What's the one kitchen tool?

Lounmoun

s0987 wrote: »

I'm not much of a cook but I'm trying to get into it to eat healthier...I've been wanting a spiralizer to encourage more veggie eating, but now I'm considering a food scale...
What's the one kitchen item that helped you the most in starting to eat healthier?

A food scale is very helpful in determining proper accurate portion sizes. I think every kitchen should have one.
I like my food processor because it makes chopping or shredding vegetables faster and easier. I can also use it to make hummus or puree fruit. Lots of functions in one device.
I do have a spiralizer and it is fun but I don't use it as much as the food scale or food processor.

bebeisfit

middlehaitch wrote: »

Good ingredients
Good scale
Good knife
Good pans.

Cheers, h.

This.

Machka9

Food scale

And a good vegetable peeler. I've got several in my utensil drawer that I cannot figure out ... I don't know, maybe I need someone to show me how to use them, but they feel fragile in my hand and I end up chipping away at things like cucumbers and potatoes without accomplishing much. But I've got a different style which works really well. Within seconds I can have a cucumber peeled and sliced and into a bowl with my cottage cheese.

And also a freezer. I've gone through short periods of time in my life (a year or two here and there) without a freezer, and I miss it. It's so nice to be able to load up a shopping cart with frozen veg, chicken mince, etc. etc. and just freeze the lot. That means we've always got a variety of veggies on hand and it only takes a few minutes to have them ready to eat.

abatonfan

Food scale
Smaller plates and bowls (I often use 1-1.5 cup bowls and bread/salad plates for my meals)
Skillet/pans
Sharp knives
Spirilizer (this has become my new best friend -I use zucchini noodles to bulk up smaller meals).
Ziploc bags/storage containers for food

Francl27

Scale.

My spirilizer is sitting in a drawer because it's SUCH A PITA TO CLEAN.

Of_Monsters_and_Meat

Wife

TheBigFb

The wife

markrgeary1

middlehaitch wrote: »

Good ingredients
Good scale
Good knife
Good pans.

Cheers, h.

This.

amanda9402

Food scale is my must have. I just ordered the Oxo spiralizer, but expect that to be an occasional thing.

bluefish86

For helping you reach your weight loss goals, I would say a food scale is the most important tool to have.

For general cooking/food prep purposes... I would say a crock pot, a sharp knife, and a (heavy) cast iron pan.

Colorscheme

Food scale, followed by a food processor. Having a food processor makes it easy to slice, dice and shred veggies, which makes it easier for me to eat and enjoy.

321BooM

Scales. I couldn't believe the difference between what I thought was a 100g portion (for example) compared to what it actually was when I weighed it

stealthq

Scale. It helped that I was used to using it for baking already.

I'm having a lot of fun with my new pressure cooker, though

ShellyBell999

Food scale and blender

Here4Ponies

The things I use everyday: scale, good knife, cutting board, small nonstick skillet, spatula for skillet. Several times a week: crockpot, measuring utensils and cups, medium pot with lid.

The digital scale is the one thing that has made the most difference.

SweetestLibby

Digital food scale with tare function. Used it to help lose 95 pounds. Stopped using it and gained back nearly 25 pounds in the last 2 years. Yep - it's a must for me.

Ready2Rock206

Scale for sure. But I do like my spiralizer.

juliet3455

@s0987 The votes are in and by a large margin #1 = Scale.
In addition to that my must haves are; Good Measuring cups, High Quality Knives, Crock Pot with Timer, George Foreman Grill, Freezer ( Budget Shopping = freezing on sale products) and the Good Old BBQ.
I have enough Bread, Veggies and Meat ( Chicken Breasts, Pork Chops, Beef and Christmas Turkeys) frozen that I won't have to do a major shopping trip ( excluding Dairy and Fruit ) until the End of February.
Thank You Post Christmas Sales.(Pre Christmas Turkey $45.00 - Post Christmas $15.00 )

Why is a Scale So Important ? Here are a few links to great posts by some MFP members.
Your probably eating more than you think
Logging accurately step by step guide
How and why to use a digital food scale.

Some Stickied Topics that I recommend to all who are New to MFP as they helped me and I still refer back to them.
Most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads

Lovee_Dove7

Well the scale for sure.
Followed by my cutting board and knives.
And then the Ninja blender.

JazmineYoli

Pretty much what everyone else said.
Scale
Ninja Blender
Pressure Cooker
WOK
(I hardly ever use my spiralizer, but it is cool)

azulvioleta6

grinning_chick wrote: »

Before you spend $$ to $$$$ on a spiral cutter, this works just fine to determine just how much you'll actually cook/eat foods cut in such a manner:

https://www.oxo.com/julienne-peeler-208

I have something similar--you can do all kinds of things with it and it is much cheaper (and easier to store) than a spiralizer. It works just fine for zoodles. I also use it a lot for carrots and sweet potato shoestrings.

You NEED a food scale. They are not optional. Beyond diet, it is just something that any decent cook should have and use.

FiiiiFiiiFlowerTot

Digital weighing scales, and a slow cooker!!!!!

FiiiiFiiiFlowerTot

Oh! and LOTS of tupperware!!!!!

punkrockgoth

Kitchen scale 100%. Also crockpot. Measuring cups. I have 2 sets of measuring cups since now that I measure everything, my half cup and third cup are always dirty.

azulvioleta6

FiiiiFiiiFlowerTot wrote: »

Oh! and LOTS of tupperware!!!!!

Yes!

I have a color-coded system involving Rubbermaid easy-find food storage with different colored lids. It's as much a household management thing as a diet thing, but they are really handy.

whooRAWRowlbear

lilawolf wrote: »

Scale followed by crock pot.

This is my kitchen life. Plus a rice cooker and cast iron skillet. 4 most used things in my kitchen.

d_thomas02

Don't think I've seen this one yet.

Chopsticks.

Slows my normal two fisted shoveling of food into my mouth which gives my slow-talking stomach time to tell my brain when its had enough.

suziecue20

Having a partner who is willing to eat my less calorific dinners so I don't have to cook twice - bless him

Oh and a digital SCALE with a tare function lol

sandie25610

My ninja blender. I make the most yummy fruit/veggie smoothies. My ninja turns ice cubes into snow in mere seconds.

racheladkins2002

Here are my top 5 gadgets:
1. Scale
2. Crockpot
3. Good knife
4. Rice/all purpose steamer (can cook not only rice but also fish, veggies and other lean meats on top)
5. Dishwasher safe cutting boards (I cut a lot of fruits and veggies and got tired of hand washing several times a day)