raw equipment?? what to get that is most versatile in raw cuisine?

rawforhealthrawforhealth Raw Newbie

I have a low quality blender and juicer and no food processor. I am starting to make some raw dishes….making interesting and tasty stuff is helping me to stay movitated with this lifestyle, as opposed to when I was just eating salads all day or carrots from a bag, etc. Only problem…my equipment sucks and it is costing me a ton of time of prep and clean up, in addition,,tons of money on produce due to inefficiency. Anyway…i know I cannot afford to buy all equipment right now, but i need to get something better than what I have. (I know I’ve been told I don’t need any equipment to eat raw but for me, I can’t stay motivated eating really simple salads with no dressing, a handful of nuts, etc. Today, I made 2 raw dishes using my blender and juicer and between prep, and even more so, clean up, by the time i finished, i wasn’t even hungry any more…is that the point? :)

Anyway…i know someone posted on if they were to get one item, it would be a blender, but can you make things like nut cheeses, juices, etc in that?? I learned about a vitamix but i am not sure about it..it SEEMS you can blend, juice, and chop with it, making it an ideal appliance for me to get right now but someone just said it just blends and you can’t do everything with it. Also..alot of the recipes I see require a dehydrator..

I don’t have money for a new blender, juicer, a dehydrator, etc..

So, if I want to be able to make the majority of stuff, i.e. green juices, nut cheeses, veggie burgers, etc…what should i get?

Thanks so much!!!!

Comments

  • AC1DBU7NAC1DBU7N Raw Newbie

    Well rawforhealth Congratz on the journey into RAW it’s really not to hard and will become easy as time goes by. In my opinion and you will get many, for me my blender was tops. I burned out 4 low quality blenders before getting a good one…. it’s not a vita-mix or blend-tec I actually have a VillaWare Commercial Blender it only cost $199.99 at Canadian tire it’s 1,000w and has full steel gears and drive it has made every thing I could dream of in seconds and cost 1/2 the price of the other ones….”YOU MUST HAVE STEEL ON STEEL GEARS AND DRIVE” I say this because when you try to blend heavy nuts or make any very thick dishes this is where my other blenders burned out so I did tons of research and found that the steel on steel last over any other…..as I stated this is just my opinion, I then later got a Dehydrator I still don’t own a juicer probably should get one but have no need my blender mixes anything to pure juice, yes I do get the fiber and the body has to work to digest it but it’s none the less good for you so I haven’t got a juicer yet….so to sum it up for you a really good blender is a great start as more of what your gonna make will need to be blended over the others…....I hope this help you out a bit, and have fun with it (RAW LIFE) it’s a wonderful experience….

    Cheers

    Brad

  • ungratefulungrateful Raw Newbie

    I posted that topic!

    I did wind up buying a blender. A cheep one from Walgreens, (US$30+tax)

    I am happy to say, I made seed cheese in it the other night and it worked fine.

    It does not have metal on metal gears, but it does have a glass carafe!

    I still don’t have a juicer or FP, but i did get a julienne grater to make vege noodles and that makes a HUGE difference!!!

    I spent over an hour trying to chopp carrots into noodles and went and bought one the next day. ($15 at Sur la Table (+tax))

  • rawforhealthrawforhealth Raw Newbie

    thanks you both!! is a julienne grater the same as a mandolin or spiral slicer? i too want to make veggie noodles…yummm ;)

  • vegan2rawvegan2raw Raw Newbie

    RFH A big high five for stayin alive with raw without all the tools good4u! I have a kitchen aid blender, a used craigslist food processor 30dollars and a dehydrator. There are ways of getting all the things you desire without paying full price try craigslist in your area and thrift stores and garage sales. I use my food processor the most it works for nut cheeses chopping grating coleslaw and dressings its my fave but I have seen vids on youtube of vitamix juicing carrots and straining thru nut milk bags so I have heard you can live without the juicer if you have the vitamix. I have used one at a friends and they definately are not for chopping just pureeing. I also have seen american harvest dehydrators for 10 bucks at thrift stores so if you have some time you might be able to track things down. As far as my own personal expereince I could not survive without the processor ( i have two kiddos so I need speedy salad fixins, nut burgers etc) but my husband could not live without the blender so I guess ultimately its to each his own. I know your struggle its taken me a few months to aquire what I have but I can honestly say it does really help me to stay raw with these tools. I wish you all the luck in locating your desires.

