Starter Appliances for the newbies

[Turbolift]

I'm interested in pursuing a Raw food life-style but until I can determine if I can maintain this type of eating, I am hesitant in investing a lot of $$$ on appliances.

Can you folks give me a very basic list that won't break my budget?

If I have a standard kitchen blender, will that work for making smoothies, almond milk, etc? Do I also need a food processor ? I imagine the dehydrator is a must have at some point else I'll be stuck with smoothies and salads forever.

Can any of the items serve dual duty? Thanks!

[barose]

There are many foods besides salads and smoothies that dont require a dehydrator. You can make pastas, sauces, pates, spring rolls, Sushi and many deserts without one. The list goes on.

With that said, my dehydrator is key in helping me with my cracker, bread, pizza, onion rings and chip cravings. :D Its nice, but not necessary.

I used my blenders for making smoothies, nut milks, salad dressings, marinara sauce and so on.

I also have a mini and full-sized food processor. I use that to slice and grate veggies, chop nuts, mixing doughs, making pesto and walnut butter.

My list in order of importance for me.

-Blender (I have two: a Blendtec and a cheapie Sunbeam which are used multiple times a day)
-Food processors
-Dehydrator
-Juicer (soon to be purchased)
-Wheat grass juicer

I had all of these items prior to going raw (except the juicer) so I didn't have to make an investment. I did buy other misc items such as a hand citrus juicer (the metal kind), salad spinner, food storage containers and so on. Not necessary, but does make raw life easier, especially when you're pressed for time.

[JAusten]

I'm new too and although I only have a blender (already owned) I have been happy being raw for the last 19 days. I am not ready to invest in all the other appliances quite yet.

I have gotten around buying a dehydrator by ordering raw crackers and breads online for now. I am adjusting to a 100% raw diet and like to try new things and make changes at a slow pace.

I think a food processor will be my first raw appliance purchase.

Don't let not having certain equipment keep you from starting and seeing the benefits of a raw diet. If I had waited until I had everything I would have never gotten started.

[mathteacher]

A blender and a food processor are great!

[dahlila]

I got my food processor at Target for under 30$ and it works just fine.

I got my excalibur dehydrator second-hand off craigs list.

I love my spiral slicer to make chips and pasta and that was about 20$.

Also, if you don't already have invest in really sharp knives b/c you will be chopping alot :)

[Pierre]

I have a Vita-Mix and a spiralizer, and they serve me well. I once tried making a smoothie with some lesser blender, and ended up with a chip of a wooden spoon in it, and it was not well mixed. If you're going to make smoothies with frozen pineapple chunks including the core, you need a Vita-Mix.

I don't have a dehydrator. Most of the recipes I've seen that need one take a long time, and it takes me long enough to make my salad. I would like to make potato chips sometime, though.

[bunnybunny]

I am new to this too, and I just bought a Hamilton Beach blender ($20) and food processor ($30) at Target. So far I'm pretty satisfied with them!

[Veganforlife]

Alissa's book and DVD are the first tool/equipment that you SHOULD purchase. They were mine. Very powerful tools to help you understand and get started.

[Coriander74]

I love my food processor. (Black and Decker, Walmart, $25)
I love my juicer. (Juiceman, Kohl's, $80 but I had some rebate thing)
I love my blender. (my parents...must be 30 years old LOL)

I have a food dehydrator, but really didn't use it that much. I might start using it more now that I'm back in and serious.

Welcome to Raw!

[juliebove]

I suppose it depends on what you like to eat. I don't like smoothies at all, so my blender gets no use at all.

I was given a Magic Bullet and I find it to be very useful to grind up flax seeds. I bought a coffee grinder for this but then I found out I could just use that.

During the summer, I have my garden but the winters are too cold here to grow much so I do sprouts. I bought some special sprouters for that but they're not really necessary. Just makes things easier.

I use my food processor quite a lot. And this is one thing I thought I'd never use at all. I got the big mouth kind. I love it for making the onion bread. I can chop a lot of onions in it very quickly. Mainly I use it for chopping vegetables. We eat a lot of salads here. I also use it to make nut cheese, but I don't make that very often.

My food processor gets sporadic use. I just got done using it to try to recreate some nuts that I bought at the health food store. And I use it for the onion bread and nut cheese, but that's about it. I did make some cookies in it a few times. They were good but I'm not much of a sweets eater. It's not an expensive dehydrator. It's one of those round Nesco ones.

[billyne]

i've been raw since december and i only had a blender..i borrowed my aunts dehydrator for a little while and gave it back because i really didn't care for dehydrated foods. but let me tell you, i just bought a food processsor from target and it opened a whole new world of raw food recipes..i've been making all kinds of delicious stuff! :) but you could get by with a blender and a sharp knife and be just fine.

i plan on buying a samson juicer next for mainly wheatgrass juice.

[bunnybunny]

i've been raw since december and i only had a blender..i borrowed my aunts dehydrator for a little while and gave it back because i really didn't care for dehydrated foods. but let me tell you, i just bought a food processsor from target and it opened a whole new world of raw food recipes..i've been making all kinds of delicious stuff! :) but you could get by with a blender and a sharp knife and be just fine.

i plan on buying a samson juicer next for mainly wheatgrass juice.

any favorite/simple recipes you like to make in the food processor?