10 Time Saving Kitchen Tools That Won’t Break the Bank

When it’s time to get started in the kitchen, you want to make sure you have the necessary tools to ensure success. Amanda has you covered!

In this post, Amanda’s Menu will review 10 kitchen tools to use during your cooking adventures. In addition to being useful, these tools are affordable, so cost won’t impede your cooking plans.

1. Digital thermometer: Taylor Instant Read Food Thermometer

If you are cooking a meat dish, heating oil, or making candy, a food thermometer is a must. A quality food thermometer, such as the Taylor Precision waterproof thermometer, will be a ‘one and done’ purchase that will last for years.

It saves time by making it quick and easy to monitor the temperature of anything you are cooking, from meats to oils. Temperature is important in determining if food is done to your liking. Digital thermometers are faster than the alternative because they display temperature accurately and immediately – you don’t have to wait for the needle to move.

2. Food Scale: Taylor Digital Waterproof Kitchen Food Scale

In the world of cooking, there are some dishes that require accurate measurements. Precise measurements allow flavors to balance and food chemistry to happen. The Taylor Digital food scale will help save you time. It has a large surface, allowing you to weigh up to 30 lbs. at once. It can measure both dry and liquid ingredients. Finally, it is easy to clean.

Selecting the right digital scale can be overwhelming, as there are several options online and in stores. To simplify the decision-making process, Amanda’s Menu recommends the Taylor food scale model sold at Costco, as it is the least expensive ($19.99). Amazon carries a similar model that is a little more expensive ($39.99).

3. Manual chopper: Chop N’ Prep Chef

Who has time to painstakingly chop piles of vegetables for a ‘simple’ recipe? Amanda doesn’t! A manual chopper like the Chop N’ Prep Chef will relieve stress because you are able to quickly prepare vegetables for the recipe of your choice.

This chopper saves time while chopping vegetables, as well as herbs. It is great for mincing garlic or fine chopping onions, jalapeños and more. Having a chopping tool like this one will reduce the time you spend in the kitchen.

4. Garlic press: OXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Garlic Press

Handling garlic can be intimidating to new cooks, but a good garlic press will make you a garlic handling pro. The OXO garlic press saves time because you can crush multiple garlic cloves and immediately have minced garlic.

You can clean it quickly because it includes a built-in cleaner that pushes out the garlic peels and excess garlic pieces. The built-in cleaner will lower your clean up stress and will contribute to a growing sense of confidence in the kitchen. Yotam Ottolenghi recommends using a garlic press for his Salmon and Prawns in Spicy Tomato Sauce dish.

5. Blender: Ninja Personal Blender

A personal blender might seem like an odd recommendation for this pandemic-work-from-home world many of us have been living in, but Amanda’s Menu has a plan. The Ninja personal blender is the ideal size for prepping small liquid components for recipes.

A personal blender saves time by allowing quick and easy cleanup after making purees, preparing salsas, and chopping nuts. The personal blender cups come with sip-and-seal lids that are useful beyond making shakes and smoothies: Amanda uses these lids to pour baking mixes into cupcake tins.

6. Food Processor: Cuisinart Pro Custom 11

At first glance, a food processor might seem like a big commitment in terms of money and footprint in the kitchen. However, the Cuisinart food processor will save you time and allow you to tackle even more recipes without breaking a sweat.

A food processor saves time by allowing you to quickly slice, mix, and chop food. It is easy to switch between different slicing discs and the chopping/mixing blade. You can use the pulse feature with the chopping/mixing blade to finely chop herbs and other vegetables. And as with the other tools in this post, this tool is easy to clean. Amanda recommends this tool for making salsa, purees and dukkah.

7. Measuring cup: Mini Measuring Glass

I bet you did not expect to see a shot glass in this list, but this little kitchen tool is incredibly useful for dishes that call for small measurements. This Kolder shot-sized measuring glass comes in handy when cooking something that requires small amounts of liquids or spices.

You can save time by seeing the contents through the clear glass. This tiny measuring cup allows you to measure liquids or solids in teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, or millimeters. You can quickly rinse the cup to reuse it or buy several to prep multiple ingredients ahead of time.

8. Pressure Cooker: Instant Pot Multi-Use Pressure Cooker

Sometimes the main factor stopping someone from cooking is not having the time to dedicate to doing so – this is where a tool like a pressure cooker saves the day. An Instant Pot pressure cooker saves time by allowing you to slow cook food during the day while you tend to other tasks.

For example, if you want to cook fresh beans but don’t have time to presoak them, you can use the Instant Pot pressure cooker function to make beans in about an hour. Like the other items on this list, the pressure cooker will make seemingly impossible recipes become a reality.

9. Hand Blender: KitchenAid Hand Blender

A hand blender, also called an emulsion blender or stick blender, is a useful tool to have in the kitchen. There are many types of hand blenders on the market, but this KitchenAid model is Amanda’s favorite because it is lightweight and has multiple attachment options.

Amazon, for example, sells a whisk attachment for an additional $20. This attachment can help you make whipped cream, churn butter, or mix batters.

Alternatively, you can try the Brawn Hand Blender that includes a whisk, a blending beaker, and 1.5 cup chopper – Costco sells it for $99. Adding a hand blender to your kitchen will reduce your cooking time and bolster your confidence to conquer new recipes.

10. Slow Cooker: Crockpot

This list would not be complete without the crockpot. An ongoing challenge for the modern cook is finding delicious recipes that don’t claim all their time during a busy week – enter our hero, the crock pot!

The Crock-Pot allows you to prepare a home-cooked meal with just a few minutes of prep time. For example, you can prepare a pot of chili in the morning by dumping in the necessary ingredients, adding the lid, and setting the timer for the appropriate number of hours. Off you go to the rest of your day, and when you return home, a delicious chili meal will be ready for you!

There you have it – 10 affordable kitchen tools that can help make cooking from home easier. Cooks of every level can benefit from using these time-saving tools in their kitchen!