I’m saving more money next year by meal prepping. Here’s everything I use to do it
I’m saving more money next year by meal prepping. Here’s everything I use to do it
Getting takeout or food delivered may feel like a time saver, but ask yourself this: How much time are you really saving if you’re working eight to 10 hours a day just to pay rent and feed yourself, especially with restaurant food being pricier than ever?
Like many city dwellers, I often resorted to getting takeout or food delivery most nights of the week because I felt like I was too busy to cook. But living in a city where a small order of cauliflower wings could cost $25, doing so made it very hard to save money for a rainy day.
So, I decided to do something about it and get into meal prepping. Now the extra money I save is like an amazing reward at the end of every month. And thanks to the many fast, easy and delicious recipes I found on Instagram (or via a meal-planning app), I still feel like I can enjoy chef-prepared dishes.
The other upside to prepping my meals for the week is that I don’t have to think about what to eat for lunch or dinner. I already have different options packed and ready to be heated, and this is a huge time saver on hectic days.
I get it. When you haven’t had a lot of practice cooking, there’s a tendency to think that meal prepping is hard, time-consuming and stressful, particularly when you’re making two to three different things in large quantities (if you’re making for a family of four or more).
But here’s the secret: With the right tools, it doesn’t have to be. After honing my meal-prep experience over several years, I decided to put together a list of the kitchen tools and appliances you need to make your own meal-prepping journey effortless and more enjoyable. These gadgets will make such a huge difference, you’ll never want to order takeout again.
Every product in this article has been thoroughly tested and vetted by yours truly. Many are items I’ve used and relied on for years. Some are newer releases that I spent about a month testing by cooking dinners for friends and preparing my weekly meals. And a few of them I used to start my bread-making journey.
Make slicing and dicing quick and nick-free
Mastering the art of slicing and dicing can be fun and satisfying, but I can’t deny it’s probably the most tiresome part of cooking. It’s even more so if your recipe has an extensive list of ingredients. Luckily, there are tools you can invest in that will save you time as well as painful nicks on your fingers.
One such tool is the mandoline slicer, like this one from Oxo. It may have gone viral recently for slicing the perfect cucumber rounds for cucumber salads, but it’s niftier than that. I love utilizing it to make caramelized onion or potatoes au gratin because it makes the process easier and faster.
For my fine-chopping needs, however, I found the KitchenAid food chopper to be a major time saver, shortening my chopping time from minutes to seconds. The best part is that it runs on a rechargeable battery, which lasts up to 24 minutes of continuous run time, so I don’t have to deal with a power cord every time I use it.
As much as I love finely grated parmesan for my pasta meals, grating parmesan cheese by hand takes time and effort, and I’d rather save that arm workout for special occasions. So, for my daily meals, I’ve started using this rotary cheese grater for the blocks of cheese I get at Costco. I don’t have a lot of faith in what TikTok tells me to buy, but this viral tool is truly worth the hype.
Alternatively, you can invest in a bigger food processor like Cuisinart’s 14-cup model, which comes in handy when meal prepping for the whole family. Its powerful motor and large-capacity container allow you to chop larger amounts of produce while its blade and disks offer versatility. I’ve used this one for pretty much everything, including shredding cheese, and it’s truly worth its higher price tag.
If you prefer to go the traditional route, however, there are still ways to save time. I recommend getting a large, high-quality cutting board, preferably one with a juice groove so you have more surface to work on and the cleanup is easier. Pair that with a sharp set of knives — I love the Schmidt Bros’ 10-piece set — that is solid, handles well and can slice through meats and veggies easily. Trust me; even something as simple as upgrading your chopping board and knives can save you time and effort.
Measure and mix effortlessly
Eyeballing ingredients is one of my favorite things about cooking, and having the ability to do that is why I generally prefer cooking over baking. However, following recipes closely and measuring things can make the process less intimidating to the uninitiated, and that’s how you should start on your meal-prep journey if you don’t have that much experience in the kitchen.
Although measuring and mixing isn’t as tedious as chopping, I still recommend getting the right tools. Don’t use your regular spoons or coffee cups for your spices, flours and creams, as that could ruin the taste of whatever you’re making. Invest in measuring cups and spoon sets that are easy to use and easier to clean. I love Oxo’s measuring cups and spoons set, for example, because the liquid cups have measurement markings that face up so you won’t have to bend down to check if you have the right amount while the rest magnetically snap to one another so they’re easier to store. I also like the handles on All-Clad’s measuring cup set for dry ingredients.
I also highly recommend getting a set of small glass bowls like the ones from Lartique. They might seem unnecessary, but they’re much more helpful than you think. Getting your ingredients measured and ready to go drastically reduces any stress you might experience when cooking. You can use your regular bowls if you want, but these are easier to clean.
One important note is that I usually avoid glass mixing bowls for my meal prep. Don’t get me wrong, I love using them but find them too heavy, especially when I need to store one in the fridge overnight. So, I don’t often use them unless I’m baking bread. Instead, I use plastic and stainless steel mixing bowls like this All-Clad set that’s high quality and easy to clean.
