5 Small Kitchen Appliances That Make Cooking Easier And Save You Money

Having cooking skills is more important than ever. With the cost of food skyrocketing and the quality of fast food diminishing, cooking is a skill of the future.
These days expensive food prep kits are all the rage, but with a few essential appliances, you can cook like a boxed chef for about 1/4 the price.
I spent ten years as a personal chef, but the food I cook for my family is fast, simple, and delicious. Making good food isn’t difficult, and with a few essential appliances, it can be even more manageable.
These items are an investment, but if you wait for a sale, use store points, look for them at garage sales and thrift stores, you can get them without breaking the bank.
Everything I’m going to mention, I use at least twice a week. I use them for all different jobs, and I use them consistently. These are the small appliances that I can’t live without in my kitchen:
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Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash
Actifry
The actifry has a bowl and a rotating paddle inside. It’s claim to fame is that you can make fries with hardly any oil, but it’s so much more than that.
You can make delicious fries. Whether they’re from a package or scratch, they will crisp up nicely. But the actifry is actually like an electric sous chef because of that rotating paddle which does the stirring for you.
You’re not tied to the stove so your hands are freed up for other things. You need to keep an eye on it but it’s not as intense as having to watch and stir something constantly.
I actually have two of these. Some meals have two items I want to cook with it (think potatoes in one and a side of peppers and zucchini the other). You just have to finesse the timing when cooking two different things for the same meal.
It works for almost anything that needs to keep moving as it cooks.
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Photo by author: My two actual Actifrys. I’ve bought replacement parts for one of them instead of replacing it.
The only issue is, it gets quite hot as it is convection heat, so food cooks quickly.
If you cut your vegetables small, they will very cook fast. You also have to make sure you monitor the liquid content because the constant airflow dries food out quickly. Adding extra moisture can alleviate this problem.
Food sometimes gets stuck in the paddle, but it makes a loud noise when that happens, to tell you to go and unstick it.
It is also good for reheating things like taco meat and chili. Again, just make sure you add extra water and keep an eye on it as the air will dry out foods more than heating it in a pot.
When I first bought my actifry, I used it almost every night. It is versatile enough that you could probably find a use for it in every meal. The bowl and paddle are removable and easy to clean.
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Food processor
I have a food processor that I use for basically two things. I don’t use it for many jobs, but for the two things I do with it, I find it indispensable.
I use my food processor mainly to shred cheese and make peanut butter. These two uses alone save me hundreds of dollars a year.
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Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash
I hate shredding cheese. It’s the one cooking job I hate, so I use my food processor to shred whole blocks in seconds.
I shred up big bunches of cheese when I buy it on sale and then freeze loads of it. It defrosts quickly and is usable in just the same way as cheese that hasn’t been frozen.
Shredded cheese is so much more expensive than bricks and it has additives and preservatives. By shredding your cheese, you can save money and have convenience without the chemicals.
I also make peanut butter.
I eat peanut butter every morning, lots of kids love peanut butter, and although you can’t send it to school anymore, you can still use it as a nutritious breakfast full of protein in your home.
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Photo by author: My food processor tucked away until I need it next.
The problem with processed peanut butter is that the cheap brands have a ton of sugar, and the natural brands are expensive.
I used to go to our bulk store and buy the peanut butter ground to order. It was tasty, fresh, and healthy, but when I noticed the peanuts were about half the price, I decided to experiment and make my own.
It was so delicious and cheap that I have never looked back.
All you do is put the nuts in the food processor and let it go. It will go through stages, so you have to be patient, it takes a while to turn into a paste, but if you just let it go, it will happen eventually.
Doing this is a great way to have cheap healthy food on hand for your family. Peanut butter is great for sandwiches, but it’s also delicious with crackers, apples, celery, or banana.
I also use my food processor to fine-slice, grate, and shred large quantities of vegetables when cooking in bulk.
The blades and bowls of food processors can clean up in the dishwasher.
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Instant Pot
I bought an instant pot last year on the recommendation of a friend. I don’t use it as much in the summer as I do in the winter, but it’s a fantastic convenience.
The instant pot is a pressure cooker with a couple of other functions. You can also sautee in it and use it as a slow cooker. The idea with the pressure cooking function is that you can cook anything faster.
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Photo by amirali mirhashemian on Unsplash
I use this to make big batches of chili or curry at least once a month.
