Food Allergy Parents spend a LOT of time in the kitchen. So below are some of my favorite tools that make cooking safe food for our family a little easiser.
VITAMIX BLENDER
Professional-Grade, Self-Cleaning 64 oz Blender
Mix the smoothest smoothies, soups, batters, & lasts for years
All my friends and family know how obsessed I am with our Vitamix Blender. We have the 5200 and I love it so much, I even bought one for my mom! It’s one of my favorite splurges and it’s also one of my best tricks for getting toddlers to eat more vegetables.
So an investment? Yep. But we use ours daily and even take it with us on road trips so we make sure to have meals safe for our food allergies.
If you want creamy smooth green smoothies–even if you use kale–a professional-grade blender like our Vitamix 5200 is what you need.
CAST IRON SKILLET
Pre-seasoned cast iron pan for indoor or outdoor use, 12-inch size
When our non-stick pans starting flaking and peeling, and I learned about the health hazards connected with Teflon, I decided to clean up our kitchen pans. We got a set of Stainless Steel pots and pans, which are good. However, the real boss of the stove in our house is our Cast Iron Skillet.
We inherited an OLD cast iron skillet (similar to this one on Amazon) that we found in a grandparent’s basement. My husband researched about seasoning it and cleaning it properly, and it’s become one of our most-used kitchen tools the past two years.
A couple things to know if you’ve never cooked with cast iron before:
- It’s heavy
- The handle gets hot (we use a hot pad to move it)
- If you season it properly, you shouldn’t need oil/butter to cook most things. Eggs are one exception when we still need oil to avoid sticking..
If you want a cast iron skillet with a lid, Legend Cast Iron makes a 12″ skillet with great reviews.
AIR FRYER
4 Qt Capacity - Crisps, Roasts, Reheats & Dehydrates for Quick, Easy Meals
Wow! Why did I wait so long to get an air fryer?
From heating up leftovers to making delicious asparagus and sweet potato fries, we use this thing a lot more than I thought I would!
Ours lives on our counter because we use it almost every day.
INSTANT POT
Stainless Steel, Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Warmer, Sterilizer, Yogurt Maker
I didn’t hop on the Instant Pot bandwagon right away because I used a slow cooker a lot and didn’t understand why I’d need an instant pot.
Now, I understand! I use it all the time and it has been a total gamechanger in our kitchen.
We ordered the Amazon Bestseller Instant Pot Duo 6 QT 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker and am very happy it. I LOVE that I don’t have to babysit the oven or stove. Six quarts is big enough for our family of 4, but if you have a bigger family or want to double recipes a lot, you might consider a larger option.
It was under $100 and we use it multiple times per week, including my tried-and-true Simple Bone Broth recipe. It’s been well worth the investment.
We also regularly use it to make rice, quinoa, beans, chicken, lentil spaghetti, and curry. It can be used for so many things!
SILICONE MUFFIN PAN + CUPS
24-Pack of Round & Rectangle Reusable Silicone Baking Cups, Great for Bento-Box Lunches too!
My family loves muffins! In fact, “Muffin + Smoothie Night” has been a weekly tradition for us for many years. BUT scraping muffin tins with baked-on crumbs is such a pain!
Cleanup with silicone baking cups is such a breeze!
We have silicone muffin pans for jumbo muffins and regular muffin cups for regular-sized muffins. I love them both.
My husband, who often helps with washing dishes, has commented many times from the kitchen sink how much easier these pans and cups are to clean than the metal ones.
SILICONE SPATULAS
Heat resistant, easy to clean, dishwasher-safe, perfect tool for scraping, baking, spreading.
We were given a set of silicone spatulas like these and they are always the first I reach for when baking, cooking, and mixing. They’re perfect for mixing and scraping out sourdough, getting that last bit of SunButter, mayo, or frosting an allergy-free treat.
If you don’t have a set of Silicone Spatulas yet, these would be a great addition to your kitchen.
BOSCH DISHWASHER
Big item, I know, but a great dishwasher is a super important tool in a food allergy kitchen.
We make virtually every snack and meal at home, so I LOVE having a dishwasher that works. We made sure to find one that cleans well and is quiet (because our old one was so loud!).
Stainless steel dishwasher with leakage protection; Flexible 3rd rack can fold down for 30% more loading area
We bought a Bosch dishwasher and I would absolutely buy it again. If you’re in the market for a dishwasher, I highly recommend a Bosch dishwasher.
3 Pro Tips from the dishwasher installation guy to make dishwashers last longer:
- Use powder detergent instead of liquid
- Only use 1/2 Tablespoon of detergent
- Use rinse aid whenever the light indicates
More Recommendations from Food Allergy Parents
For more allergy-friendly home tips, check out Recommended Cleaning and Personal Care Products for an Allergy Friendly Home.