By now, the novelty of having to cook for the whole family every night is probably wearing thin. It’s a whole job alone and that’s not even including the clean up after the fact. But thankfully, things have gotten a lot easier in the last few years thanks to technology and different items you can get for the kitchen. From the high tech and pricey items to just small things you should have to make your meal prep easier – here are some of our favorite kitchen items that can speed up cooking dinner or really, any meal.
Electric Pressure Cooker
By now, you probably have at least five friends that rave about their Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. I resisted it as long as I could, but after I finally got my Mealthy Pressure Cooker – I wondered why I resisted so long. From soups, to sauces and even cooking frozen meat in minutes – there’s very little these things can’t do. You can even make a cheesecake in almost no time in there – what else could you want? If you’re worried about space and want more options you can always get the air fry lid that turns it into a second appliance all together opening up more recipes for you!
Air Fryer
Love crispy and fried items but don’t want to use all the oil or smell up the house? That is when you need an Air Fryer! It will drastically cut down on your cook times and open up a lot of new recipes for you as well. You can even make small batches of cookies inside one.
Immersion Blender
This is probably in one of my top needed appliances for everyone list – an immersion blender! Not only does it allow you to chop and mix small amounts in a cup, but you can blend soups smooth in no time with one without possibly spilling hot soup on yourself when you transfer it from a pot to a blender and more. Our favorite use – milk shakes, or frozen hot chocolate!
Re-usable Baking Mat
One thing that really transformed our cooking was a re-usable baking mat. No need for cooking spray or parchment paper, and completely dishwasher safe. what we love about ours is we can use it for cookies, or herbed chicken, and the flavors never transfer between uses. Easy clean up never looked so good!
Knife Sharpener
I’m going to tell you a secret – you probably don’t need new knives. Instead you need a knife sharpener! If your handle is still good, you can use a knife sharpener to put a professional edge back on your knife and keep it for years to come. While it’s a bit of an investment to get a sharpener of your own, it will pay for itself when you aren’t replacing knives every year.
Folding Cutting Board
So there are a couple of different versions of folding cutting boards on the market, ones that you can chop and use to funnel into the pan or others that you cut on and it turns into a colander so you can safely and easily wash your fruits and veggies. It takes up very little space but does the job of two different gadgets – win win!
Dutch Oven
So I know a Dutch Oven can be an investment, but it is one that you wont regret. They go easily from stove top to oven, can be used for roasts, to stews, to breads and cakes – and provide a beautiful and even cooking surface for your recipes. There can be a bit of a learning curve the first couple of times you use one but you will love using your Dutch Oven.
Over the Sink Drying Mat
One of my absolute favorite things in the kitchen is my Over the sink drying mat. Not only does it provide me more space when I need to put down a hot pan, need just a few more inches of counter space etc. But it also keeps any of the wet dishes off my granite counter tops. When it’s not being used, I can roll it to one side and have full use of our sink. And the best part, it’s completely washable as well!
The Ultimate Bottle Opener
We’re not going to lie, we’ve been enjoying more wine than we had in the past. And I hate fighting with an old wine key, I’m really no good at them. So I always grab my rabbit wine bottle opener. This thing is revolutionary for opening wine bottles, you can virtually open any bottle of wine in about 20 seconds, and feel like a pro doing it too!
Sous Vide
Now the world of sous vide may not be one you’re familiar with, but it’s one you’re going to want to become friends with really soon. Often, restaurants use sous vide to cook meats and other meals to a certain temperature and just sear it before it comes to the table. But the control you can have with a sous vide is amazing, not only can you cook something to a particular temperature – but it can hold it there until you are ready. And some models even come with an app that allows you to monitor it all from your phone!
