For a recent Introductory Raw Food Workshop I brought a lot of the tools I use for nearly everything with me. I would consider these essential. I have tried a lot of different variations and like these the best. If you want to see more about them, I have detailed them all below.
Spiral Vegetable Slicer
This is used to create long curly noodles out of anything from beets to broccolli stems to carrots, jicama and sweet potatoes. Makes the work very easy.
Vitamix
I think I use this at least twice a day and there really isn’t a substitute. Yes, there are other high speed blenders, this is a workhorse that is easy to clean and I can blend nuts into the creamiest purees, that are so smooth you’d think they were made of glass. Seriously. Great machine.
Mesh Strainer
I have several of these and use them constantly as I am always trying to make sure I have removed things like pulp and seeds from purees. I triple strain my nut milks and green juices using this. I have 3 sizes.
Mandoline
and matching Mesh Glove
You can just see this collapsed in the photo above. This is essential to get really thin, consistent slices, especially when prepping things for the dehydrator. You also want to get the mesh glove, as the included safety hub that holds the veg so you don’t get cut is a waste of time. Use the glove instead.
Excalibur Dehydrator
This is my smaller unit. I have a 9 tray one that is going 24×7, making crackers, jams and kale chips. This smaller unit is perfect if you don’t have a lot of room. I have found that I could use a wall of these some times – especially when all my friends want their own bags of Kale Chips.
Post-it Big Pad
You wouldn’t think I’d have this as an essential tool for the kitchen, however, once I started using these, I can’t live without them. They stick anywhere and are large enough to put across the room with your entire list of things you need to do for the meal. Fantastic tool that I use daily.
One of my students @hollyejacobs thesilverpen took a photo of my prep list and posted it here.