Wondering if there are certain gadgets you can purchase, affordably, that will help streamline production time in the kitchen?
Like any busy parent, you want the most nourishing meals possible, with the least amount of fuss; fewer dishes, pots and pans to wash, and a quick clean-up and store.
These handy helpers provide the prepping, serving and storage support you need to streamline your mealtime routine.
Slow Cooker
No home kitchen should be without a slow cooker. It’s the easiest tool to make a hearty and balanced one-pot dinner. The slow cooker is otherwise known as the crock pot, because it comes with a heavy crock insert.
To use: place the crock inside the plug-in pot. Add food and a minimum of 2 cups of liquid. Plug it in and turn it to low, to have dinner in about 8 hours… or high for about 4 hours of cooking time.
Thanks to the slow cooker, you don’t even need to tend the food or be in the house to cook a nourishing meal for your family.
Slow Cooker Meals
What can you make in a slow cooker? What can’t you make? Fill yours with ingredients for chili, soup, stew, or any type of protein-and-veggie combo.
Set your slow cooker on low and go about your day. Your meal will be hot and ready by the time it’s time to serve dinner.
Ideas for meals to cook in the slow cooker:
- Chicken stew with creamy soup, potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas.
- Pot roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and herbs.
- Chili with ground beef or turkey, beans, celery, onion, peppers, tomatoes and spices.
- Beef stew with chuck steak, potatoes, celery, carrots, green beans, onion and garlic.
You can even cook oatmeal and bread pudding in your slow cooker. You have many possibilities, maybe even try making yogurt!
Check out recipes online or do your own food experiments. You can’t go wrong with a slow cooker in your life.
Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Advantages
Slow cooking is one of the simplest and safest ways to make a meal. One-pot dinners mean quick and easy cleanup. The ceramic crock insert goes from countertop to table top to fridge.
Slow cooker dishes make great party fare. You can cook Swedish or Italian meatballs, mac and cheese, and other crowd-pleasing favorites in your crock pot.
Easily transport the food to your gathering, and plug in your slow cooker when you get there so the food stays warm and ready to serve.
Slow cooked food is more nutritious, retaining more of the vitamin and mineral content. It’s also more savory and flavorful as a result of the slow, even cooking on extremely low heat.
Slow cooked meals made with meat are often tender and tasty. Just be sure to follow the suggested cooking time for the cut and fat content of the meat you’re preparing.
Great slow-cooker recipes abound. Your slow cooker will likely come with a crock-pot recipe book so you’ll never run out of ideas on what one-pot meals to make.
There are also plenty of one-pot slow cooker recipes available online. This means you can plan your dinners while out and about, and even stop at the grocery store to pick up what you need.
Toaster Oven
A toaster oven makes a great alternative to using the conventional oven for heating smaller servings of food. They’re easy to use, and save electricity because it’s a compact unit.
Toaster ovens do exactly what the name implies. You can use them for making toast, as well as for heating up and baking different foods.
What can you cook in a toaster oven?
- Chicken nuggets and fish sticks
- Frozen pizza slices
- Frozen appetizers – including mini egg rolls and bagel bites; taquitos; pigs in blankets; puff pastry or any other type of frozen appetizers.
- French fries, fried perogies and onion rings
- Grilled cheese, panini or breakfast sandwiches
- Breakfast foods – toast, bagels, muffins, English muffins… even pancakes, waffles and French toast
Toaster Oven Suggested Use and Safety Tips
Your toaster oven contains two heating elements – one above, and one below. Take care to make sure the food you’re cooking doesn’t come in contact with the elements, as this can born your food and potentially cause a fire.
Foods that could leak or drip should be placed on the included toaster oven tray before baking on Oven mode. You can also wrap your foods in tin foil and set them on the toaster tray when baking with your toaster oven.
Any food that contains butter or cheese which could drip into the bottom of the toaster and potentially cause a fire should be handled carefully and set on the toaster tray to avoid drips and dribbles.
Of course, you can switch your toaster oven to the toaster setting if you would like to make yourself or your family some bagels, muffins, toast, or English muffins.
Again, be mindful of butter or any toppings, and use the toaster tray provided if necessary.
