Kitchen Gadgets That Will Make Your Life Easier

Intro:

The kitchen can feel like a battlefield, especially during a busy week. You want to cook healthy, delicious meals, but the endless cycle of chopping, slicing, and stirring can be a major time suck. What if you could spend less time prepping and more time enjoying your food? I have 5 kitchen gadgets that I personally use on a daily basis and I am excited to share them to help you transform your cooking routines!

This blog post is your guide to reclaiming your time and sanity in the kitchen. We’ll explore innovative tools that handle the tedious tasks for you, from a multifunctional vegetable chopper that makes meal prep a breeze to a pressure cooker that transforms hours of cooking into minutes. Get ready to discover the secrets to cooking smarter, not harder, and make every meal a little easier.

Gadget #1 Pressure cooker/multi-cooker

An appliance like the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi is one of the most versatile and time-saving tools you can own. It combines the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and steamer into one device, allowing you to prepare meals that would normally take hours in a fraction of the time.

When meal prepping, I personally use the Instant pot mostly for the high pressure setting to speed up the cooking process for:

Soups and chili, that take 1 minute
Stews that take 30 minutes
Cooking chicken thighs to shred: Takes 15-20 minutes
Fall off the bone ribs: takes 45 minutes to 1 hour
Pot roast that takes 1 hour
To transport hot chili or soup to a large gathering (it is more leak proof and keeps food hotter compared to a crock pot)

I recommend grabbing an instant pot recipe book to better understand how recipes work and how to use the different settings. It may seem intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will never look back to conventional styles of cooking again!

Gadget #2: Smart oven/air fryer

Many modern countertop ovens and air fryers come with smart features and multiple cooking methods, from air frying to convection baking. This can consolidate several appliances into one and offer convenient preset functions to get your food on the table faster.

I personally use the Emeril Lagasse French Door convection oven. When cooking for my husband and I, this toaster oven is the perfect size and cooks 3 times faster than turning on our standard oven. I can air fry, bake small casseroles, grill meats, cook a small pizza, bake fish, proof bread, dehydrate fruits, and cook baked goods. The pre-heat time is also faster than a standard oven as well.

Here is a link to check out my favorite toaster/convection oven

Check out Emeral’s toaster oven

Gadget #3 Immersion blender

For blending and pureeing ingredients directly in the pot, an immersion or "hand" blender is a lifesaver. This avoids the hassle of transferring hot liquids to a blender and makes cleanup a breeze.

I personally use an immersion blender for:

Pureeing soups like tomato and butternut squash soup
Pureeing red peppers and garlic to create a sauce
Emulsify mayo or dressings
Puree cooked fruit to create a yummy dessert sauce

Immersion Blender Recipe:

Quick and Easy Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 large carrots, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

32 oz. chicken stock or water

1 large can stewed tomatoes

1 small can red peppers

2-4 cups heavy cream or half n half, as needed to provide creaminess

4 sprigs basil leaves, minced

Salt and pepper TT

Directions:

In a large soup pot, boil carrots and onion in chicken stock or water until carrots are soft.
Add stewed tomatoes and red peppers.
Bring to a boil for 10 more minutes and then take off heat.
with an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth, adding the cream a little at a time (you can also place soup in a blender).
Finish with chopped basil, add salt and pepper if needed.

Cool completely before storing in the refrigerator or freezer. Lasts 7 days in refrigerator and 6 months in freezer

When serving, top soup with a dash of Parmesan cheese!

Note: You can make this recipe Dairy free but substituting cream for coconut milk.

Gadget #4: Multi-purpose Food processer/blender

This versatile appliance is here to simplify your life. Need a silky-smooth smoothie to kickstart your day? Done. Want to whip up a creamy hummus or pesto for a quick and easy appetizer? Easy. How about chopping a mountain of veggies for a week of meal prep in seconds, or even kneading dough for fresh bread? Yep, it can do all that, too! Get ready to reclaim your counter space and spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying delicious, homemade food.

My top favorite chopper/mixer to use is a Food processor. I have a Ninja brand food processor that also has a blender attachment and smaller smoothie blender attachments. This makes for a space saving machine that does it all! Here is what I do in my food processor to save time and effort:

Mix together biscuit dough
Make cookie dough
Make cheesecake (both crust and batter)
Rough chop onions or garlic
Make yummy protein balls
Make chimichurri sauce
Rough chop large bundles of fresh herbs

Here is a link to my favorite food processor:

Check out Ninja Mega Kitchen System

Food Processor/ Blender Recipe:

Rustic chimichurri

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

¼ cup red or white wine vinegar

Fresh lime juice (2 small or 1 large lime)

1 tsp. Himalayan sea salt

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

1 shallot, peeled & minced

1 small red chili, seeded & minced or ½ tsp. Red pepper flakes

½ cup cilantro, stemmed & chopped

¼ cup parsley, stemmed & chopped

2 sprigs fresh basil or oregano, stemmed & chopped

¾ cup olive oil

½ Tbsp. agave nectar, or other sweetener

Directions: Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until sauce is smooth but slightly chunky.

Chef Jess Says: This sauce is great on grilled meats, especially steak. Also great with fish, chicken, potatoes, other vegetables, hummus, and eggs! This sauce is great on just about anything!

Gadget #5: A Multi Functioning Grill

This is by far my favorite time saver, dishwashing saving, and space saving gadget in the world! A multi-functioning grill that not only allows you to cook your entire meal, but it gives you a reason to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air more often. I personally have the Weber Genesis E-330 Gas Grill. It allows you to add or take away a griddle panel, use a dutch oven to bake, cook on a wok, cook vegetables in a steam basket, cook pizzas on a stone, and sear meats at a high temperature before cooking. Some models even have one burner stove on the side so you can cook a pot of sauce, beans, or any side dishes that require a pot or pan to cook in while grilling your meats. Almost all grill companies have multifunctioning grills. I would recommend checking all of the different features out and finding the right grill to fit your needs.