Fast Slow Food

Vita-Mix 1300 TurboBlend 4500

There are blenders, and there is Vita-Mix. I think I would rather have this in my home than a stove/oven, if I was forced to choose one. I use it every day, to blend smoothies (including "green" smoothies with kale, citrus, and apple or pear), grind whole grains or seeds or nuts into flour, make hummus and cashew "cheese" and guacamole, prepare raw vegan desserts (chocolates, "cheesecake"), make vegan "milks" (hemp, almond, soy, you name it)--even blend nut butter. A lot of these things sound complicated to make or expensive to buy, and if you buy them in the store ready-made, sure: they can be. But with this device, preparation is pretty easy and quick, and my total grocery bill stays manageable.

$378.95

VitaClay VM7900-6 Smart 6-Cup Programmable Multi-Cooker

I like to have a pot of rice, quinoa, or other whole grain in the kitchen to dip into when needed as my primary source of complex carbs. I had a nonstick aluminum rice cooker for years, but have grown concerned about possible health risks associated with daily cooking with "nonstick" and aluminum cooking implements. The science on that issue is a matter of some debate, but even if you think nonstick pans are completely safe, I've found that clay pots lend a pleasing flavor, texture, and feel to the cooking process. Particularly with beans and soups, which I also prepare in this device regularly. I love it, and it reminds me of traveling through Central America and Mexico, and staying in rural homes where women cooked delicious frijoles and veggie stews in bubbling clay pots over the fire.

$109.11

Capresso 560 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder

Coffee is a food group! Okay, seriously: I take coffee seriously. And I've found that grinding freshly-roasted beans at home, and grinding them properly in a burr grinder (which doesn't heat the beans further through friction, and gives you a nice, even texture) yields delicious results. I'm no longer tempted to spend $8 a cup at Starbucks on bitter brew diluted with sweeteners and half-and-half, or sugary soymilk. I also find that I drink less coffee now: I make a perfect cup or two in the morning, grinding my beans fresh in this device, and I don't really feel compelled to drink much more throughout the day. Quality is everything.

$89.95

Veggie Spiralizer

I learned about this great tool when I first started experimenting with "raw food" cuisine, but you don't have to be vegan or a raw foodie to get a lot of value from it. This spiral slicer can be used to transform zucchini into long, pasta-like strands that I sprinkle with salt, and let "sweat." When they've released some of their moisture, I pat them dry, toss some extra virgin olive oil or marinara or homemade pesto (made quickly in the aforementioned Vita-mix blender!), and voilá: low-calorie, low-carb, high-nutrient, and very fast prep "pasta".

$29.41

Quick Pickle Press (Japanese Tsukemono)

I use this transparent pickle press to make homemade cucumber pickles, pickled radish, and lightly fermented cabbage pickle that's somwhere between cole slaw and the more hardcore sauerkraut that takes some days or weeks to properly ferment in a more expensive crock. Most of the recipes I use are adaptations of traditional Japanese "tsukemono," pickled veggies that accompany rice and protein--but you dont' have to be into macrobiotics or traditional Japanese cuisine to find benefit. Thinly sliced summer cukes with a light dose of sea salt and fresh dill yield delicious quick-pickles the very next day, without the heavy sodium, sugar, and other junk that so often accompanies store-bought versions. Plus? Everything tastes better homemade.

$32.99

What's your favorite fast slow food?