Mealtime Mastery: Elevate Your Meal Prep Game with these Top 4 Kitchen Tools
When you’re short on time and dinner is quickly approaching it’s tempting to place an order for meal delivery. Trust me, I’ve been there! As easy as take out is, there is a time and a place for it. Ordering out a couple times a week can wreak havoc on your health and your bank account! Skip the stress, skip the guilt, skip the time wasting and disappointment, because I’m going to share 4 kitchen tools to help you create meals quicker!
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Save Time In The Kitchen With Instant Pot Meal Prep
The high pressure in an Instant Pot =food cooks quicker = saves you time! Something else to love about the Instant Pot is that it’s multifunctional. Sautéing, browning meats, and pressure cooking can all be done in the same pot so it’s easy clean up. Unsure how long to cook a certain food? Here is a free resource to help!
Pro tip: make sure there is at least 1/2 cup of liquid in the instant pot when it’s cooking to prevent burning or unproperly cooked meats.
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Effortless Meals With A Rice Cooker
Perfect, fluffy rice? Yes, please! If you have never used a rice cooker before you are going to be pleasantly surprised! No more standing over the stove keeping an eye on your rice! The rice cooker will come with instructions, but it’s pretty straight forward, 1 cup rice to 2 cups liquid. Another amazing feature is that most rice cookers provide a steam tray. You can steam vegetables or dumplings while your rice is cooking, talk about a time saver!
Pro tip: try adding bone broth to your rice instead of water. It adds flavor, protein, promotes healthy digestion, and supports joint and skin health!
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Quick and Easy Meals With The Air Fryer
Cook and heat up food faster than a traditional oven with this little countertop gem! The process is simple, put your food in, set the timer, the end. Seriously it’s that easy! Cleanup is a breeze also, especially compared to regular frying, um goodbye grease splatters! It provides a way to achieve the crispy texture with little to no oil, a healthier alterative to regular fried foods!
Pro tip: Because foods may cook faster, they may require both time and temperature adjustments if you’re using a recipe written for a conventional oven. You may want to check for doneless at the halfway point for the time the recipe states.
Photo by Kelsey Todd on Unsplash
Faster, Easier Cooking With The Convection Oven
A convection oven has a fan and exhaust system that circulate hot air around the inside of the oven, it can be gas or electric. The fast moving hot air can accelerate baking and roasting, it can also help cook food more evenly.
Pro tip: Lower the temperature 25° F below what’s recommended, and check 5 to 10 minutes sooner than your recipe says.
Now that you know about these time-saving kitchen tools, you can direct your focus on other important things! I am curious and would love to know which tool has become your favorite to speed up your kitchen efficiency! Cheers to the joy of cooking!
About The Author
leanne.timpone
Leanne Timpone is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with a degree in Culinary Arts in St. Louis, MO. She has worked in healthcare for the last thirteen years. She provides nutrition counseling and culinary insight to help others achieve their health and wellness goals. She is a wife and mother of two boys, loves to cook, and enjoys taking family walks.