Expert Picks: 8 Kitchen Tools You Need to Stock a Healthy Kitchen (Slideshow)

Personal chef and healthy-eating guru Christina Dimacali shares her can't-live-without-'em kitchen gadgets that help her create healthy meals.

Okay, so you’re trying to eat better—congrats! That’s a great first step toward better health and wellness. Now its time to make sure your kitchen can help you get there. Believe it or not, having the right tools on hand can make all the difference in preparing healthy meals. Clean Your Plate’s Christina Dimacali should know—she’s been whipping up über-healthy meals for clients in her NoLibs kitchen for years. Here are eight kitchen gadgets she swears by to help you bring your kitchen up to (healthy) par.

And, hey, I’m sure it’s not too late to add these items to your Christmas list. I’m pretty sure Santa takes last-minute requests.

>> Scroll below the slideshow to read about why Christina can’t get enough of these items.


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1. Ozeri Touch Professional Digital Scale
$28.95 at Amazon.

“Most people aren’t super accurate when it comes to eyeballing serving sizes—but the scale doesn’t lie. Four ounces of chicken is four ounces of chicken. I use this scale all the time, even when measuring wet and dry ingredients for recipes. It’s easier to clean than other scales, since it has a flat tempered glass top.”

2. Bodum Cordless Water Kettle
$39,95 at Amazon.

“For your morning green tea or pressed coffee, this is really convenient. It doesn’t use up much space, automatically shuts off once the water boils, and comes in a variety of sizes. I’ve had the 57-ounce version for a few years and use it on a daily basis. It’s lighter and heats water faster than a traditional tea kettle. Besides, you can save a burner on the stove for cooking other things.”

3. Progressive Magnetic Measuring Spoons
$10.54 at Amazon.

“No more measuring spoons on a key chain! These spoons are convenient, easy to clean and stay together with a small magnet in the handle. Two ends measure the same amount: one end is narrow enough to fit into spice jars, the second end is convenient when you need to measure another ingredient right away—which means no more washing and drying between measuring. Use ’em for keeping more accurate tabs on your oil and sugar intake.”

4. KitchenAid Hand Blender
$129.99 at Amazon.

“Convenient for well-intentioned smoothies as well as pureeing soups and sauces straight into the pan. I love that the stainless end detaches with a push of a button, so it’s the only part I need to clean.”

5. Multiple cutting boards
$49.99 at HSN.

“You need at least two cutting boards, but ideally four (one for meats, one for fish, one for poultry and one for vegetables). It helps to prevent cross contamination. I prefer the plastic for easy designations. just remember to towel dry or dry them vertically. Bonus: this set comes with four knives.”

6. Fabrikators Veggie Skrub’a Gloves
$12.95 at Sur La Table.

“After using many brushes, I prefer this glove scrubber for cleaning fruits and vegetables. It mimics what you would normally do without a brush, but gets better, quicker coverage. In a pinch, you could probably use an exfoliating glove sold in the beauty aisle of your local drugstore.”

7. Offset Spatula
$7.59 at Amazon.

“This is typically used for frosting cakes, but I use this über-flexible spatula for flipping long pieces of fish, or delicate individual scallops. The slender design allows me to give food a flip without disturbing the other contents of the pan.”

8. T-fal Professional Total Nonstick Fry Pan
$25.27 at Amazon.

“I use stainless steel for most of my cookware, but I’m often asked to recommend a non-stick skillet. The benefit of a non-stick skillet, of course, is that you don’t have to use as much oil or fat to slick up your surface before cooking—therefore saving you some calories. The key is to not use non-stick skillets over super high tea; they are just not designed for this purpose. This particular pan is one I’ve purchased and tested with good results.  It’s also well rated by many users and professional reviews.”

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