22 products that will make cooking so much simpler
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Cabinet and drawer space is at a premium in home kitchens. Finding gadgets, appliances and tools that are multifunctional but also simplify and improve your life is important. Check out our group of 22 options that make meal prep, cooking and baking a little easier while taking up less space. We’ve even added some recipes to try once you add these new, simpler kitchen options to your repertoire.
With price points from $10 to $200, we’ve included items for every budget to make cooking daily meals an easier endeavor.
1. Farberware Meat Chopper
This handy kitchen gadget does the hard work of chopping ground beef, turkey or chicken. It does even more, including mashing everything from bananas to potatoes. Think outside the box and mark peanut butter cookie tops, too. This five-blade, heat-resistant, BPA-free gadget is safe on nonstick pans. Once you get the ground beef chopped, try these ground beef dinners that are so easy they almost make themselves.
2. Ninja Foodi 8 Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer
Air fryers are great time savers that enable cooking with less oil. We love a two-drawer air fryer like this Ninja DualZone. With this multifunctional air fryer you can air fry, air broil, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate. The all-in-one appliance air fries with up to 75 percent less fat. Satisfy your sweet tooth with these air fryer desserts — make them while dinner cooks in the other side!
3. Souper Cubes
Meal prep is easier with Souper Cubes. Made from durable silicone, the trays are great for freezing sauces, broths and soups. If you’re going to put something in your kitchen, a double duty choice is best; these cubes are oven-safe up to 415 degrees, so you can bake with them too! Learn about bone broth’s healthy qualities and freeze some in these cubes as an easy soup base.
4. Adjustable Wood Rolling Pin
Take the guesswork out of dough thickness with this adjustable rolling pin. Enjoy the wood surface that bakers swear by, combined with five size options and built-in measurement markers. You won’t need complicated pastry boards with this sleek rolling pin. This chess and brownie pie recipe simplifies the decision by including both sweet treats; it’s easy to roll out its perfect pie dough with this rolling pin.
5. Set of 3 Splatter Screens
Frying food like chicken at home can mean hot oil splattering. This set of three pro splatter screens don’t take up space, and their functionality is worth it. While their main job is protecting from oil or grease splatter, they also work for draining, straining, cookie cooling racks or as steaming trays. Made from durable stainless steel, they have countertop resting feet and comfort grip handles for easy use.
6. Herb Shears
If you’re trying to eat healthier by adding herbs like parsley to your diet, this pair of herb shears is a great option. Sometimes a kitchen knife isn’t fast enough with chopping herbs. This pair of herb shears is designed specifically to evenly chop herbs and other greens easily and precisely. The shears work with five stainless steel blades and soft grip handles. Keep little hands protected with the included blade cover.
7. Collapsible Colander
Most colanders take up cabinet space. This flexible, BPA-free silicone colander collapses for storage while being able to hold up to five quarts when unfolded. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have full colander functionality. It also features ergonomic handles, side and base holes for easy rinsing, draining and blanching.
8. Le Creuset Silicone Medium Spatula
Add this spatula to your kitchen drawer knowing Le Creuset quality follows. This silicone spatula is heat-resistant to 500 degrees, dishwasher-safe, has an ergonomic handle and an effective scraping edge to keep your hands from slipping. All in stylish Le Creuset colors to add cheer to the kitchen.
MORE: Products your grandma used that are just as good today
9. Bamboo Cutting Board With Containers
Cutting boards are a vital kitchen item. This bamboo, oil-coated cutting board comes with a useful storage twist: four different graters that fit in the top and four BPA-free drawers below. Chop your veggies into the drawers and put on the included lids for easy fridge storage, too. Try it out with these tips on how to cut onions without crying. This cutting board looks great enough to stay out on your counter.
10. Crock-Pot 7-Quart Slow Cooker With Sous Vide
This Crock-Pot does the expected functions but has extra benefits. It sous vides, keeps food warm and has a removable temperature probe. It also doesn’t skimp on simple functionality with its Cook & Carry locking lid for taking food on-the-go to family meals or potlucks, all in a sleek stainless steel finish.
