Meet The Kitchen Gadget That Will Forever Transform The Way You Meal Prep
Cooking at home comes with all kinds of benefits, like knowing exactly what you're eating, saving money, and trying new foods and cooking techniques. And having the right set of tools can make cooking in your own kitchen way more fun and stress-free. To step up your culinary game, grab a cool kitchen gadget that nutritionists swear by for optimal home-cooking.
Cuisinart
amazon.com
$37.99
“I use my regular food processor and/or high quality blender weekly, but the mini is better if I want to quickly chop veggies as the base of a soup or throw together a quick pesto,” says Kelly Jones, RD.
All-Clad
amazon.com
$88.76
“This is my favorite kitchen gadget when I make soups and sauces with a creamy texture," says Jones. "You can make both of those in a blender, but it often means a bigger mess and you risk burning yourself with hot liquid.”
If you're dairy-free and make cream sauces out of ingredients like cashews, this item is a must, she says.
Williams Sonoma
williams-sonoma.com
$9.00
“Herb scissors are the right sharpness to cut basil, scallions, and other delicate foods correctly," says Jones. "It will help release flavor appropriately without damaging the texture.”
Veken
amazon.com
$27.99
“I make either a French pressed coffee or an Americano in my kitchen almost every morning," says Jones. "I'm not a fan of the single-use pod stations for sustainability reasons, and I enjoy the coffee-making process.” This beautiful bronze French press comes with a double filter to help ensure you don't wind up drinking your coffee grounds, too.
Capresso
amazon.com
$61.40
“Having an at-home milk frother will save you time and money since you won't need to go to your local coffee shop for those cappuccinos and lattes you love so much," says Jessica Levinson, RDN, New York-based culinary nutrition expert and author of 52-Week Meal Planner.
Kitchen Supreme
amazon.com
$10.97
“You don't need a huge fancy spiralizer to make zucchini noodles," says Maggie Michalczyk, RD. "I've had this mini one for years-it gets the job done and keeps meals fun."
Stasher
amazon.com
$11.99
To reduce kitchen waste, make 2019 the year you finally stop buying plastic bags. “These stasher bags are dishwasher, freezer, and cooking safe," says Michalczyk. "You can also cook sous vide meats or fish in them."
KitchenAid
amazon.com
$20.36
"To save time and money, I make my own coffee every morning," says Natalie Rizzo, RD, author of The No-Brainer Nutrition Guide For Every Runner. "To ensure my coffee always tastes fresh, I buy the whole beans and grind them at home in a small batches."
OXO
amazon.com
$15.99
"I hate mincing garlic and having that smell on my hands for hours," says Rizzo. "When a recipe calls for chopped or minced garlic, I throw a clove in the garlic press and use that instead."
Microplane
amazon.com
$12.89
“Adding a sprinkle of cheese or citrus zest to a recipe amps up the flavor without increasing your workload. I use my microplane almost daily to add the finishing touches to a dish,” says Rizzo. Those details make all the difference.
KitchenAid
amazon.com
$49.87
“Some jobs are too small for a food processor, but not quite right for your chef’s knife and board either,” says Maggie Moon, RD. That's where this mini KitchenAid food chopper comes in. “I use mine all the time for dressings, sauces, remoulades, gremolatas, nice cream, fat bombs, and pestos. Food choppers are exactly the right size for these flavor-intensive jobs made in small batches."
COSORI
amazon.com
$39.99
“I love my electric kettle," says Moon. It boils water even faster than a normal kettle over the stove, so it's perfect when you're short on time.
Secura
amazon.com
$48.99
“In addition to boiling water in mere minutes, induction cooktops cook everything faster, which is a weeknight miracle,” says Moon. “Portable ones let you play with induction cooking without the hefty price tag of a built-in one, and the smooth surface will be the easiest stovetop you’ve ever cleaned."
ChefSteps
amazon.com
$159.00
Sous vide is a type of cooking that involves placing food in a sealed plastic bag or glass jar, and cooking in a water bath at a regulated temperature. This handy little tool helps ensure that your water is at that precise temp throughout the cooking process. “I like that I can count on it for perfectly cooked meat, chicken, fish, and eggs at the exact temperature I want," says Moon. Plus, it connects to an app on your phone for easy use and monitoring.
Instant Pot
amazon.com
$119.95
“The instant pot allows for all the functionality home cooks want at a very reasonable price point,” says Dana Angelo White, RD, author of The Healthy Air Fryer Cookbook and The Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook. "Pressure cooking not only saves time, it retains nutrients in the foods you prepare."
OXO
amazon.com
$14.99
Whether it's for sweet potato baked chips or for thinly sliced pickles on a sandwiches, this mandoline helps you cut food precisely every time. White loves this mini version because it's "so much easier to use and store than clunky full-sized mandolines."
