If your family is anything like mine, you don’t have much spare time to spend on meal prep and cleanup. With two active kids who play several sports and have other after-school activities, some nights it’s all I can do to get a healthy meal on the table. That’s why I started researching the best kitchen gadgets to help make mealtimes faster and more efficient without sacrificing health or quality.
The right kitchen gadgets can do more than just make your life easier. Since replacing all my older gadgets with more efficient ones, my kitchen has become less cluttered and easier to organize. I’ve also been able to focus more on building healthy habits that will serve my kids well as adults and keep them healthy and happy.
If you’re ready to ditch that can opener that doesn’t work half the time or the giant cutting board that doesn’t fit in any of your cabinet properties, read on for my recommendations on the best kitchen gadgets for busy families.
Before you spend any money on new kitchen gadgets, you need to know what to look for. When I replaced my outdated gadgets with new, improved ones, I looked for several key features to make my life easier. Here are my top must-haves:
Once you’ve made your must-have list, start searching for these 23 kitchen gadgets that will improve your home and your life.
Traditional dishwasher tabs or pods are bulky, many of which contain microplastics and other nasty ingredients that can be harmful to your family’s health and the environment. I switched to dishwasher detergent sheets and noticed an immediate improvement (plus, I felt much better knowing I wasn’t contributing to water quality issues).
Dishwasher detergent sheets are lightweight and mess-free, and the best part is that there are no bulky plastic containers that take up precious space in my cabinets. There are a couple of options, but I will always recommend HeySunday dishwasher sheets to my friends and family.
Measuring spoons used to be my nemesis in the kitchen. Even though they’re relatively small, they would clutter up my drawers quickly and make it hard to find the one I needed. I switched to adjustable measuring spoons and immediately fell in love.
Adjustable measuring spoons feature sliders that allow you to select the desired measurement size. Having one tool that can measure a quality as low as ⅛ teaspoon to as much as 1 tablespoon means I always grab the right tool when I’m cooking.
My old strainer was so bulky, it took up half of a shelf in one of my cabinets. One of the first things I bought to reduce clutter and simplify my life was a silicone clip-on strainer. This compact tool lets me turn any pot into a strainer.
One of my favorite purchases was my magnetic measuring cup set. It helps keep my drawers organized, allowing me to find the exact cup I want without having to search too hard. The cups stay together, which makes it easier to keep them organized and keeps my drawers neat.
Cutting boards are essential kitchen gadgets, but my old one took up so much space! I switched it out for an over-the-sink cutting board and it has been a game-changer.
Now, I can use my cutting board without taking up too much counter space. Some of the ones I saw included extras, like a built-in colander or storage, which would make your life even simpler.
My jar opener was the next gadget on my list. I went with an electric one to make jar opening quicker and easier. This kitchen gadget is essential for older adults or people with arthritis who have trouble opening jars the traditional way.
One of my least favorite parts of meal prep is when I have to chop and dice vegetables — especially if I’m making a dish with a lot of different ingredients. I bought a vegetable chopper and dicer and it has sped up my meal prep exponentially.
Look for one that comes with multiple blades to allow you to chop and dice your veggies to the exact size you need.
Between my kids’ lunches and snacks for days out, I used to go through zip-top bags extremely quickly. Although they were convenient, I never felt good about using plastic to pack lunches or store leftovers. So I invested in some reusable silicone storage bags and have been pleasantly surprised how well they work.
These bags are freezer-safe, microwave-safe, and dishwasher-safe. They’re perfect for snacks, leftovers, or marinated meats. They have definitely been a game-changer in my kitchen.
Cabinet space is precious in my kitchen. In the past, my cabinets were messy and disorganized, which stressed me out every time I opened them. I invested in some under-cabinet jar and bottle organizers and my cabinets have never been tidier!
These organizers create vertical storage space in my cabinets, which means I can make better use of the available space in my kitchen. They are ideal for spice jars, condiments, and baby food, among other things.
Before I had a digital meat thermometer, I used to set the oven timer and hope for the best. Often, I’d overcook chicken because I was afraid of accidentally making my family sick with undercooked poultry. The digital thermometer has helped ensure I cook meat perfectly, which has calmed my nerves and made my family much happier at mealtimes!