    :) Kristina BTW the kitchen aid blenders are glass and are 100-125 new and ours totally purees green smoothies (but does not do nut butters without having to add tons of oil) this is the way my hubby layers it to get the right consistency frozen fruit or ice on bottom greens in middle with whatever supp(spirulina,maca etc) and then more frozen fruit or ice and liquid little by little for some reason it works great this way but any other way it has come out chunky We also did get a 20 dollar spiralizer for veggie noodles and wayyyyyy worth it they are like angel hair and sooo yummy and easy my 3 year old uses it

    I hope all this gibberish helps ya!

  • AC1DBU7NAC1DBU7N Raw Newbie

    A Mandolin and Julienne Grater are the same a Spiral Slice holds the item and spins it when you crank the handle or turn it on and pushes it through a blade resulting in a long spiral…..hope this helps…

    Cheers..

    Brad

  • ungratefulungrateful Raw Newbie

    I got a Kinpira Peeler from Sur La Table. $15 and way worth it. http://www.surlatable.com/gs/kinpira-julienne-p… but I walked there so I didn’t have to pay shipping, whee! sometimes living in the city IS nice!

    I recommend laying you vege on a flat surface and peeling it and not holding the vege in your palm while you cut it. I cut myself that way and had to have a big discussion with myself while applying direct pressure over whether or not vege noodles are still vegan if I bleed on them. :) Healing up nicely, thanks. Sharp peeler makes clean cut!

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    I have a $50 black and decker blender from Walmart and it’s perfect, quite powerful for the price. I don’t care what anyone says, I would never spend $500 on Vitamix. I don’t care that it can make a smoothie out of wood blocks. I don’t need wood block smoothies. Bananas are much softer than wood blocks.

    I’ve found my food processor to be great. Again, walmart, $30. Works like a dream. My dehydrator was used, off craigslist.org, for $20. My only complaint about it that it’s the round type, so larger things can be a little awkward to shape, but it’s not that big of a deal.

    I guarantee you can get all the equipment used off your local craigslist site for under $30 a piece. Will it be a formerly $500 Vitamix blender or $300 Excalibur dehydrator? No. Will it serve the purpose just as well? Yup.

    Also I don’t have a spiral slicer…I just use a vegetable peeler (which you probably already have in your utensil drawer…if not they’re like $2) to shave noodles off zucchini and such. Takes about 5 minutes. I will probably eventually get a spiral slicer, but only because they’re only about $20.

  • I can get you the Blendtec Blender for $350 from my website, I am officially sponsored by them and this is the lowest price anywhere including tax/shipping/handling http://www.RawInTen.com I don’t even own a food processor because the Blendtec does it all and every blend is perfect and professional I think people use or buy Vita Mix because they haven’t used, heard of or seen Blendtec when people do they switch over right away and are so much happier. It is always worth it to save and buy PROFESSIONAL kitchen equipment believe me, I used to use cheapo Target blenders and they have to be replaced constantly and never blend right and are cheapo hard to use, with the Blendtec it is the BEST even Jamba Juice and Starbucks only uses Blendtec to give you a hint(you never see Vita Mix anywhere and for good reason). Go with the best it lasts longer, is pro quality performance and blends everytime and lasts forever without having to replace it and it acts like a food processor I owned my own RAW Restaurant and have 3 raw recipe books I totally thank the Blendtec Blender for being so easy, fun to use it allowed me to get through all that in a fun way! They are easy to clean, super high tech cool, the special blade does not hide or waste food like Vita Mix does and the jug is light and easy to use the Vita Mix is super bulky heavy and hard to use and never blends right and can’t do 1/2 the things Blendtec can, people like their Vita Mix because that is all they know or used to or learned on but believe me Blendtec does it all and is my recommendation!

    For dehyrators there is a new one Good4U I like it a lot, pretty new design, quiet, great price I can get you the best deal on that too!

