How to Get Kitchen Tools to Be a Raw Foodist

Raw food is much more than just raw fruits and vegetables. Fresh produce can be combined in unique and creative ways to prepare sophisticated, gourmet dishes suitable for a five star restaurant. To create gourmet raw food meals, you'll need a few kitchen tools to make preparation easier. Here are some of the best kitchen tools and gadgets for raw foodists.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Chopping tools.
   
   Raw foodists eat lots of chopped vegetables. For this reason, you'll want tools that get the job done quickly and efficiently. A high quality stainless steel chopping knife as well as a good cutting board, preferably in wood, will come in handy. You can find a variety of other vegetable choppers that will make fancier cuts such as a mandoline or a spiral slicer, but you can get by with just a steel chopping knife initially.

2. A high quality blender.
   
   Raw foodists use a blender to create delicious smoothies using fresh fruits as well as cold fruit and vegetable based soups. This is one appliance where it pays to spend a little more and get a model with real power and durability. A cheap blender may not have the get up and go to crush ice sufficiently to make a smoothie or puree soup until it's smooth and creamy. One of the best models on the market is the Vita-mix which can not only make smoothies and soups, but can also make delicious ice creams, sorbets. It even makes whipping up nut butters a breeze. It's a powerful tool which, unfortunately, will set you back over $400.00. You can sometimes buy refurbished models for less online. Be sure to do price comparisons before buying.

3. A juicer.
   
   A quick and easy way to get a diversity of healthy enzymes and antioxidants without eating a ton of fruits and vegetables is to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice. With a juicer, you can make your own healthy juice combinations using organic fruits and vegetables. By drinking fresh juice, you get the benefits of a variety of fruit and vegetables without eating large quantities of food. Plus, you can save the juice pulp which contains the fiber to use in other recipes. Juicers come in a variety of price ranges and can be found at most gourmet kitchen stores, department stores, and online. Choose a juicer that cleans up quickly and easily since juicing can be time intensive if you choose the wrong juicer.

4. A dehydrator.
   
   You might say a dehydrator is the raw foodist's oven. According to the principles of a healthy raw food diet, food shouldn't be heated above a temperature of 120 degrees Farenheit to preserve the enzymes that are so vital to health. A dehydrator allows the raw foodist to give food a cooked taste without exceeding this temperature. The dehydrator does this by slowly removing moisture from the food. Using a dehydrator, a raw foodist can make crisp pizza crusts, whole grain crackers, granola and other healthy treats without using levels of heat that would destroy necessary enzymes. A dehydrator is also useful for drying fresh fruits and vegetables to preserve them for later use. Dehydrators can be purchased for under $100.00 at stores that sell outdoor good and camping supplies, some department stores, and online. If you're serious about adopting a raw food lifestyle, this is a good investment.