Courtesy SproutsIO
Kitchen Aids
Smart appliances designed for healthier living preserve nutrients, perfect lean meals, and even grow fresh produce indoors.
BY JORGE S. ARANGO
To assure you’re eating organic, set up the SproutsIO countertop growing system complete with proprietary sIO seed tray, add 2 gallons of water, and turn on the overhead LED. Sensors in the setup’s basin monitor temperature, humidity, and water level, turning on electronic misters as needed or occasionally sending a push notification for human intervention. A camera built into the lamp allows you to watch remotely how your garden grows. $800; sproutsio.com
Courtesy Philips
Soup is the original health food, retaining more of the nutrients from foods than other cooking methods do. With the Philips Soup Maker, add ingredients to the Thermos-like vessel, select one of six settings (puréed, chunky, cold, etc.), and in 18 minutes or less, you’ll have 1.2 liters of anything from gazpacho to chicken noodle. The device doubles as a blender. $150; usa.philips.com
The Tribest Dynapro High Speed Vacuum Blender utilizes a 2.5 hp motor and a vacuum lid and pump to reduce oxidation, which protects against the loss of nutrients and flavor that occurs during a traditional high-speed blend. A built-in temperature indicator ensures that food remains raw (below 118 degrees). $600; tribestlife.com
Brothers Kumi and Tomo Hijikata of Vermicular created Musui, a state-of-the-art, hand-cast, enameled iron pot with airtight sealing and triple-thermal heating. Combined with Kamado, a heating element with high-performance induction coils, the system exceeds electric and gas stove tops for power and precision, preparing perfect, nutrient-rich proteins and vegetables. Musui is sold separately ($300) or with Kamado ($670); vermicular.us
Sure, you can use Wolf Gourmet’s Precision Electric Griddle to make calorie-laden pancakes, but you can also sear meats with less oil on its nonstick surface and steam veggies or fish, thanks to its stainless steel lid. It’s an all-in-one solution for healthy cooking. $550; williams-sonoma.com
Hammacher Schlemmer’s Cuisinart Toasting and Air Frying Oven uses high-velocity hot air instead of oil to cut down on grease. For healthier eating, “fry” tempura and fish ‘n’ chips or broil lean fish and meats in “toast” mode. $200; hammacher.com
The Nesco Vacuum Sealer with Digital Scale helps make portion control easy. The easy-to-read scale can weigh up to 11 pounds of food and vacuum seal it for freshness. $100; nesco.com
The 16-square-foot capacity of the Excalibur 10-Tray Dehydrator makes the job of turning fruits and vegetables into high-fiber, high-potassium, antioxidant-rich snack foods quite easy. The appliance comes with two temperatures to speed up drying and a 99-hour digital timer. $1,000; excaliburdehydrator.com
The Paderno World Cuisine 8-Cut Collapsible Spiralizer adds to its former 4-blade version for thicker noodle strands and ribbons, as well as rippled cuts. The gluten-free and carb-conscious can enjoy pasta-like dishes made with noodle-shaped zucchini, squash, and other vegetables. $60; williams-sonoma.com
