By Lauren Incarnato, Student Nutritionist If you're like me, you've probably been dreaming of your first home/apartment since you were in middle school. As an avid fan of interior design, I've dreamed about decorating my living room and kitchen in a space that was my own for as long as I can remember. Even better, my love for HGTV and the Food Network mixed when I thought about the kitchen decor and appliances I will need for my first home. Though I live in an apartment now, there are still some items that I am missing out on. So here I am, armed with hours of Home Goods, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Macy's research, to deliver you a list of the top 5 kitchen appliances that you will want to have for your first apartment! #5: The Crock PotCrock pots are probably one of the most practical kitchen appliances available, and that's why they find themselves at number 5 on this list. They are perfect for meal-prepping for the week, or even for preparing a meal at the beginning of the day. This works for age ranges from college students in their first apartment to adults living in their forever home. You can prepare any food in the morning before you are running to class or work (or even the night before, and refrigerate overnight) and just turn on the crock pot before you leave. When you get home, you'll be greeted by the smell of your finished dinner and you have no preparation left! Super practical and efficient, and are perfect for soups, stews, or any one pot mixed together recipe like fiesta chicken or buffalo chicken dip! #4: The Vitamix BlenderThe Vitamix Blender may be overhyped by some, but not in my book. This high speed blender is perfect for smoothies, juices, soups, salad dressing, or really just to blend up any ingredient mixture. Although it is an investment, they last a while and they are a great item for quick meals as well. Throwing together a smoothie or juice for breakfast takes a matter of minutes (especially with the high speed of this blender...but you get that point by now). An added benefit? You can add berries to the Vitamix and won't have to deal with the texture of the seeds, because they are finely blended! Also, making a pureed soup for those rainy or snowy days is made easier with this appliance. Simply cook your ingredients in a pot, pour into the Vitamix when cooked to your liking, and blend. To make your life easier, and to stop spending $30 on blenders that break every month, I would recommend investing in a Vitamix the next chance you get! #3: The KitchenAid Stand MixerIf this list was based on decor and looks alone, I strongly believe the KitchenAid Stand Mixer would be at #1. However, I am taking a step back and creating this list where practicality trumps design for once. Therefore, the KitchenAid Stand Mixer falls to number three on this list. If you enjoy baking, or want to impress friends and family at any event you have coming up, this stand mixer makes baking seamless and easy. It also takes a lot of the workout out of baking when it comes to mixing by hand, which increases the appeal to baking overall. The mixer is perfect for making bread, rolls, cookie dough, cake and cupcake batter. BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE. Not only is the KitchenAid Stand Mixer perfect for baking alone, but the attachments increase the practicality of it by far. There are several pasta attachments so you can impress your friends with homemade spaghetti, rotini, or countless other shapes. There are also meat-grinding attachments that allow you to create your own ground meat to your personal preferences. Despite all of this, the mixer is a beautiful decoration for any counter and comes in a variety of colors that give you the freedom to decorate in the color scheme you please. #2: The Toaster OvenThis one seems like a no-brainer, but the Toaster Oven is really important for practical and fast cooking. It takes a lot of importance off the oven, and you can make a bunch of quick and easy meals in a matter of minutes if you have one. With that being said, I think it is important to specify that I am talking about the toaster OVEN with a door, NOT a toaster for bread slices only. You can basically cook whatever you want in here, ranging from chicken to vegetables to pizza, and it takes a lot of the intimidation out of cooking. Therefore, I think the toaster oven comes up at #2 because it makes the largest variety of foods, and lets your creativity run wild, which is important for any cook! #1: The Food ProcessorAnd finally...the food processor. This appliance (and I say with confidence) changed my life. It was basically created to take the repetition out of cooking, as it can chop vegetables that can take a while and cause a lot of frustration. Instead of letting your eyes water, you can just throw an onion into the food processor and let it do all the work! You can really make anything you want in the food processor, ranging from pureed soups, pesto, cake mixes, hummus, salsa, chicken salad, etc. The food processor also requires almost no liquid in order to blend, so you don't need to add anything in like you would need to with a blender. In addition to the original blade, they also have many attachments which allow you to chop vegetables in different methods including julienne, shredding, or grating! Food processors are also extremely durable, so they are an investment and last a really long time too! There you have it, the top 5 kitchen appliances recommended for any kitchen. While these are all pretty expensive, they are an investment that will most likely increase your love for baking and cooking, no matter your level of expertise. Keep an eye out for the honorable mentions post coming out soon written by Rachael!
1 Comment
7/26/2022 05:27:53 am
My friend plans to live by herself after college, but she's not sure how to furnish her future home. I find it fascinating that investing in an oven can help her try out baking and cooking food at high temperatures. Perhaps finding a used appliance store can convince her to invest in these someday!
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