    Remember my best advice is try to save for good high quality kitchen equipment you will save more money in the long run because you won’t have to replace it all the time, and you get professional quality food, preparations your skills and recipes will improve a lot believe me! Kitchen equipment is the one thing you should not scrimp or be cheap on it just is not worth it…

    Bryan Au http://www.RawInTen.com

  • Branwyn32, Used to have one of those round ones, in fact I think I still got it, But it was such a pain in the butt and not only that they run higher than the 105-115 range. But ya know what? I used that thing till I could save up and get my Excalibur which I absolutely love! ya it was higher than 10-30 dollars but it was one of the best investments I’ve made.

    Unfortunately for me, right after I bought mine they came out with one with a timer! DAMM IT! Uggggggggggg! Course my girlfriend who I introduced to RAW has the timer model and I’m so jealous. But once again I make due.

    Rawforlife, The one thing that I’ve noticed about the higher end models is that they make life a little bit easier so it’s really your choice in what you want to spend. When I was big into wheat grass I bought a hand crank model to start with. After so many times of my arm feeling like it was gonna fall off I invested in a electric model. So it’s all about what you can afford and how much work your wanting to do.

    I started out with like many others;

    A inexpensive blender which I still use use
    A inexpensive food processor which I still use
    A inexpensive dehydrator which I upgraded to the Excalibur
    A inexpensive coffee bean grinder which I still use
    A centrifuge Juicer which I still use ( I take the pulp out and strain it further, once again more work)
    Ohhh ya and a good set of knives!

    On my wish list is the; Vitamix blender, ya it’s high but I like things smooth and as many recipes as I make and experiment with I want one.
    Champion juicer, this thing sucks the juice out of pine leaves if you want it too!! ya I want one of these
    Spiral Slicer - this thing is just too cool for words and makes dishes look so yummy

    Good luck to you

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    Wow! Great product info, everyone! I’m definitely a consumer when it comes to funky kitchen gadgets. I use my food processor and blender regularly. I couldn’t choose one over the other. They’re both vital. I love my excalibur dehydrator, but it isn’t the most important piece of equipment I own. I just bought a mandoline slicer, but haven’t taken it out of the box yet. I have a julienne slicer, which is totally different from a mandoline, BTW. I use it occasionally, as well as my zester. I bought a spiralizer and I like the thinness of the noodles it makes from zucchini, but my Spirooli is more versatile, in my opinion. We have a killer juicer, the Green Star, which is a pain to clean and assemble, but makes juice that can last for 24 hours without losing its potency. If I had to give most of it up, I could manage with the food processor, blender, juicer, a few good knives and the julienne slicer, which cost just a few bucks. My first food processor was a hand-me-down. Seek out friends who have appliances they never use and offer them a few bucks to take them off their hands. I bet you’d find a decent blender or food processor that way.

    Bryan, does your offer extend to any of us? And brad.n.cindy, I’ll have to check out Canadian Tire’s selection when my funky Cuisinart blender with the fountain spigot dies.

  • ungratefulungrateful Raw Newbie

    Funky kitchen gadgets rule :)

  • rawforhealthrawforhealth Raw Newbie

    thanks so much everyone!!! about the dehydrator….i saw a few really cheap ones…which cheap ones are good for the meantime?? thx

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    Mine is a brand called Nesco American Harvest. If you go with a cheap craigslist one, make sure it’s the type with a fan and preferably a variable temperature dial. The cheapest ones (Rondo, Mr. Coffee) just have a heating element and that’s it…they tend to run REALLY hot and take forever to work b/c of the lack of a fan.

    bellasera Did your old dehydrator really run hot? I haven’t tested mine. The dial goes all the way down to 95F (and up to 150) though so if it does run hot I could just turn it down. The shape is a pain sometimes but it’s not to big a deal for me.

  • I like my Excalibur I bought it at Cabella’s. Kind of ironic, I know. I just saw the same one on craigs list for like 80 dollars (4 tray). Or check out your local thrift store. Alot of people but these big things never use them and just want to get rid of them. So, just keep searching. Visualization works too.

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