How to Clean a Toaster Oven
To clean your toaster, simply bring it to the sink or transport it outside. Open the door on the bottom of your toaster to easily shake out crumbs and food particles. You can also clean the outside surfaces of your toaster oven with a small brush and a bit of baking soda paste made from baking soda and a little bit of water and soap.
Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle is a lesser-known kitchen item that will make your life so much easier and elevate your cooking experience. A mortar and pestle is made of a heavy material such as marble or granite. This is so that the mortar and pestle will be heavier than the item you are pulverizing.
How to Use a Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle can be helpful for the following applications:
- Pulverizing whole spices such as cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, ginger and nutmeg
- Crushing nuts including walnuts, pecans and cashews. (Some of the harder nuts like almonds may not crush as well in the mortar and pestle- in which case you’ll need to use a chef’s knife or blender.)
- Smashing crackers to make crumbs in recipes that call for such – like a graham cracker crust, or crushed Ritz crackers for stuffed mushroom mix.
Cleaning Your Mortar and Pestle
The mortar and pestle is easy to clean. Simply scrub with a small brush and a bit of baking soda, with dish soap and water added to make a paste. Also makes an attractive countertop item.
Mini Blender
A mini blender is a lifesaver for a busy moms on the go who want to provide fresh and nutritious, blended foods for her family. They’re easy to transport and store, with just a few parts that can be easily removed for cleaning and daily use.
The compact design ensures that your mini blender won’t take up too much space on your kitchen counter top. And of course, if you’re blending up single servings of blender smoothies and dips, you can’t beat the convenience.
Mini Blender Recipe Ideas
Some ideas for what foods you can add to your meal time repertoire with a mini blender in your life:
- Blended smoothies and slushies – Smoothies are great for your health. Combine yogurt with frozen fruit and maybe even a small amount of spinach or kale for a vitamin and fiber boost. Zap in the blender with a little water. Enjoy a refreshing and nourishing morning drink.
- Pureed soups – If you love pureed soups the mini blender will definitely come in handy. After cooking your soup, for example butternut squash, transfer some of the liquid and most if not all of the whole vegetables into the blender. Puree to a smooth consistency.
- Homemade bean dips and hummus – Another great use for a mini blender, making homemade bean dips and hummus. Plain hummus is a pretty basic recipe. It includes chickpeas, sesame paste (tahini), salt, garlic, pepper, oil such as olive, lemon juice, and some water. You can also make bean dips using a similar recipe formula. Anything that you would use to create a delicious bean salad can also be whirled in the blender to turn into a hummus or dip.
- Yogurt dressings and dips – Finally, use your mini blender to whip up some tasty dips and dunkers made of yogurt, sour cream, mayo, and other ingredients.
For example, a dip that combines yogurt, garlic powder, cucumber, cilantro and sesame oil would taste great on a cracker or with a green pepper chunk dipped in. Yogurt dips will also be healthy for you thanks to their probiotic properties. The mini blender makes quick work of fun foods like this.
Kitchen Shears
Kitchen shears are a must-have for every busy cook and homemaker. Their uses are endless, not only in the kitchen but for various chores and tasks around the house.
No more fumbling with that stubborn plastic seal on your hummus container or trying to rip through that bag of raisins that’s been super glued shut. Kitchen shears will help you bust through tough packaging in seconds.
Kitchen Shears – Uses for the Kitchen and Beyond
You can have separate pairs of kitchen shears for different uses. One can be for cooking and another can be for household tasks. Around the house, use them to snip twine, cut paper, open well-sealed bags and containers.
For cooking, a nice pair of sharp kitchen shears will work for actually cutting up the food directly in the pot while you are cooking it. No need for a cutting board, knife and the mess and safety risk that goes along with their use.
Use kitchen shears to break up tomato chunks, veggie chunks like peppers and onions, salad veggies and much more… all right in the bowl or the pot as you make it. When your kids want you to cut their food smaller, kitchen shears will save the day.
Grater
If you’re interested in eating more vegetables but not spending more time messing around in the kitchen, then a good quality food grater will be essential. Who doesn’t love a grated slaw? You have endless possibilities and healthy ingredient combinations.
Use a Grater to Make Homemade Slaw
A slaw is basically a salad made with shredded or grated vegetables. Common ingredients in any combination can include cabbage, carrot, cucumber, onion, and even fruit such as apple or pear. Dress your slaw with a mayo or oil-and-vinegar based dressing.
