ours.

Bread Machine

While you can cook an entire loaf of bread in a bread maker, I use mine most often for making dough! Instead of having to hand knead dough and let it rise, I just throw all my ingredients into the machine, turn it on, and an hour and  a half later, I have perfect dough ready! I use it a couple times a month to make homemade pizza dough and I also love making homemade bread sticks like these. I love making dough for pizza, breadsticks, rolls, cinnamon rolls, and more!

I found my bread machine at a thrift store for $10 and found one for my sister for $6! I see them at thrift stores all the time, I don’t think people care to make their own bread anymore. Oh well, their loss is our gain! Check around at local thrift stores, on Craiglists, or ask friends and family if they have an old one they no longer want. This is the one that I have that I love: Sunbeam 2 Pound Programmable Breadmaker

What to look for: Especially when hunting for a used bread machine, check that it has an instruction manual with lots of yummy recipes tailor made for your machine! This is a great way to get started since you know those recipes will work for you. Also make sure to check the size of the loaf that it will make. Some bread machine’s are tiny and the loaves and dough it makes are very small. I searched to find a really decent size canister (but don’t be fooled by how big the entire bread machine is, check inside to see how big the actual bread canister is).

Garlic Press

Not only is garlic super healthy for you (it’s excellent for your heart and circulatory system among other things), it also adds robust natural flavoring to your meals! My husband loves fresh garlic and requests that I add it to everything. My first garlic press was a cheapy one I found at Walmart. It was a pain to use and the handle snapped in two one day when I was pressing a clove of garlic. So I did a little research and purchased one that came highly recommended and I love it  – Kuhn Rikon Easy Squeeze Garlic Press.

What to look for: Read the reviews of the garlic press before buying. Quality does count when it comes to a garlic press because a cheap one just won’t work (or will break on you when using it).

Ice Cream Maker

This is actually something I put on my wedding registry and I am so happy that I did! Ice cream is our family’s number one favorite dessert. And nothing beats the taste of homemade ice cream! If you are interested in learning how to make healthy and delicious homemade ice cream, then I highly suggest you check out the book Just Making Ice Cream eBook. It’s one of our favorite cookbooks and has seventy real food ice cream, frozen yogurt, and other frozen treat recipes!

What to look for: There are many different types and varieties of ice cream makers. For the first few years of our marriage, I had  a $20 ice cream maker from Target that simply had a turning motor and you added ice and rocksalt around the canister. It worked well for the time and once we realized that making homemade ice cream was a regular occurrence in our household we invested in a nice one that makes ice cream in about 30 minutes (we found it at Costco for $40) – Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2 Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker.

Steamer

I use my steamer almost every night for dinner, although if you are on a really tight budget then you can certainly make do without it. While I’ve got dinner in the oven or on the stove top, I throw my veggies into my steamer for ten to twenty minutes. They cook perfectly and don’t overcook them and lose many of the nutrients as can happen with boiling. Works great for frozen and fresh veggies! My favorite vegetables to do are broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and my ultimate favorite: artichokes.

This is another kitchen tool I was smart enough to register for at our wedding. This model is similar to the one we have: Oster 5 Quart Food Steamer from Amazon for $25. You don’t really need anything fancy when it comes to a steamer. My sister recently picked up a great steamer at a thrift store for $6, so hunt around!

Pyrex Containers

Slowly I am trying to weed out all the plastic from my kitchen, and one of the biggest culprits is our tupperware. So over the years I have been hunting for good quality glass containers to store leftovers, pack hubby’s lunch in, ect. My favorite by far have been pyrex containers. They are glass and have silicone lids that are very durable, stackable, and dish washer safe. They also have glass baking dishes with silicone lids that are perfect for freezer cooking!

If you can wait, Black Friday always has fantastic deals on Pyrex (at places like Sears, Walmart, and Target). My Pyrex sets have always been purchased on Black Friday. Amazon also has good prices and don’t forget to check your local Costco. I own this 10 piece set and also this mixing bowl set. Next I have this 14 piece set on my wish list that’s perfect for packing breakfast and lunch for my husband!

Blender

A good blender is essential in our house! Almost daily I make smoothies, frappachinos, or other blended drinks. I also used to use my blender every other day to make homemade formula for my babies. And then there are the weekly occurrences of making soup, guacamole, salsa, pudding, and more. For years I have had a cheap blender from Target that couldn’t crush ice and barely did the basics. 

Last year my husband surprised me for our anniversary with a Vitamix blender (if you are interested in a Vitamix, check out the pricing at your local Costco, it can’t be beat!) and I’ve been head over heels in love with it! For an economical version try the Hamilton Beach Power Elite Blender for $25 from Amazon or the Oster Counterforms 6 Cup Blender for $60 from Amazon.

More in this series:

• Learning How to Craft a Healthy Kitchen {New Series}
• My Single Best Advice for Getting Control of Your Kitchen
• Feeling Discouraged while you try to eat healthy? (You’re not alone)
• My 10 Favorite Kitchen Tools (for Healthier Homemaking)
• {More Coming}

And, for two weeks only, you can get our cookbook designed for women who want to create a healthy kitchen, Real Food for the Real Homemaker for over 30% OFF! Get our entire eBook jam packed with practical advice, how to’s, and over 175 real food, healthy recipes! Plus as a bonus, get the Kindle version of our book, printable recipe cards, and meal planning software to make your healthy journey an easy one! Get all this for $8.95 this week only! Find out more HERE!