As we have said on previous occasions, a healthier diet begins in the shopping cart : basing our diet on quality raw materials and choosing foods ahead of processed products and makes it much easier for us to turn our food into a healthier one.
The second step is to cook these foods in our own home and do it in a healthy way : choosing cooking methods such as steam, iron or oven can also be a good way to improve our diet.
To make cooking healthier is easier, we bring you a selection of kitchen accessories that can make things easier when it comes to improving your diet.
Steam case for the microwave
An interesting option when it comes to cooking if you want to eat healthy and you do not have much time is to use a steam case for microwaves . These cases (the most famous are those of Lékué, but you have them available on large surfaces at a more moderate price) are made of silicone suitable for food use , which does not preserve odors, and are also easy to clean, as they can be put in the dishwasher.
The only thing we have to do is to introduce the food that we want to prepare with a little water into the box, put the box in the microwave and in a few minutes we have our plate ready to eat. It serves to prepare fish and meats, although they are a little dull (we can season them later with spices , for example). We can also prepare vegetable dishes, which do have much more flavor.
Palomiter for a healthy snack
If you love to do a series marathon on Netflix or HBO on weekends and you can not go without your popcorn, getting a microwave pigeon can be a good investment. The main problem of microwave popcorn that we find in the super is that they have a lot of salt and butter , but with this pigeon we can prepare them more naturally.
We only need to buy natural corn grains (a bag of 300 grams can cost us about two euros, so it also means a good saving if we often eat popcorn) and insert them into the base of the pigeon. We put the palomitero in the microwave for about three minutes and voila! healthier popcorn (corn only, no salt or butter) ready to taste.
Cutters for making vegetable spaghetti or zoodles
The Zoodles or vegetable spaghetti are a very original way to introduce vegetables in our diet. We can prepare them of zucchini or carrot , for example, and taste them in different ways: grilled, raw, cooked … They work terrific as a garnish next to a meat or a fish or as a main dish if we add some cereal or legume.
To get vegetable spaghetti we have two options: we can make them with the traditional method, with a simple knife or a mandolin, or we can use a vegetable spiralizer , which generally allows us to make different types of cuts in different vegetables. The greatest advantage of these tools is the speed and they are not a very expensive investment that we can take much advantage of.
Small glass blender to prepare smoothies
A couple of years ago these small personal use blenders became very fashionable that allow us to prepare smoothies and smoothies quickly . In front of a large glass blender , the main advantage is that this small appliance prepares the ideal amount of smoothie or smoothie to consume at the moment, it is easy to clean and despite its small size it has a great power.
The glass in which we prepare the smoothie in these small blenders is the same one that we use to drink the smoothie: you only have to change the blades for the lid to carry and that’s it. Its use is very comfortable : cut the fruit into pieces, put in the blender together with the liquid base and other toppings (nuts, seeds), a few touches of blender and ready to drink.
Yogurt maker to prepare yogurt at home
To prepare yogurt in a homemade way is a very simple process for which we only need a starting yogurt (from which we will obtain the necessary bacteria to prepare our homemade yogurt) and a yogurt maker. The yogurts are not very expensive ( from 20 euros on Amazon , depending on capacity and materials) and allow us to have a good amount of yogurt always ready to taste.
We can also prepare homemade yogurt without the need for a yogurt maker ( we explain how to do it here ), but the truth is that this small appliance facilitates the process a lot.
Bakery to prepare our homemade bread
Finding good quality bread is a difficult task unless we have a good tahona close to home. The supermarket loaves are usually frozen and, in the case of talking about whole grain breads or cereals, we must be very cautious and read the list of ingredients well so that they do not give it to us with cheese and we end up buying bread with very little percentage of whole grain at a price of gold.
Preparing our own bread at home based on sourdough is a process that more and more people carry out, especially if any member of the family suffers from celiac disease . A bakery, if we have room in the kitchen, can be a good help to prepare bread easily in our own home ( Amazon can find them from 55 or 60 euros).
Mud tajine for slow cooker
The slow cooking is fashionable. On other occasions we have talked about crockpot or slow cookers : some appliances that use very little energy and that allow us to prepare very tasty dishes and, if we choose the ingredients well, also healthy with the only condition of having patience.
The Moroccan tajine , generally made of clay or ceramic , is another utensil that allows us to enjoy the slow, very aromatic cuisine with great flavor. Its conical shape and the materials with which it is manufactured conserves heat and enhances the flavor of food. And although it is traditionally used to prepare tajine(the typical Moroccan dish), it can also be used for other preparations .
Electric steamer
Steaming allows us to maintain the natural flavor of food , without adding oils or fats and without adding extra calories to our dishes. The electric steamers or steam ovens facilitate the steam cooking process, and can also separate the ingredients in different compartments so that flavors and odors do not mix.
Vegetables, vegetables, meats, fish and vegetables can be prepared in these steamers. In Amazon you can find a lot of models of electric steam generators with different characteristics : with or without a timer, with two or three compartments, with or without a screen … If you are looking for something economical you can find simple models like Orbegozo for just over 20 euros
Egg scavenger
The egg is one of those superfoods that should not be missing in our kitchen ( unless you are vegan , of course): it provides us with very good quality proteins and healthy fats for our body. It also gives us cholesterol, but we already know that the cholesterol we eat does not influence our blood cholesterol level practically , so its consumption is perfectly safe.
If you are one of those who eat one or more eggs a day and want to leave the typical cooked egg or the typical tortilla , poached eggs are a good option: they keep a low calorie level (since they are prepared in water) and they follow us providing many nutrients.
The most traditional way to prepare them by opening the egg and putting it in a bag made with film, but I confess that I never get it and that the egg ends up scattered by the water. The utensils to prepare the poached eggs can be very helpful when cooking them and they are also very cheap.
Now that we are in a time of sales, take advantage to get some of these accessories that can make your diet more healthy .