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When I have a busy schedule, I need quick dinners that don’t require a lot of prep. However, I can only have so many frozen meals or bowls of cereal before I crave something home-cooked. In search of time-saving cooking hacks, I turned to our Allrecipes editors. Their favorite kitchen tools will help you speed through tedious tasks and create memorable meals when you’re short on time.
Editors’ Favorite Time-Saving Kitchen Tools on Amazon
- Nextrend Garlic Twister, $25
- Mueller Pro-Series All-in-One Food Chopper, $40 (was $60)
- Chef iQ Sense Smart Wireless Meat Thermometer, $100 with coupon (was $130)
- Chef iQ Smart Pressure Cooker, $200
- Zulay Kitchen Nylon Soup Ladle, $9
- Microplane Professional Series Kitchen Grater, $26
- Misen Stainless Steel Bench Scraper, $19
- OXO Good Grips Trigger Ice Cream Scoop, $24
Nextrend Garlic Twister
Amazon
$25 at Amazon
Fresh garlic elevates a dish to the next level, but mincing or chopping garlic by hand is a tedious task. While garlic presses are a handy tool for quickly preparing cloves, it’s tricky to thoroughly clean all the small holes. Editor Brendan McGinley prefers this clever garlic twister instead. “For those of us without a dishwasher, this is far, far easier to clean than those squeeze presses, and keeps your fingers from catching garlic juice. And it can handle ginger!”
Mueller Pro-Series All-in-One Food Chopper
Amazon
$60
$40 at Amazon
Brendan also highly recommends this multifunctional food chopper. “I have destroyed so many choppers in pursuit of big quantities of pico del gallo, and this is the only sturdy one,” he says. The device comes with several interchangeable blades, including three chopping blades, two slicing blades, three graters, and a spiralizer. With this gadget, you can dice an entire onion with a single press or create even potato slices with a few swipes. In addition to saving time, you can save $20 on the Mueller chopper while it’s on sale.
Chef iQ Sense Smart Wireless Meat Thermometer
Amazon
$130
$100 at Amazon
“I can’t recommend Chef iQ’s wireless meat thermometers enough,” says Editor Andrea Lobas. “The easy-to-use probes with real-time alerts are such a game changer, not only for everyday roast chicken and steaks on the grill, but for holiday cooking as well. They save me so much time and stress with my Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas beef tenderloin. I don’t know what I did before these. They are definitely an investment, but the brand always offers great deals.” Andrea’s right about the deals; right now, you can save $30 on a single probe or two probes.
Chef iQ Smart Pressure Cooker
Amazon
$200 at Amazon
Andrea has another recommendation from Chef iQ: a pressure cooker. The 6-quart cooker pairs with a phone app to give you access to over 1,000 cooking presets, 600 guided recipes, and even how-to cooking videos. The multicooker also has a built-in scale for accurate measurements and includes a pot, steamer basket, and rack accessories. Andrea calls the smart pressure cooker “user-friendly and fool-proof.” It’s a great option for home cooks who want a set-it-and-forget-it meal.
Zulay Kitchen Nylon Soup Ladle
Amazon
$9 at Amazon
I’ll throw in one of my recommendations as well. I recently upgraded my slow cooker and have been making lots of soups and stews. I struggled doling out servings until I got this special ladle from Zulay Kitchen. Unlike a regular round ladle, this one is shaped more like a triangle, which can scrape along the corners of the pot to get every last drop. Now I spend less time scooping and more time enjoying a bowl of chicken taco soup.
Microplane Professional Series Kitchen Grater
Amazon
$26 at Amazon
“I use this grater all the time for so much more than cheese,” says Diana Moutsopoulos, a senior editorial director. “I use it to grate onion right into the pan before sauteeing instead of chopping onion on a cutting board—it not only saves time thanks to fewer dishes to wash, but the onion cooks faster, too!” You can also zest citrus, shred carrots, and create chocolate flakes for desserts.
Misen Stainless Steel Bench Scraper
Amazon
$19 at Amazon
Commerce Editor Katherine Gallagher’s favorite tool is a baking staple, but it works just as well for cooking. “This bench scraper is my go-to for food prep. The wide, flat edge is perfect for scooping and transferring chopped ingredients from the cutting board into a bowl or pan. It even helps with cleanup and moving food scraps into the compost bin.”
OXO Good Grips Trigger Ice Cream Scoop
Amazon
$24 at Amazon
“A good-quality scoop is such a game-changer in the kitchen. From scooping muffin and cupcake batter to portioning pancakes, meatballs, cookie dough, or really anything—it’s a secret weapon in the kitchen,” says Senior Editor Courtney Kassel. “I love the OXO scoop because the spring is strong enough to handle anything from hard-to-scoop ice cream to chunky cookie dough.”
Rubbermaid 9.5-Inch Heavy Duty Silicone Spatula
Amazon
$15 at Amazon
When Senior Manager Frances Crouter worked in a restaurant, she used these heavy-duty Rubbermaid spatulas. Nowadays, these silicone tools are still her go-to utensils in the kitchen. She has multiple sizes, including this 9.5-inch spatula and a larger 13.5-inch version. You can use the highly heat-resistant silicone to scramble eggs, stir a bubbling pot of chili, or scrape the last bit of batter into the brownie pan.
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