The Best Kitchen Gadgets That Will Make Weeknight Dinners so Much Easier.
Cooking can be a creative expression, a way to show affection, and a way to take control of your health. But it can also be stressful and time-consuming, especially on a weeknight when you’re tired after a long day at work and need to feed a hungry family (or just yourself). Ordering takeout is always tempting, but it’s expensive and can negatively impact your figure.
You may already have some of the most obvious and tried-and-true time-saving gadgets in the kitchen, but you can always save a few more minutes and hassle during evening cooking. These kitchen gadgets will make weeknight dinner prep easier, no matter what menu you’re planning.
Overhead strainers will prevent pasta from spilling into the sink.
If you’ve ever had a weeknight dinner go awry because a pot of pasta accidentally spilled into the sink while straining, know that slip-on strainers exist. Simply place one over the pot, and you can easily strain the water without worrying about spilling it (or getting a fourth-degree burn from the pasta water). These strainers are flexible and will fit almost any pot or pan you need to strain water from.
An automatic pot stirrer will stir the contents while you do other things.
Cooking is often a series of boring, monotonous tasks, and sometimes these tasks need to be done simultaneously—so why not at least delegate all that stirring ? This battery-powered device does exactly what it says: you place it in your pot or pan, press a button, and it stirs everything while you do your own thing (or chop vegetables).
Super cubes will help you better measure out portions of food to freeze for later.
Here’s a mistake I constantly make when preparing sauces, broths, or soups for future dinners: I forget to portion them before putting them in the freezer. When it’s time to cook a weeknight dinner, I end up with a lot of prepared sauce—or rather, too much —and I either defrost it all and throw some away, or try to cut off a piece. To the rescue: soup cubes . They’re like ice cube trays, but for food, and they make it easy to freeze precise amounts of cooked or leftover food.
Oven guards keep your hands away from hot grates.
Anyone who cooks regularly has minor wounds and scars to prove it—including burns from hastily removing food from a hot oven. Oven safety racks allow you to safely remove baking sheets from a crowded oven, even if you’re reaching for the bottom rack or grabbing something that’s slipped to the back.
A self-mixer allows you to delegate most of the food preparation work to others.
If an automatic stirrer is cool, then a stovetop that stirs food automatically is even cooler. If your goal is to cook dinner every night while doing other things, then this is the kitchen appliance for you. It can cook a wide variety of dishes practically on its own and stirs them automatically. Just add your ingredients, set the parameters, and walk away.
Automatic can opener saves time and effort.
Cooking from canned goods is nothing to be ashamed of, but opening all those cans can be a tedious chore, taking time away from other culinary tasks. An automatic can opener comes to the rescue—simply attach it to the can, press the button, and let it do the work while you focus on something more productive.
A heating mat will help you stay warm.
If you’re planning a multi-course dinner, you know what it’s like to be pressed for time when one dish is ready long before the others. Serving cold side dishes or sauces is no fun, so a warming mat is the solution. Simply place the finished dishes on it and continue cooking the rest, and everything will be piping hot by the time you sit down.
A frying pan with dividers allows you to cook several dishes at the same time.
We’ve all been in this situation: you need to fry several different dishes, but only have one frying pan. The choice is yours: either frantically cook and put aside each serving, or invest in a separate nonstick frying pan , which will allow you to cook several dishes at once, speed up the dinner preparation process, and ensure everything arrives hot and ready.
The Thow Claw defrosting device can speed up the defrosting process.
If you, like me, constantly forget to plan ahead when defrosting frozen food, you’re familiar with the challenge of speeding up the process. Submerging frozen meat in cold water is a proven way to speed up defrosting, as long as your frozen food doesn’t float to the surface. To the rescue comes the Thaw Claw —a simple device that attaches frozen food to the bottom of a sink or bowl, allowing it to defrost faster and more efficiently.
Digital measuring spoons save you time on measuring.
Saving time when preparing dinner is all about accumulating small successes. The time spent weighing and measuring all the ingredients for your dish adds up, so a digital measuring spoon can make this process faster and more efficient, as you don’t have to put anything on the scale, adjust the readings, and then use a separate tool to transfer it to pots and pans. Simply measure as needed and keep going.
Fry Away makes it easy to dispose of oil or fat.
Cleaning up after cooking any midweek dinner is time-consuming and tiring, and if you’re tired before you start cooking, you’ll still be tired afterward. So simplify cleanup with Fry Away , which makes disposing of grease and oil much easier: add a little to hot oil or fat, let it cool, then skim off the resulting mess and throw it in the trash. Don’t want a jar of old oil sitting on your counter (or call a plumber to unclog your pipes if you’re too lazy to keep a jar of old oil on the counter) or need to clean a greasy frying pan? This is the solution for you.