I am always looking for new ways to save time and make cooking simpler. I’ve put together just the things for the job! Here is a round up my favourite time saving tools in the kitchen.
Cooking doesn’t have to be difficult. Use these time saving kitchen tools to make your life a little easier! I really don’t like collecting things that I don’t use, and am a strong believer that everything in your kitchen should have a purpose, and be worth the space. So you can trust me when I tell you that these tools are game changers! I have a few favourites gadgets that help me in the kitchen, and I thought it was about time that I shared them with you!
Time Saving Small Appliances
These little tools are the backbones of my kitchen! They’ll get you blending, chopping and prepping with ease.
Food Processor
A food processor is my go-to when I am grating large amounts of vegetables. Instead of grating 10 zucchinis by hand (ahem, a reality when you have a garden), the food processor has you covered saving you an arm workout and a messy kitchen! When looking for a food processor you want to find one that has interchangeable blades. This way you’ll be able to grate cheese with one blade and make pie dough with another! I like the large capacity ones best, ideally 12-14 cup or larger if you can find them. I will admit that I also have a mini one that I use for small jobs like hummus.
Stand Mixer
There are some kitchen appliances that get allll the love in my home – and my Kitchenaid Mixer is one of them! If you are a baker, than this will be one of your most adored appliances. It has so many valuable attachments and uses, plus it’s pretty on your counter to boot!
High Powered Blender
There is nothing more frustrating than trying a new smoothie recipe just for it to not be able to blend. We have a Vitamix and it is truly amazing for our daily smoothies. But it’s great for soups, dressings, batters, doughs, butters and more. This kitchen appliance has been one of my greatest investments! I have the Ascent 3500… in white… of course 😉
Immersion Blender
Soup season just wouldn’t be possible for me without my immersion blender! Quite possibly my favourite tool in the kitchen, an immersion blender is so handy. I use it for big batches of soups so that I can blend them right in the pot. It’s great for sauces, emulsifying salad dressings and mixing basically almost any liquid.
Kitchen Scale
A good kitchen scale is a must. The one I have and recommend is Escali. I use it every day, and if you’re baking or making a sourdough bread, it’s a must!
Timer
Timing is everything people! I really prefer using a kitchen timer versus juggling a timer on my phone or an appliance. You can choose between a digital timer and an old fashioned one – I prefer the old fashioned looking ones (they double as art!). I love this one!
Instant Read Digital Thermometer
We are constantly taking the temperature of food, especially chicken and a good accurate thermometer is so important. There is no need to be wasting time guessing and cutting into all your food to see if it’s done. Invest in a digital instant one – it reads the temperature immediately so you don’t have to sit around and wait (patience isn’t my strongest virtue!).
Time Saving Hand-held Tools
These are my tried and true hand-held time saving kitchen tools. I use these basically everyday, and know as long as I have them in my kitchen drawer, I can take on any recipe!
A Good Knife
A good knife is not only a safe choice, but it will save you time and energy! When you have a good knife you can really let it do all the work for you. Ensuring you keep your knife sharp will go a long way in extending it’s life. While we’re add it let’s add a knife sharpener to the list too!
Scissors
Because, yes there are differences between scissors! Invest in a good pair of scissors, you won’t regret it. I love these gold ones because if it’s going to be one of your most used tools, might as well make it pretty!
Garlic Press
There are a few benefits from a garlic press. It saves you time but it also ensures your garlic is a consistent size. It also can create a better garlic flavour because it breaks down the cloves more fully, releasing more flavour and producing a fine purée that integrates better with other ingredients.
Microplane
We use a microplane for zesting our citrus and for grating parmesan cheese. You can try using other tools for these, but a microplane will produce the best output with the least amount of effort!
Measuring Cups & Spoons
Having a solid set of measuring cups and spoons (in all the sizes) makes such a huge difference! Having a spare set is also great when cooking an extensive recipe and multiples are needed.
Vegetable Peeler
I don’t really know what I would do without a vegetable peeler, and by that I mean a GOOD one. We’ve all had one that didn’t work well, and did more harm than good (ouch!). Having a quality peeler, really takes the hassle out of peeling!
Citrus Reamer
Having a small handheld citrus reamer to get the most out of your juicing is a must. This little tool is small but mighty! It helps you extract as much citrus goodness as you can. This one is made of solid beech wood, so it doesn’t react to citrus fruits and is super durable! It truly makes getting that fresh lime for your guacamole or lemon for a homemade vinaigrette easy! We don’t want to waste a single drop.
Time Saving Meal Plan Tools
When I think of “time saving” I immediately think of meal prepping. Doing meal planning is one thing, but doing it efficiently is another! To help me on my Sunday meal prep day for the week, these tools are my go-to’s.
Clear containers
A good set of air-tight containers helps you see exactly what’s in the fridge and enables you to prep veggies ahead. Making it easy and convenient to eat fruits and vegetables means they are more likely to get eaten. They are also perfect for leftovers or meals to be taken on the go. I love to prep a few things on the weekend to make weeknights easier, like dicing up some onions to use in recipes throughout the week. It will save you time and dishes during the week and you will be thanking yourself big time! I prefer glass like these ones.
Beeswax wraps
I love using reusable, eco-friendly beeswax wraps to help cut down on my plastic use. They can be used as the lid to cover bowls or plates of food or to wrap fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, herbs, baked goods and other food products! Plus they typically come in fantastic colours and prints which brightens up my shelves. Added bonus is that they’re compostable and can be put into your compost, rather than a landfill, when you’re done! You can even get a discount for some beeswax wraps of your own, using code FRAÎCHE for 15% off from Goldilocks Wraps. For more sustainable tips you can see my guide here.
Fraîche Food, Full Hearts Cookbook
Sometimes inspiration is lacking (we’ve ALL been there) and I need to be reminding of some great recipes for my family and I. Whipping out my cookbook always does the trick! There’s great breakfast ideas, snacks, and some of my all-time favourite weekday dinners. Of course we have no lack of recipes on the blog too… and have something new up our sleeve that we can’t wait to share with you soon!
Fraîche At Home Meal Plan
Planning to ensure healthy meals for every day of the week can be….exhausting. Let us take the hassle and stress out of weekly meal planning with our Fraîche Meal Plan! Well-balanced weekday breakfast, lunch and dinners are completely planned out for you! Plus, your weekly grocery list is already done and your prep is all laid out throughout the week, which saves you loads of time. The meal plan was very carefully designed to use up the ingredients on your grocery list throughout the week to help reduce food waste as well. We have an exciting new platform on the horizon – so stay tuned!!
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