11. Flairosol Olivia Advanced Oil Sprayer
This oil sprayer is perfect for air fryers and dispenses liquids from olive to avocado, soy sauce to wine or water. You can also spritz on salad dressings like this lemon-garlic vinaigrette in just the right amount, controlling calories or simply not overdressing. Made from premium glass, the leakproof sprayer has no propellants, so it’s safe around heat. Gift to yourself or as a housewarming gift with a great bottle of olive oil.
12. Chicken Shredder Tool
A rotisserie chicken is a great meal option, but shredding can get messy. This chicken shredder takes on everything from chicken to pork to lettuce. Great for that warehouse rotisserie chicken, this BPA-free device has a plastic lid and teeth, plus a nonslip base to keep it from slipping.
13. OXO Chopper
This OXO chopper makes chopping vegetables even simpler with its 2 ½ cup capacity. It’s great for chopping fruit, veggies and more quickly and with less mess. Open the container for easy pouring of chopped ingredients. A strong stainless steel blade means this chopper swiftly and safely chops in one easy motion, on a nonslip base.
14. Patz & Patz Silicone Pie Weight
Baking with kids is easier when you don’t worry about a handful of pie weights being a potential choking hazard. This press perfect silicone pie weight is not only safer, it also means less uneven crust cooking, bubbling or shrinking during blind bakes. This high-quality silicone pie weight simplifies the pie-baking process and makes early baking fun and easy, without taking up a lot of space in your cabinets.
15. Sheet Pan Roasting Scoop
If you’ve tried removing baking sheet recipes with a spatula, this sheet pan roasting scoop is a great simplifying tool. Its wide head shovels up everything from chicken and veggies to candied nuts with ease. The tapered side walls and sturdy edge design means each scoop picks up more food, with less mess.
16. Kitchen Scale
When a recipe calls for a specific weight, this scale is a simplifying kitchen addition in a slim style that fits in a drawer. Weigh up to 11 pounds with this battery-powered scale that wipes down easily after spills. A backlit LCD screen makes reading the weight easier during cooking. This scale can simplify other tasks too, like weighing small mail or for diets like the 800-gram fruit and vegetable challenge.
17. Cook With Color Prep Bowls
If you need to soften butter or have a small amount of ingredients on hand, this stackable bowl set is a great option in fashionable colors. You don’t have to pull out a full-sized mixing bowl. Each container comes with a lid, meaning these bowls also double as food storage for meal prep or leftovers. Made from BPA-free plastic, these bowls go safely into the fridge, dishwasher and freezer.
18. Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
These 200 count precut parchment baking sheets make cooking, baking and air frying simpler. There’s no cutting required with these food-grade sheets that resist temperatures up to 450 degrees and let cookies slide off easily. The sheets also won’t curl, because they come in a flat box, not rolled up.
19. Gorilla Grip 4-Sided Grater
This multifunctional grater earns its space with four functions: zesting, shredding, slicing and grating. The stainless steel four-sided gadget is rust-resistant and dishwasher safe. OXO thinks about how cooks use their tools, adding an ergonomic handle and slip resistant border so hands don’t get tired.
20. Lodge 6 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven With Lid
This Lodge Dutch oven can help simplify cooking as easily as their skillets. The enameled cast iron looks great on your stove, but is also functional. It bakes, broils, roasts and braises easily because of the smooth interior, even heat distribution and retention. If you remember these mistakes not to make with a cast- iron pan, it’ll last longer for everything from apple cobbler to one-pot soups.
21. Ninja Mega Kitchen System
Great for cooking, this Ninja Kitchen System also makes frozen drinks and smoothies. It makes fast work of everything from ice to produce to dough with included chopping and dough blades. Clean-up is easy too; the cups, blades and lids go into the dishwasher. Want to use this blender to simplify your morning smoothie game?
22. Adjustable Measuring Spoon
Short on drawer space? This adjustable measuring spoon earns its place, and you don’t have to dig around looking for a specific measuring spoon. Made from durable materials, this patented measuring spoon handles wet and dry ingredients with ease. Measurement conversion rates can be confusing. This adjustable spoon makes things easier and so does this handy conversion chart.
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