Stress less when cooking
Once you’ve got all your ingredients chopped, measured and mixed, it’s time to cook! Relax and enjoy it; this is the easy part, especially when you’ve got the right appliances and cookware in your arsenal.
The most obvious choice for fast, easy cooking is an air fryer, which cooks food with much less oil. Because these kitchen appliances are so popular, you have plenty of great options to choose from based on your budget. If you want to save even more time, though, I recommend getting the two-basket, dual-zone cooking one from Ninja that lets you cook two different dishes simultaneously. It even has the option to synchronize the finish times, which is handy when hosting a dinner party with friends.
However, it does take up space on the kitchen counter, so if your kitchen is as small as mine, you might like a model with a smaller footprint. I love the Ninja Crispi air fryer system for that reason. This portable air fryer system is very handy, thanks to its stackable, portable design so you can easily put it away. It also comes with two glass bowls that function as air fryer baskets and food containers, meaning fewer things for you to wash. Of course, you can’t only rely on air fryers, so I also recommend investing in top-quality pots and pans. I like the Hexclad line, as its pots and pans heat faster and are less prone to scratches than others I’ve tried. I use its 8-quart stock pot for cooking pasta and hearty stews. I’m also obsessed with the large-capacity 6.75-quart oval Dutch oven from Le Creuset, as it’s extremely versatile — you can cook a lot in it, from stews to bread — and cooks food evenly, producing better results.
A robust set of spoons like the wooden ones from WoodenHouse will also come in handy, as will a meat thermometer so you don’t undercook or overcook your meats and an electric grinder set that should help control the amount of salt and pepper you’re putting in your dishes. To prevent injuries to your hands, dump your old fabric pot holders and invest in silicone ones like the Gorilla Grip oven mitts I use, as they have superior heat resistance. Don’t forget to utilize your oven as well. I love roasting veggies and meats in mine, as the cooking process requires less involvement from me. Just ensure you buy quality bakeware like this set from Caraway, which is nonstick, easy to clean and cooks evenly.
Make your ingredients last longer
The longer you’ve been doing meal prepping, the more you realize you can save even more by making dishes that use many of the same ingredients. Herbs are a great example here. I’m not the only one who ends up with soggy leftover herbs at the bottom of their fridge drawer, but I found that if I choose dishes that use the same herbs, I’m maximizing my grocery haul.
Using the right storage bags can also make a difference. I’ve always used disposable zip-close bags to store my leftover produce and freezer items, but I’ve since switched to these silicone storage bags from Stasher. They’re easier to clean and work wonders at keeping food fresh longer. These bags are what I use now to store my meats in the freezer and my herbs in the fridge. I also recommend getting airtight storage containers for pantry items like flour, sugars or cereals. They help keep these items fresher longer, keep your pantry organized and give you easier access to your ingredients. Be careful, though, as there are many of these at Amazon and only a handful truly deliver on the airtight promise. I recommend grabbing this set from Bentgo; they are the best among the ones I’ve tried over the years.
Prep your meals so they’re ready to go
So, you’ve successfully made your dishes for the week, and they look great and taste even better. What next? Well, now comes the easy part. Give your dishes some time to cool, then it’s time to distribute them in grab-and-go meal-prep containers that you can easily store and organize in your fridge.
For full “multicourse” meals, I love using these unbelievably affordable bento boxes from Bentgo that come with three compartments so there’s space for a main, a side and a dessert. For single-course meals, I love the collapsible ones from Stojo, which are extremely tough. Both options are easy to stack and store when they’re not in use, and more importantly, they’re also dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
And when that’s completed, pat yourself on the back for a job well done, maybe do a victory lap to show off your delicious concoctions and give yourself some well-deserved pampering. You and your family will eat well for the entire week while also saving money. Now you deserve a treat.
(Protein) shake things up
If you’re really short on time or your schedule is simply too hectic for you to meal prep actual dishes, you can always prep smoothies and protein shakes instead. Prepping these tends to be easier and faster.
Smoothies and protein shakes can be extremely nutritious with the right ingredients, help tide you over until your next full meal and are easily consumed with a silicone straw. I found them to be very handy during hectic mornings when I don’t have time to make eggs and bacon, as well as immediately after a workout or a run.
If you want a powerful blender with a bigger pitcher, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender is an excellent choice. Personally, I love using my Beast Mega 1200 Plus because it’s super compact yet powerful. If you want to prep multiple single-serve smoothies at once, you can purchase extra blending vessels to store in the fridge. This way, you can simply grab one from the fridge, pop it on the blender and take it with you on your commute.
Alternatively, you can get the portable and very travel-friendly Nutribullet Flex if you want the versatility of blending your smoothie on the go. It comes with a rechargeable battery capable of up to 15 blends at full charge so you can literally blend in the car, on the train or at work.
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