The kitchen may just be the heart of the home. People spend so much time preparing meals, whether for fun, special occasions or out of necessity each day. Home-cooked meals may be best for your wallet and health. Yet, meal prep can be challenging to do consistently for a host of reasons.
Whether you love to cook and want to simplify food preparation or dread the task but want to cut back on takeout, there are so many smart kitchen gadgets. The following can save you time and energy so you can focus on creating delicious, nutritious meals.
1. Automatic Pan Stirrer with Timer: This device will save your arms on sauces and other dishes that need constant stirring. Set the timer and place the stirrer in your pan. Then work on the rest of your meal or just sit down and relax. This stirrer is perfect, especially if you find it challenging to stand at the stove or stir for an extended time. Uncommon Goods $25
2. Kale & Herb Razor: Sometimes, the simplest gadgets can make a huge difference. This small razor quickly strips kale, herbs, and leafy vegetables to save you from repetitive chopping and slicing with a knife. Uncommon Goods $15
3. Salad Cutter Bowl: Simplify your salad with this all-in-one device. Wash and strain fruits and veggies, flip it over to cut through slits, turn to cut pieces again, then flip over for a ready-made salad. If salad isn't your thing, use it to quickly chop fruits, veggies, and more. Amazon $7.99
4. Fullstar Vegetable Chopper Dicer Mandoline Slicer: This gadget simplifies food prep with 7 interchangeable blades that quickly chop, dice, slice, spiralize, grate, and more, quickly and safely. The prepared food then drops into the container, keeping everything in one place, ready for the next step. Amazon $27.97
5. Butefo 8 in 1 Kitchen Tool: If you're low on counter space, this device conveniently stores eight basic kitchen tools together. It includes a funnel, measuring cup, fruit squeezer, egg masher, spice grater, egg separator, cheese grater, and silicone cap opener. Amazon $14.99
6. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer: Countertop stand mixers allow for easy mixing without effort. The tilt-head design comes with a dough hook, beater, and whip. It's easy to swap out the other attachments, including a pasta roller, spiralizer, juicer, shredder, slicer, sausage stuffer, grinder, and even ice cream maker. KitchenAid $259.99+ depending on model
Kimberly Blaker is a freelance writer. She also owns an online bookshop, Sage Rare & Collectible Books, specializing in out-of-print, scarce, signed, and first editions; fine bindings; ephemera and more at sagerarebooks.com