Cooking Tools for a Healthy New Year

Healthy eating is a journey, not a destination, and it all starts in your kitchen. We would love to believe that we can outsource our healthy eating habits to restaurants and delivery services, but the truth is that cooking healthy meals at home is essential to developing sustainable, long-term habits. Not only do you have control of the ingredients and nutritional content, but it also helps save money, reduce food waste, and develop your confidence as a vaunted home chef. The tools at your disposal can make or break your ability to cook healthy meals with ease and efficiency. These are some of the items you need in your kitchen to up your culinary game and put a healthy spin on your everyday menu choices.

_{Prices are accurate as of December 15, 2024. Subject to change.}

Souper Cubes

It happens like clockwork every year. You begin with the best intentions to eat healthier, but after days of reheated leftovers, cravings for takeout inevitably take over. It’s a familiar dilemma, but there’s a simple solution. Our eating habits totally transformed when we discovered a game-changing meal prep solution called Souper Cubes, which portions out leftovers, saves money, freezer space, and food waste, and switches up your menu so you don’t grow tired of repeating homemade healthy meals. Whether you want to portion out homemade soups, lightened-up sauces, lean meats, or hearty grains and sides, these stackable, bright blue freezer trays, which come in multiple portion sizes, are the healthy cooking and freezer-space solution we wish we had years ago. With these nifty trays, we’ve been able to freeze homemade broth, pasta, and other filling, nutritious meals that leave boredom and blandness off the menu.

Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide

The best way to cook healthy is to expand your culinary knowledge and dare to be bold with your menu choices. After all, when you’re confident about whipping up nutritious meals, you’re more likely to stick with healthier habits and give Uber Eats a rest. One adventurous cooking method we’ve taken up recently is sous vide, which cooks food in a water bath at a consistent, lower temperature for longer periods of time so you’re left with tender, succulent meals, especially proteins, that not only taste better but also retain more nutrients than traditional cooking methods. Of all the sous vide machines we’ve tried, none come close to the performance, speed, and ease of use of the Breville Joule Turbo. It cooks fantastic cuts of fish, chicken, beef, and pork that have us reaching for it numerous times a week. The Autopilot feature, which takes the guesswork out of doneness, has become our go-to cooking method. Though we rely on this tool for protein preparation, sous vide can also cook veggies, desserts, and other delicious fare. 

OXO Dressing Mixer

Store-bought condiments like bottled salad dressings can be hidden sources of added sugars and artificial ingredients, undermining the nutritional value of an otherwise healthy salad. To elevate your salad game and support your health goals in 2025, we recommend investing in a vessel that can mix and store your own flavorful and nutritious scratch-made dressings. Dressing containers are nothing new, but what makes this piece from OXO our favorite is its generous size and versatility. The wide-mouth opening makes it easy to squeeze lemon juice, pour oils and vinegars, and drop in minced garlic and scallions, while the interior mixing blade helps keep everything well-distributed so you can mix, stir, and pour without issue. The container’s leak-proof and air-tight storage also outperforms any other vessels we’ve used in the past, preventing oily messes and keeping the dressing fresh from the first pour to the last. Your greens will never taste better.

Our Place Perfect Pot 

If we had to choose just one cookware brand to obsess over, it would be Our Place. Not only are the brand’s pots and pans versatile and easy to clean, but they double as decorative pieces in glorious shades like lavender and sage. This colorful cookware is our go-to when we want to make healthier weeknight meals, from veggie-packed stir-fry, teriyaki salmon, and creamy black bean soup. We’ve long been obsessed with the Always Pan, but it’s the Perfect Pot that we lean on most when we need to make healthy meals in a flash. Part of healthy cooking is having the go-to, multi-purpose tools that make cooking simple, approachable, and quick, which is why we can’t help but recommend the Perfect Pot for its ability to roast, boil, bake, braise, steam, and fry, among other uses.  

Ninja Food Processor

When you commit to healthier eating, you’ll likely utilize a food processor far more than you ever expected. This powerful appliance comes in use to make things like spreads, dressings, and soups, so you can make your own provisions instead of eating sugar-filled peanut butter, store-bought hummus, sodium-laden canned soup, or bottled pesto. Though there are countless food processor brands to choose from at every price point, we’re particularly fond of this Ninja food processor, which also doubles as a blender for those green morning smoothies. Simple and easy to operate, it takes the guesswork out of food preparation so you can focus on making fresh, health-centric foods that support those worthwhile resolutions. 

Prodyne Fruit Infusion Pitcher

It’s not technically a cooking method, but there’s no way around it, drinking plenty of water is key if you want to embrace a healthier lifestyle overall. There are days when we dread sipping the bland beverage, which is why we made a resolution to start incorporating some flavor. Forgoing sugary flavor packets, we’ve instead opted to infuse our water with lemon, cucumber, strawberry, kiwi, and other natural flavors with the help of this pitcher. Toss the ingredients into the removable rod and drop it in, letting the infusion work its magic. Not only does it help us stay hydrated, but it’s also a huge hit when it comes to entertaining.

Hedley & Bennett Chef’s Knife 

A dull knife is a no-go when it comes to healthy cooking. If you’re in the midst of chopping up fresh veggies, fruits, and proteins, the last thing you need is a knife that will leave you hacking, sawing, and struggling to get the job done. That’s why we took our dull, lackluster knives, tossed them, and invested in a one-and-done piece that can handle whatever is on the end of its blade. Culinary supplier Hedley & Bennett, known for their coveted chef-designed aprons, actually sells one of the best 8-inch chef knives we’ve ever used. The durable knife is made with three layers of tough Japanese steel and an ergonomically designed handle that works wonders in professional and home kitchens alike. No matter if we’re breaking down a Boston butt or dicing our veggies to miniscule pieces, this easy-to-wield knife is a sharp and sophisticated tool that’ll have you slicing up health-conscious cuisine on the regular.

Featured image credit: Unsplash+ via Getty Images