I cook up the meat first in the pressure cooker. Then I use the sautee function for cooking onions and any other veg I’m going to put in and to brown the meat after it’s been cooked.
It’s nice to be able to do these different jobs in one pot.
Food cooks up quickly and conveniently, you just set it and go. There is a delayed start function as well as an automatic warm function that keeps things warm after the cooking function times out. You can set it before work and come home to a beautifully cooked meal.
You can also braise meat, or cook oatmeal for a hot breakfast and you can make cakes and rice, but I don’t use mine for that.
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Photo by author: Instant pot and Turbowave.
Turbowave
I have the Turbowave, but there are plenty of little convection ovens out there. You can cook anything in them.
It’s is great for cooking a few things without having to heat the whole oven. Meat and vegetables cook up especially nicely, and if you put it on a little tray instead of directly on the racks, it stays clean.
Convection heat is good for anything crispy. We have tacos once a week, and I use the little oven for crisping up the shells, so I don’t have to heat the whole oven. It’s much faster because of the circulation of air in the small area.
It also turns itself off with a timer so you can set the time and walk away, but if you want something to stay crispy, you need to take the lid off right away before the steam starts to settle.
I use mine mainly for cooking meat, vegetables, and heating bread items like buns, Naan bread, or tortillas. But for just those functions, I use it at least twice a week, often more. It’s nice not to have to turn on the oven for small jobs and have cooking times sped up.

George Foreman grill
This is something I use more than I thought I would. It’s also something that I’ve tried using non-brand name versions, and the original George Forman brand is the one that seems to work best, in my experience.
I actually got mine at a garage sale for $2.00. I use it at least three times a week, and I love it. I use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches for the daycare kids and to make hamburgers once a week for my family.
Even if I only used it for these two things, for me, that was money well spent.
Not having to heat the stove to make grilled cheese and hamburgers is worth it. The Forman grill heats up so fast and stays at the perfect temperature. It also speeds up the cooking time because when you put the lid down, the food has two cooking surfaces.
You can cook up a bunch of hamburgers or sandwiches and have the last ones finished before the first ones cool down.
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I also use it for cooking vegetables. You can cut zucchini or peppers into strips. It is also suitable for heating flatbread. Anything you grill, you can make in the Foreman grill.
You can also crisp up bacon for a BLT or grill tomatoes to go with your cooked breakfast. (But be careful not to leave it beside your bed — A Michael Scott reference for you Office fans)
It is easy to clean, especially if you only use it for dry things.
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Photo by sk on Unsplash
Chopper
Mine is similar to the Excalibur brand found at Walmart.
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Photo by author: My chopper.
It is something that I bought on a whim. I bought it from the shopping channel, but it has turned out to be one of my most used gadgets.
I don’t use it every day, but when I use it, it is indispensable. I use it mainly to chop the vegetables when I’m making something like a pot of chili or a big stew. Even though I don’t use it all of the time, when I do use it, I’m always glad I have it.
It wasn’t expensive so this one was the best bang for my buck when it comes to these additions to my kitchen arsenal.
All you have to do is cut up the veg in pieces that fit the device and then force them through the chopping blades. It’s that easy.
Hard vegetables are tricky, but if you slice them thin enough, they slide through the blades.
It cuts nice uniform, small pieces quickly. All you have to do is cut pieces small enough to fit the chopping surface. Things like mushrooms can fit in the whole.
I used to avoid making big batches of chili and stews because I hated all of the chopping. But those are the dishes that feed big families cheaply and make for loads of frozen meals for later on.
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Photo by Sandie Clarke on Unsplash
Having the possibilities for so many different meals from the same ingredients is helpful as well.
With the same meat and veg, you can make chili, stew, soup, curry, or Asian hot pot style dishes.
You can add any combination of spices to make these ingredients to fit any flavor profile or ethnic taste.
So combining the chopper with the instant pot is a winning combination.
If you want to be more healthy and save money, the best place to start is in your kitchen.
If you have a special diet, picky eaters in the house, or if you just want to know what’s in your food, cooking for yourself is always your best option.
Cooking is not that difficult if you have the right appliances.
When you invest in tools to make this job easier, you’re more likely to do what you need to do to feed your family healthily and cheaply.
Some of these small appliances are not necessarily cheap to buy. But you can find them on sale or second hand, even online, and they do save you money, time and aggravation in the long run.
All you need to do is learn how to use them and incorporate them into your life.
Thanks for reading! I hope that was helpful.
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