The Kitchen Items You NEED for 5 Minute Meals

There’s never enough time in the day. And no matter how organized you are, and how far in advance you plan, it feels like there are never enough hours in the day to do all of the things you want to do, let alone all of the things you have to do.

Well, here are a few things to help you shoulder that stress. First off — you’re not alone! We’ve all been there… or are currently there now… or we’ve permanently set up residence in the neighborhood of Not Enough Time. Second, we’ve compiled some key kitchen essentials that will help you save time when it comes to making meals.

Below are eight kitchen items we use regularly to shave time off our meal prep and give us a few more minutes back in our day!

Vegetable Chopper

When you’re preparing meals, sometimes chopping the vegetables takes the longest. You’ve got to get them all the same size, and when you have onions, peppers, celery, cucumbers, and any number of other veggies to chop or dice, it can take a while!

This veggie chopper can save the day (and your wrists!) to help you get consistently chopped veggies, quickly. And this one is so versatile as it comes with a fine dicer blade, a medium dicer blade, a spiralizing julienne blade, and a spiralizing ribbon blade. Cooking healthy has never been easier. And you can pick this beauty up on Amazon for just $29.99.

Click here to buy the Fullstar Vegetable Chopper!

Instant Pot

This next item may be a bit more of an investment, but the time it’ll save will be well worth it.

Instant Pot can cook your meal in a fraction of the time as ovens or crackpots. This one even boasts seven functions: Pressure cook, slow cook, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté pan, and food warmer. You can grab this little miracle cooker for $99.95 on Amazon.

Click here to buy the Instant Pot!

Snap On Strainer

Never have to search for a colander or strainer again.

This little gizmo may not speed up the cooking time on your pasta or veggies, or even help your meat brown faster, but it sure does make straining and clean up so much quicker. The specially designed clips will fit nearly all round pots, pans, and big and small bowls. And with the snap-on option, it helps minimize losing some of those precious nuggets down the sink. It comes in five colors, for anyone who wants a bit of variety. Only $14.99 on Amazon.

Click here to buy Snap N Strain Pot Strainer and Pasta Strainer!

Electric Griddle w Warming Tray

Whether you’re grilling up some burgers for dinner or making pancakes for a weekend breakfast, this Electric Griddle is so convenient!

It has a non-stick surface for easy cleaning, and the warming tray underneath means your eggs, pancakes, or even burgers won’t get cold while you’re cooking enough for the whole family. Faster than heating up a grill or stove top, and a large cooking surface area means you can cook more even faster. What a great way to shave some time off meal prep. Pick one up from Amazon for $33.99.

Click here to buy the Bella Electric Griddle!

Ground Meat Chopper

If you don’t already have one of these gizmos, you’re in for a shock! No more standing over a stove with a spatula, stabbing your block of ground meat to break it up for tacos, bolognese, or breakfast sausage. Whether is ground beef, chicken, turkey, or sausage, this Ground Meat Chopper helps you break up the meat for an even cooking in a fraction of the time.

This will be the $12 investment in your kitchen that you’ll never regret. It not only makes cooking easier but makes it faster, too!

Click here to buy OKO Ground Meat Chopper from Target!

Hand Vegetable Chopper

We’ve already mentioned one vegetable chopper earlier, but if you’re looking for a simple, small, storage-friendly option, this one may be just the ticket for you.

This hand-powered chopper is great for small kitchens, RVs, travel, and camping. So you can still eat healthy and fast when you’re in a dorm room, apartment, or even on the road. And for just $20.49 at Target, it won’t break the bank, either.

Click here to buy the Vibe by Chef’n Vegetable Chopper!

Cuisinart Airfryer Toaster Oven with Grill

The ultimate multi-use kitchen appliance! It can bake a 4 lb. chicken or a 12-inch pizza. As a toaster oven, it can still toast bagels and bread. It can air-fry up to 3lbs of food, whether it’s french fries or chicken tenders. Now it can also sear steaks and vegetables on one side and griddle the perfect breakfast on the other with the new dual-sided grill and griddle plate.

Now, this will set you back a pretty penny at $229.99 from Target, but think of all of the other kitchen appliances it can replace. And it truly is a one-stop appliance for almost every meal you need to prepare.

Click here to buy the Cuisinart Airfrier!

Range Kleen Oven Liner

Ok, we confess, this one won’t help you cook any meals any faster, but it will help with the clean-up! This will oven liner will help save your back from scrubbing in an oven, save your wallet from buying tons of chemical oven cleaning solutions, and save your time from scraping that oven clean.

You can find a variety of oven liners in stores or online. We found these Range Kleen Oven Liners at Target for $10.99! They’ll fit most oven ranges and can be removed and wiped down easily in between cooking and baking meals.

Click here to buy the Range Kleen Oven Liners!

We hope some of these products are ones that can save you time in the kitchen and free you up for some more enjoyable activities — you know, like reading more AllEars articles or watching our adventures on YouTube!

What are some kitchen essentials you use to save your time? Let us know in the comments!

 

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