A good slaw can elevate a taco, healthy-up a hot dog or lunch-meat sandwich, and play nicely on the plate next to a delicious burger. Grate up a quick slaw to make a great side dish for roasted meat. Add crunch, flavor and dietary fiber to your grilled chicken salads with greens and other yummy veggies.
Use a Grater to Make Shredded Cheese for Recipes
Another use for a grater is you get to save money on grated or pre-shredded cheese which is quite expensive. You may want to invest in two graters – one with the bigger holes, for coarser grating applications; the other, with smaller grating holes for grating a hard wedge of Parmesan, grating up ginger, or the zest of citrus fruits to use in recipes.
Purchase cheese such as cheddar, in big blocks to get the best price. A sturdy grater and medium sized mixing bowl will have you shredding up a good amount of cheese in no time. Add to tacos, to top your chili, make lasagna, enjoy pizza night with your family or anything else that requires shredded or grated cheese.
The Best Quality Grater
The best kind of grater is the box grater with different sized grating holes on different sides. This type of grater should be used on a cutting board ideally, to avoid scratching your countertops. But if you have a good quality marble or granite counter, you can also grate your cheese directly on this surface. Just be sure to keep it clean and sanitized.
A smaller, flat grater rests easily atop a mixing bowl to quickly grate up cucumbers, carrots, cabbage and onion for a nice homemade slaw. You can also grate up fruits like apple and pear, to add sweetness and crunch to your slaw.
Speaking of grated fruits… if your family likes oatmeal you can bring more balance and flavor to their morning cereal by grabbing your handy grater. Process some apple, peach or pear to add to oatmeal while it’s cooking, along with a shake or two of cinnamon and some crushed walnuts.
Finally, if you love to make sweet breads and breakfast cakes, a grater is essential if you love to add zucchini, carrot and apple to add to your homemade sweet breads.
Glass Storage Containers with Lids
Glass storage containers are the preferred method of storing and serving foods for so many reasons. First, they go from stove to table top to refrigerator or freezer. The heavier weight makes them easier to stack and store without making a cluttered mess of your cabinets.
Pyrex is the best option for glass storage containers, as you can be sure they’re tough, and resistant to high heat.
For a simple storage solution, stash the lids along side of the stacked glass storage containers in your cabinet and you’ll never have an issue with losing the lids.
Glass Storage Containers – Advantages to Use
Glass storage containers are practical and versatile. They hold hot foods just as easily as cold foods, and lids stay put.
They’re easy to clean and dishwasher safe. You’re saving yourself a ton of work because they serve as a cooking, serving and storage container in one.
Glass storage containers are microwave- and oven-safe if you remove the lid. They also transport well inside a cooler or food storage bag to take along to parties and get-togethers. Check the labeling on the bottom to make sure your glass storage containers are oven-, dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
Mason Jars
With more people canning and preserving their foods, Mason jars are another kitchen staple that you’ll want to stock up on. They’re inexpensive, easy to clean, and afford endless practical uses.
You can follow a canning recipe and make your own homemade tomato sauce to store in Mason jars. Or, preserve fruits like peaches, pears and applesauce. Use Mason jars to put up some pickled cucumbers, green beans and beets, or make salsa to store in your pantry.
Mason Jars for Endless Food Storage Uses
Even if you have never canned before, Mason jars still provide a ton of food storage uses.
- Store perishables in them in the refrigerator.
- Order spices in bulk and pour them into your Mason jars then cap and stack along your counter or kitchen shelves.
- Use them to store thumb tacks, rubber bands, twist-ties, safety pins and other small items that you can stack on shelves for daily use.
- Extra Mason jars make lovely, hand-poured candles
If you find that you have more Mason jars than needed for your kitchen, do some hand poured scented candles and you’ll have a lovely jar candle for your living room, kitchen or foyer.
Foods that store well in the refrigerator in mason jars include:
- Homemade dips and dressings
- Leftover sauces and condiments – honey mustard, barbecue sauce
- Dips – cucumber dip, spinach dip
- Jarred foods – olives, jalapenos, pickled peppers, artichoke hearts.
- Heated foods – tomato sauce, soups
- Boiled eggs, homemade mayo
- Herbs and spices
Mason jar usage possibilities run the gamut. You’re likely to find a use for them in and around your home, in addition to what’s listed here.
