Keto Essentials – Top 5 small kitchen appliances

From mixers to grinders, there are so many small kitchen appliances that make maintaining a keto lifestyle so much easier. Join me as we look at my top 5 favourite ones that I couldn’t do without!

Related – this article is part of our keto essential series. Check out the others for more keto tips & tricks.

I used the word small in the title, as we aren’t going to be looking at the large appliances like fridges and dishwashers. We’re going to focus on the everyday little gadgets that you should have on your counter top or in a cupboard/drawer.

I’ve lost count on the amount of money I must have spent on kitchen gadgets and appliances. Most have either ended in the back of my cupboard or been recycled. However, there are a few that I still use almost everyday and have become a keto kitchen essential!

1 – Electric Blade Grinder

More precisely, a grinder that is built for grinding coffee, spices and herbs. I use mine every day to grind coffee beans but I also use it to make keto porridge (recipe). It really can grind anything from coffee to sesame seeds.

You’ll want one that has a good motor (high wattage) and more importantly is easy to clean. I’ve been using the same one for a couple of years now and the only wear and tear I can see is that the logo has now rubbed off!

Top pick: Andrew James Electric Coffee Grinder (150W)

Available at: Amazon

This is the one I purchased all the way back in September 2017 and is still going strong today (2020). I suppose there is a reason this is one of the most highly rated and reviewed grinders on Amazon!

2 – Immersion Hand Blender

Another one that I use almost daily, an immersion hand blender is great at making butter (bulletproof) coffee with minimal cleanup (recipe). It is also great at making cauliflower mash and all manner of soups.

There are a couple of things you need to be careful of though when deciding on what to get. Firstly, always get one that has a metal blade and neck. The cheaper brands tend to be fully plastic, which can quickly discolour and don’t always work well in hot liquids. Secondly, always look for one that has a high wattage, at least 500W, preferably 800W+. You don’t want a hand blender that can’t handle a few big chunks of food.

Top pick: Braun MultiQuick 5 Vario Hand Blender

Available at: Amazon

The Braun MQ5035 has a powerful 750W motor that will be able to blend even the toughest pieces of food to a lovely smooth paste. What’s also nice about this one is that has 21 speeds, which I know that sounds like a lot but trust me comes in handy.

3 – Hand Mixer

Hand mixer or commonly referred to as an electric whisk. I don’t know about you but whisking by hand is hard work! Recently, I’ve been making Keto dalgona coffee (recipe) and using an electric whisk has been an arm saver!

More commonly used in baking, they are great at ensuring that what you’re trying to mix is done uniformly and more importantly quickly. They don’t have to cost a ton and can be purchased in most UK supermarkets for under a tenner.

Honestly, so long as you get one that has a few different speed settings, a couple of attachments (beaters & dough hooks) and has a good enough build quality, you’ll be fine.

Top pick: VonShef Professional 300W Hand Mixer

Available at: Amazon

Plain simple electric whisk that comes with three attachments – 2 x beaters, 2 x dough hooks and a balloon whisk. I love the VonShef brand and have quite a few of their products, as they are always a good price and great build quality!

4 – Kettle

Bit off an obvious one here, hopefully everyone has a kettle in their kitchen but you’d be surprised. I once visited a friend and all they had was one of those hot water appliances that heats just enough water for a cup. Sounds pretty cool but the reality is that it’s rarely boiling water and if you need more than a cup then expect a long wait.

Similar to my thoughts on the electric whisk, you don’t need to break the bank on a kettle. Just pick one that has a large capacity (>1.5ltr) and high wattage, as you don’t want to be waiting around forever.

Always a good idea to check out your local supermarket as they might have an offer on for kettle.

Top pick: Breville Impressions Electric Kettle (1.7 Litre / 3KW)

Available at: Amazon

A powerful 3KW element that can rapidly boil up 1.7 litres of water, that should make around 6-8 cups. Also comes in 4 different colours (Black, Red, White, Cream) so you can match the rest of your countertop!

You’ll commonly find this kettle sold in a combo with either a 2-slice or 4-slice toaster. The funny thing is that I haven’t used my toaster since going keto and only get it out of the cupboard when I have non-keto guests over! If you want a matching a set then great, otherwise I would omit getting a toaster altogether.

5 – Slow Cooker

A slow cooker, one of those appliances that you buy and leave in the cupboard to gather dust or give to a charity shop. I know I have done in the past. However, it is one of the best keto kitchen appliances, as you can just chuck a whole load of stuff in there and just leave it to cook for hours. The longer the better, so that all the meat has stewed and is so tender that you can pull it apart with your bare hands! I’m getting hungry just talking about it!

There are only a couple of things you need to think about when choosing your slow cooker:

• Size – Most come with a 3.5L capacity, which is great for pretty much everything. However, if you’re making meals for 4+ people or want to slow-cook a large piece of meat, then a 6.5L+ may be more suitable.
• Wattage / Heat settings – The aim of the game is to go low and slow, so wattage isn’t too important for this appliance. However, you’ll still want one with at least 3 variable heat settings (Low, Med, High).

Top pick: Morphy Richards Slow Cooker Sear and Stew 3.5L

Available at: Amazon

Available in a choice of colours to match the rest of your keto kitchen appliances. One of the benefits of this one is that the cooking pot is hob proof, so you can use it to sear and brown the meat before slow cooking.

Not big enough? Then take a look at the 6.5L variant available here.

Conclusion

So there are my top 5 keto kitchen appliances (in particular order). I’ve gone through my cupboards and these are the ones I use most often and don’t sit there collecting dust!

What are your go to kitchen essentials that you can’t do without?