These thermometers are instant-read, so there’s no guessing or overcooking. If you don’t have one in your kitchen, there’s no time like the present to change that.
Some meals need constant stirring, but when you’re trying to get a meal on the table for your family, you can often neglect proper stirring. I bought an automatic stirrer with a timer and allows for hands-free stirring for sauces, soups, custards, and more. It has freed up so much time during meal prep.
Even nested mixing bowls and colanders take up a great deal of space in your cabinets — especially if you have a small kitchen or own an RV. Collapsible mixing bowls and colanders expand when in use, then collapse flat for storage, making them ideal for kitchens where space is a premium. I love mine for traveling.
I used to have a bulky knife block on my counter, but it was always in the way and taking up precious space for meal prep and cooking. Replacing it with a wall-mounted magnetic knife strip has freed up much more space than I expected it to. My knives are still easily accessible, but out of reach of child-size hands.
I used to be a huge fan of aerosol cooking sprays, but as I became more aware of the ingredients in my food and the waste that food packaging produces, I started looking for a better alternative. I bought an oil sprayer bottle and I love it.
I can add whatever oil I like — olive, avocado, or coconut are my top choices — and it lets me cook with healthier oil without adding too much to my meals.
Pot and pan lids used to be the bane of my existence. They never seemed to fit properly in my kitchen cabinets and were always rattling around while I tried to find the exact one I needed. A pan lid organizer rack has changed all that.
It stores lids vertically inside a cabinet or drawer, which prevents scratching and makes lids easy to find.
I love my food processor, but it’s huge and needs to be stored in my basement. When I need to chop a small quantity of veggies for a recipe, I don’t want to have to drag my full-size food processor up to the kitchen. I keep a mini food processor in the kitchen that is ideal for onions, garlic, and herbs. And the best part is that it has a smaller footprint than full-sized food processors.
Kitchen staples like flour, sugar, and oats take up more space than you’d think and look messy and disorganized in your kitchen cabinet. I decanted all my pantry staples into airtight food storage containers. Not only has it made my pantry look much tidier, but it also keeps these ingredients fresh and stackable for easy access when I need them.
I love adding fresh herbs to meals, but I hate cutting them. If you’ve never used herb scissors, you’re missing out. They snip herbs quickly and evenly without needing to grab a cutting board and knife. My set includes a cleaning comb.
Plastic wrap and foil can both be incredibly difficult to use and to dispense. I added a wrap dispenser with built-in cutting to my kitchen and it’s been wonderful. It helps me to avoid tangled messes in drawers and frees up that drawer space for other kitchen items. Best of all: these dispensers have a sleek countertop or drawer-ready design that will fit seamlessly into any kitchen.
My fridge has adjustable shelves, but even so, I used to find it hard to locate the item I was looking for at times. I added some fridge drawer organizer bins, which essentially added drawers to the shelves. This has helped to improve fridge visibility and reduce waste — no more finding a months-old container or leftovers at the back of a shelf and having to dispose of it without retching.
Traditional spoon rests do their job just fine, but they can often lead to messy countertops and stovetops. I decided to get rid of mine and replace it with a clip-on pot lid holder and spoon rest. This gadget clips to the side of the pot and holds the lid and spoon in place while I cook. My counters are so much easier to clean when I’m finished cooking!
I used to have an electric steamer that I’d use to steam fish, vegetables, and chicken. I loved it, but it took up so much space in my cabinets. Once the steamer stopped working, I replaced it with a stackable steamer basket that I can use both on the stovetop and in the microwave.
This gadget allows for healthy cooking with minimal tools — plus, it collapses flat for storage so I don’t have to find space in my already-packed cabinets for it.
I often cook meals in bulk and freeze leftover portions to make it easier to grab a healthy, home-cooked meal on our busiest nights. But I used to struggle with trying to get the leftovers into the food storage bags without making a mess.
I found a wonderful hands-free bag holder that holds the food storage bags open while I fill them. It’s perfect for batch cooking and freezing meals.
The tools and gadgets in your kitchen should make your life easier, not harder. Replacing your old tools with new ones that save time and space can decrease your meal prep time and make cooking feel more enjoyable and less like a chore. There’s no need to replace everything in your kitchen at once; instead, invest in one gadget at a time and plan on making small changes that will yield big improvements.
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