I’m saving more money in 2025 by meal prepping. Here’s everything I use to do it
Mastering the art of slicing and dicing can be fun and satisfying, but I can’t deny it’s probably the most tiresome part of cooking. It’s even more so if your recipe has an extensive list of ingredients. Luckily, there are tools you can invest in that will save you time as well as painful nicks on your fingers.
One such tool is the mandoline slicer, like this one from Oxo. It may have gone viral recently for slicing the perfect cucumber rounds for cucumber salads, but it’s niftier than that. I love utilizing it to make caramelized onion or potatoes au gratin because it makes the process easier and faster.
For my fine-chopping needs, however, I found the KitchenAid food chopper to be a major time saver, shortening my chopping time from minutes to seconds. The best part is that it runs on a rechargeable battery, which lasts up to 24 minutes of continuous run time, so I don’t have to deal with a power cord every time I use it.
As much as I love finely grated parmesan for my pasta meals, grating parmesan cheese by hand takes time and effort, and I’d rather save that arm workout for special occasions. So, for my daily meals, I’ve started using this rotary cheese grater for the blocks of cheese I get at Costco. I don’t have a lot of faith in what TikTok tells me to buy, but this viral tool is truly worth the hype.
Alternatively, you can invest in a bigger food processor like Cuisinart’s 14-cup model, which comes in handy when meal prepping for the whole family. Its powerful motor and large-capacity container allow you to chop larger amounts of produce while its blade and disks offer versatility. I’ve used this one for pretty much everything, including shredding cheese, and it’s truly worth its higher price tag.
If you prefer to go the traditional route, however, there are still ways to save time. I recommend getting a large, high-quality cutting board, preferably one with a juice groove so you have more surface to work on and the cleanup is easier. Pair that with a sharp set of knives — I love the Schmidt Bros’ 10-piece set — that is solid, handles well and can slice through meats and veggies easily. Trust me; even something as simple as upgrading your chopping board and knives can save you time and effort.
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