Here are some of the basic but important kitchen tools to boost your healthy weight gain.

They are great because you’ll use these items over and over again and they will save you time and money. And who doesn’t want that?

But if you’re thinking “Oh Oh”, just relax.

I’m not suggesting something like a vitamix is a crucial item, although if you have or can afford one, good for you!

Also, if you have a small kitchen, don’t worry because I’m no fan of clutter or things you’ll use once and then it’s stashed away on a high shelf somewhere to gather dust for years.

These items are fairly affordable and some are pretty small.

Some you can tuck away in a cupboard or even drawer. But the main thing is that you’ll get lots of use from these important kitchen tools to boost your healthy weight gain.

So first off, I’m just going to mention having a decent fridge. It’s so essential; I’ve sort of taken it for granted that most people reading this blog will already have one.

Ok that’s that and now let’s begin.

The Important Kitchen Tool List

1. Countertop Blenders To Boost Healthy Weight Gain                                            

Countertop blenders are wonderful kitchen tools that can be used every few days, if not every day.

You can use this type of blender to make smoothies, juices, some puddings, salsas, cauliflower rice, home-made mayonnaise and sauces. Those are just some blender ideas.

Ice Ice Baby

If you are on the lookout for a countertop blender, try and find one that is high powered and can crush ice.

The reason I mention ice crushing is because firstly, there are people who like their smoothies, juices, lassis etc. cold and will include ice when making them.

Second, ice crushing blenders are needed if you’re using frozen fruit or produce for either drinking your calories or making easy, tasty, healthy weight gain desserts like home-made frozen yogurt, ice- creams, and sorbets.

(Post on simple healthy weight gain frozen desserts to come).

In general, benefits of countertop blenders include:

• It’s quick and easy to make a healthy weight drink/food.
• They have different speed settings and generally a pulsing option as well.
• They process a large variety of whole foods and this means less waste as well as keeping the nutritional value.
• On the whole they provide an easy way to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Quite easy to clean up and you don’t have to remove parts.

Our previous blender was from the Russell Hobbs brand. It finally gave up the ghost after about 12 years and cost about $50 (Australian) at the time. The current blender is an ice crusher from Sunbeam and I’m pretty happy with it and have had it for a few years now.

But be warned. If you put ice or frozen produce in a countertop blender that isn’t ice crushing, it will dull the blades. It can even burn out the motor or crack the glass/plastic of the jug or container.

*Please don’t place boiling hot liquids in them. This exercise may scald you, destroy your blender and re-decorate your kitchen with blotches on the walls and ceiling.

So to make a long story short, do get a high powered ice crushing blender which you can use for way more than just smoothies.

2. Stick/Immersion Blenders

These types of blenders have a slim, compact design. Immersion blenders aren’t as powerful as countertop blenders so use on soft or softened foods only (no nuts please).

But they can do some things the countertop ones can’t.

For instance, they are great for blending hot liquids like soups, soft desserts including those prepared on the stovetop (remember to switch burner off first), home-made tomato sauce, baby food, soft dips, batters and mixing powder with liquid to a smooth paste.

I like stick blenders for the following reasons:

• They are so convenient. For example, if you’re making soup, you’d need to let it cool down some, pour it into your countertop blender without burning yourself and blend, holding on to the lid so it doesn’t spray your kitchen. Then try not to burn yourself again as you pour it back into the pot. No such drama with this little guy. Plunge into your cooking pot and puree away.
• Importantly, they are easy to wash.  Lather up and rinse in less than 20 seconds. Seriously!
• They are small- a slice of the size of a countertop blender and light to carry. Finding room in your kitchen isn’t going to be hard.
• They work really well for little portions/small jobs. Realistically, not everyone is your family is going to want to gain weight so you may not need huge amounts of what you’re blending.

Like anything there are pricey ones but you can also get a range for under (Australian) $50.

*Just remember:

Be careful when blending hot liquids.

And avoid using them in shallow containers. They work best when the head of the blender is completely immersed in what you’re blending.

Finally dudes, please always, ALWAYS unplug it before washing. You don’t want to lose a piece of finger!

3. Slow cookers

Ok, so these aren’t the smallest of kitchen equipment but they are very useful time savers for making healthy weight gain meals.

Slow cookers are electrical appliances that cook on low temperatures over long periods of times e.g. 4-10 hours.

They are great for stews, casseroles, soups, roasts and other meat and poultry dishes, beans and bone broth just to name a few.

Of course, while blenders are great because they work fast, these babies take hours to cook.

Now hear me out because you literally just set and forget slow cookers. And then hours later, it’s all done and ready for you to gobble up.

How it works is you place your raw peeled, cut up ingredients (meat and vegetables), liquid and seasoning inside and turn it on.

 It then cooks on slow heat for several hours and voila you have a delicious meal to sink your chops into.

There are several benefits to slow cooking including:

• Food becomes very soft and flavourful. (Fall-off-the-bone soft).It also maintains more nutrients than cooking on higher heat.
• This is the ultimate one-pot cooking. It means very little food prep and washing up.
• You can use cheaper and tougher cuts of meat in a slow cooker to get tender, tasty meals.
• You are less likely to burn food using a slow cooker. People can set it before leaving in the morning to go to work, and come back at the end of the day to delicious smells wafting from your home. Or you can even leave it on overnight while you sleep.
• They are cheaper to run than an oven.
• Naturally, slow cookers are great for bulk cooking which can then be frozen for future meals. This saves you time and money.

*I must admit there was a disadvantage of working from home during covid while using the slow cooker. Because this meant inhaling mouth- watering smells while knowing there is still 4 hours to go before it’s completely done.

So obviously, follow the instructions on your slow cooker for the best results. And then just set and forget, till its dinner time.

4. Food and Drink Containers

Overall, these aren’t big ticket items but they are super useful for healthy weight gain.

Storage containers and jars can be used for raw produce, cooked produce, snacks and drinks.

I use mostly glass containers for several reasons. They are:

• Clear and see-through so it’s easy to identify what food is in there.
• Long-lasting and recyclable.
• Safe to use- no worrying about BPA chemicals leaching into food. See here and this as well for information on plastic storage.
• Easy to clean and they don’t absorb the smell of foods stored in them.
• Easy to collect when buying honey, coffee, jam in jars etc. and simply re-using them. These are great for storing dried grains, cereal, spices, nuts etc.
• Versatile and can go from freezers and fridges to higher temperatures such as ovens or dishwashers.

So, I use a few different types of storage. I have glass bottles for storing my healthy weight gain drinks. (You can get some cheap ones from Kmart or IKEA.)

*Tip: Think about the shape of the bottles before buying for washing out well with a bottle brush.

I also have different sized “lunchbox” type glass containers which I use to store mostly cooked food in the fridge or freezer.

Finally, I keep different sized glass jars which were originally from jam, honey and other condiments.

I re-use them as mentioned above for storing dry food, snacks and spices. You’ll find this useful for figuring out what weight gain foods to keep at home.

In conclusion, I’m guessing some of these items you already have in your kitchen.

If you’re not using them, it’s a good idea to pull them out, dust them off and see them for the great aids that they are.

 I’ve personally found these important kitchen tools to boost healthy weight gain of real benefit for my weight journey.

So, here is to your good health!