My Top 5 Time-Saving Meal Prep Kitchen Gadgets

I have been blessed with a husband who selected over 90% of the kitchen items on our wedding registry, and continues to find gadgets that improve efficiency and minimize our time prepping and hovering over a stove burner. We have purchased items in the past that sounded good but we rarely ever used (yogurt maker, anyone?) but now our kitchen drawers generally contain items that we use on a regular basis.

Now that I am the one doing the meal planning and preparation, I am always looking for ways to save time because meal prep is typically done during my son’s lunchtime nap. After the baby comes in January, who knows what I’ll do! But for now, here are the five items that make my life easier (besides the ubiquitous CrockPot, which I have not listed here, but we use once or twice a week).

1) Vitamix 7500 Blender, Black. A high-power blender is incredibly useful. In addition to the green smoothie that my husband has every day (check out Simple Green Smoothies if you need some recipe ideas), we use the Vitamix to puree soups and make cauliflower mash, among other things. It’s an investment but well worth it.

2) ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide, 1100 Watts, White Body, Stainless Steel Cap & Base. Before my husband told me about the Joule, I didn’t even know what sous vide was. Think of the Joule as a CrockPot for making the most delicious, tender, fool-proof meat and fish. (It can make many other things but I’m still a beginner user!)

You get a large pot, fill it nearly to the top with water, place the Joule at the bottom (it’s magnetized) and select what you want to prepare from the app. It gives you step-by-step instructions on what to do with your meat/fish, but generally you put it in a sealed Ziplock bag with oil, herbs, salt and pepper. The Joule is connected to your phone or iPad through Bluetooth and will heat the water to the temperature you specify, depending on how well done you want your meat/fish. After the water heats up and the app notifies you that it’s the right temperature, you clip the Ziplock bag to the side of the pot so that it’s submerged in water and set the timer on the app. Then you go about your day! Once it’s done you can leave it in the water for up to 30 minutes or more because the Joule maintains the temperature, and then you sear it for a minute on each side in a skillet to finish.

We have had some of the best salmon, pork chops, steak, and chicken EVER using the Joule. I like that it’s easy to use and I can’t overcook anything. Truly foolproof! Cleanup is super easy as well.

3) Kuhn Rikon Epicurean Garlic Press. If you’re like me, you use a LOT of garlic in your cooking. This is great because you can put unpeeled garlic in it, saving you time. It’s sturdy, easy to clean, and something I use pretty much every day.

4) KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder with Stainless Steel Blades, Black. I don’t drink coffee, but we use a lot spices in our cooking. We like to purchase whole spices and grind them so they are really fresh (Penzeys is our favorite brand). I use cumin quite a bit in my cooking and nothing smells better than grinding the seeds fresh. Other favorites include cloves and allspice.

5) Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater. The Microplane is extremely handy for zesting lemons and limes, as well as grating Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, ginger, and spices such as whole nutmegs (which we also get from Penzeys).

I hope this list is helpful, and am very interested to hear what your favorite meal prep gadgets are! Leave a comment!