Philips
amazon.com
$169.99
Ahh the air fryer-the healthy cooking phenomenon that gives you healthier versions of all your fave fried foods. “Circulating hot air helps remove excess fat and cooks faster than a standard oven," says White. "You can fry, roast, grill or bake, making creations like crispy chicken wings as well as potato skins, frittatas, and strawberry shortcake." And this XXL version can feed up to six people.
Suzzam
amazon.com
$12.99
This sprayer helps regulate how much oil you add to your dishes. “It's much easier than drizzling olive oil or coating the pan with a paper towel,” says Ilyse Schapiro, RD.
Avo Loop
amazon.com
$10.95
Avocado lovers unite! “This tool makes It so easy to get every last bit of the avocado," says Shapiro. Sold.
Horizon Home Goods
amazon.com
$13.99
“This helper makes chopping salad so much easier and safer! Plus you can cut veggies in it without a cutting board,” says Schapiro. A lot of people enjoy eating salads more when they're chopped, she says, so perhaps it’ll encourage you to eat more greens, too.
Progressive
amazon.com
$9.99
When you don't have a ton of time to cook veggies, it’s easy to prepare them in this microwave-safe steamer. “The steamer is easy to clean and dishwasher safe, so it makes cooking veggies a breeze,” says Schapiro.
Lehunsbro
amazon.com
$13.99
This little tool adds crinkles to your veggies before you cook them. Not only does this look fancy, but “it increases the surface area of each item so it cooks more evenly and quickly,” says Suzanne Dixon, RD. It also helps veggies stay crispier in stir-fry.
Haiyutianfeng
amazon.com
$12.99
Have you ever tried to get your spatula underneath a pancake or burger, only to have it slip and slide around the pan? Well, this spatula totally solves that annoyance, says Dixon. By combining tongs and spatulas, this kitchen gadget helps you flip your food with ease.
Lodge
amazon.com
$26.99
A cast iron skillet is a super versatile kitchen tool. “Yes, it's heavy, but just think of it as a mini-workout for your forearm,” says Dixon.
Villeroy & Boch
amazon.com
$66.70
"These baking dishes are heat-proof and ideal for using in the microwave or the oven," says Bravo TV Chef, Dave Martin. With its clever design, the flat dishes work as both lids for your casserole dish, or as separate baking sheets.“That means oven-roasted vegetables and your main dish can cook side-by-side. You can bake, serve and store right in the fridge without changing dishes," he says. "It’s genius."
RSVP International
amazon.com
$14.52
“A cooking student finally got fed up watching tears flood down my face class after class and donated a pair of these onion goggles to my cooking school,” says chef Elana Horwich, author of Meal and a Spiel. And they work. "All of my students and I are obsessed."
Ironwood Gourmet
amazon.com
$13.89
“The first thing I teach cooking students is to grab salt from a jar with their fingers instead of shaking it out or pouring it into a measuring spoon," says Horwich. "You've gotta get tactile with the food and taste as you go in order to become an intuitive cook.”
ZWILLING J.A. Henckels
amazon.com
Out of Stock
They’re light, strong, and have a smooth, eco-friendly Thermolon coating that makes cooking and cleaning easy. “My students who want to chuck their toxic Teflon non-stick pans but also want to avoid burning all their food, find themselves incredibly happy with these for all their cooking needs,” says Horwich.
Nordic Ware
amazon.com
$18.95
“With only small trays, you’ll either crowd your food, which means it’ll steam rather than caramelize, or you’ll need to work in batches, which can mean uneven cooking," says Horwich. "So measure your oven and get the largest possible baking pans." Game. Changer.
Kyocera
amazon.com
$33.25
Using dull knives is the WORST, and can make you hate cooking. Before you go out and buy a whole new set of expensive knives, try a ceramic set. “They’re lightweight, extremely sharp, affordable, and ideal for your daily cooking needs," says Horwich. "Quality ceramic knives even slice through tomato skin."
Hurom
amazon.com
$499.00
This is the perfect at-home juicer: It’s small, quiet, and easy to use and clean, says Nathalie Rhone, registered dietitian at Nutrition by Nathalie. "With the slow juicing technology, the juices are thick and yummy, with all the good nutrients actually in the juice, not left in the pulp."
Cooking at home comes with all kinds of benefits, like knowing exactly what you're eating, saving money, and trying new foods and cooking techniques. And having the right set of tools can make cooking in your own kitchen way more fun and stress-free. To step up your culinary game, grab a cool kitchen gadget that nutritionists swear by for optimal home-cooking.
Less time cooking, more time eating.
Solve the daily Crossword
