New year means new you. What better way to turn over a new leaf than by taking on the Veganuary challenge by adopting veganism for the month of January?
The vegan lifestyle offers environmental, ethical, and health benefits, so it comes as no surprise that the number of Brits choosing the plant-based diet is growing, with 1.6 million people estimated to currently follow veganism.
Vegan food requires creativity to produce delicious food whilst avoiding animal products. This means that you’ll be getting busy in the kitchen as you perfect delicious vegan meals.
To succeed, however, you’ll need the right equipment – here are our top kitchen gadgets suitable across a range of budgets to help you with Veganuary.
1. Blender
Creating meat substitutes from scratch is easy with a high-speed blender. With this gadget, you can create your own plant-based milk and it’s also great for smoothies, too. Throw in your favourite ingredients and blend until you get the consistency you desire.
Blenders come in all shapes and sizes so consider how much food you’ll be blending before buying a blender and make sure it is the appropriate size so you get the most out of your purchase.
2. Juicer
Getting your nutrition right is key with veganism: vegetable juices are rich in vitamins and minerals. To extract the juice, use a juicer that will chew through the plant fibres and collect every last drop of goodness ensuring little to no waste is left over.
3. Tofu Press
For those that are missing the texture of meats, tofu offers you a substitute. To achieve this, you’ll need a tofu press that removes all liquid from the tofu, leaving you with a firm texture that is perfect for any meal.
4. Knife Set
Make your life easier and invest in a great knife set. A good knife set can save you a lot of time and energy when you are prepping your meal and, with the vegan diet, you’ll be preparing foods with tough skins and seeds that need to be accurately and safely prepared. Though it sounds counterintuitive, a sharper knife will help you do this.
5. Wok
A necessity for any kitchen but particularly a vegan kitchen. Woks allow you to fit all of your ingredients into one big pan so that every morsel is coated in the flavour of your chosen sauce.
Veganism is quite a straightforward practice, once you get used to it, and whilst these items are useful, you should only consider buying what you know you will use and can afford.