Getting takeout or food delivered may feel like a time saver, but ask yourself this: How much time are you really saving if you’re working eight to ten hours a day just to pay rent and feed yourself, especially with restaurant food being pricier than ever?
Like many city dwellers, I often resorted to getting takeout or food delivery most nights of the week because I felt like I was too busy to cook. But living in a city where a small order of cauliflower wings could cost $25, doing so made it very hard to save money for a rainy day.
So, I decided to do something about it and get into meal prepping. Now the extra money I save is like an amazing reward at the end of every month. And thanks to the many fast, easy and delicious recipes I found on Instagram (or via a meal-planning app), I still feel like I can enjoy chef-prepared dishes.
The other upside to prepping my meals for the week is that I don’t have to think about what to eat for lunch or dinner. I already have different options packed and ready to be heated, and this is a huge time saver on hectic days.
I get it. When you haven’t had a lot of practice cooking, there’s a tendency to think that meal prepping is hard, time-consuming and stressful, particularly when you’re making two to three different things in large quantities (e.g., if you’re making for a family of four or more).
But here’s the secret: With the right tools, it doesn’t have to be. After honing my meal-prep experience over several years, I decided to put together a list of the kitchen tools and accessories you need to make your own meal-prepping journey effortless and leisurely. They will make such a huge difference, you’ll never want to order takeout again.
Every product in this article has been thoroughly tested and vetted by yours truly. Many are items I’ve used and relied on for years. Others, however, are newer releases, so I spent about a month — over the holidays and in the first couple of weeks of 2025 — testing them by cooking holiday dinners for family and preparing my weekly meals. Others, like the bakeware, the Dutch oven and the measuring tools, I also used to start on a new bread-making journey.
Make slicing and dicing quick and nick-free
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.
One of the most viral kitchen tools of 2024, the mandoline slicer is a simple yet nifty tool with so many applications. This one from Oxo has three thickness settings, a safety holder and a safety lock to minimize accidental nicks and slices. It’s also very beginner-friendly.
My biggest issue with food choppers is that they’re not the easiest to use and clean, but this battery-powered chopper from KitchenAid changes that. Cleaning it is easy, and you don’t have to deal with a power cord. Its 24-hour battery life also means you don’t have to charge it often.
Bigger portions require a larger-capacity, higher-powered food processor, and this one from Cuisinart will see you through your meal prep needs for the whole family. Thanks to the two additional blade disks included in the box, it can shred, slice, chop and grind pretty much any ingredient.
I love finely grated Parmesan cheese, but I hate grating it by hand. This viral cheese grater saves me so much time and effort, as it lets me grate smaller blocks of cheese quicker and with less arm strength. It also suctions onto flat surfaces for stability.
I’ve tested many solid cutting boards, but this one is a great wood option for beginners in the kitchen because it’s robust and fairly affordable for its price. I appreciate its large surface area, which gives you a lot of chopping space, and its deep juice groove helps keep things neat.
I’ve gone through so many knife sets over the years and learned it’s better to invest in a higher-quality set than a cheaply made one. I love this 10-piece set from Schmidt Bros because they’re very sharp, solidly made and easy to handle. Plus, they’re affordable.
Measure and mix effortlessly
Eyeballing ingredients is one of my favorite things about cooking, and having the ability to do that is why I generally prefer cooking over baking. However, following recipes closely and measuring things can make the process less intimidating to the uninitiated, and that’s how you should start on your meal-prep journey if you don’t have that much experience in the kitchen.
Although measuring and mixing isn’t as tedious as chopping, I still recommend getting the right tools. Don’t use your regular spoons or coffee cups for your spices, flours and creams, as that could ruin the taste of whatever you’re making. Invest in measuring cups and spoon sets that are easy to use and easier to clean. I love Oxo’s measuring cups and spoons set, for example, because the liquid cups have measurement markings that face up so you won’t have to bend down to check if you have the right amount while the rest magnetically snap to one another so they’re easier to store. I also like the handles on All-Clad’s measuring cup set for dry ingredients.
I also highly recommend getting a set of small glass bowls like the ones from Xanllaxa. They might seem unnecessary, but they’re much more helpful than you think. Getting your ingredients measured and ready to go drastically reduces any stress you might experience when cooking. You can use your regular bowls if you want, but these are easier to clean.
One important note is that I usually avoid glass mixing bowls for my meal prep. Don’t get me wrong, I love using them but find them too heavy, especially when I need to store one in the fridge overnight. So, I don’t often use them unless I’m baking bread. Instead, I use plastic and stainless steel mixing bowls like this All-Clad set that’s high quality and easy to clean. And when I need to marinate overnight, I love using the super-cheap nesting set from Thyme & Table, as each bowl comes with a lid.
I’ve lost so many measuring spoons and dry measuring cups over the years, so I love that these from Oxo attach magnetically to one another, which also makes them easy to store. Meanwhile, the liquid measuring cups have convenient top-facing measurement markings.
Glass mixing bowls are great, but stainless steel ones tend to be lighter and are not prone to accidental breakage. I love these from All-Clad, which come with big tab handles that are useful when you need to get a good hold when mixing. They’re also very easy to clean and store.
When you need to marinate meats overnight, it’s much easier to use a mixing bowl that comes with a lid since there’s no need to transfer or use cling wrap. This nesting set from Thyme & Table is a great option. Plus, it’s also surprisingly cheap with its under-$20 price tag.
You can use regular bowls to organize ingredients before cooking, or you can invest in these tiny yet helpful glass bowls that are much easier to wash. This set comes with 20 pieces, which is more than enough for separating and prepping your ingredients before cooking.
These dry measuring cups from All-Clad may be more expensive, but I love their sleek tab handles and premium stainless steel design. They’re a great companion to the All-Clad mixing bowl set.
Stress less when cooking
Once you’ve got all your ingredients chopped, measured and mixed, it’s time to cook! Relax and enjoy it; this is the easy part, especially when you’ve got the right appliances and cookware in your arsenal.
The most obvious choice for fast, easy cooking is an air fryer, which cooks food with much less oil. Because these kitchen appliances are so popular, you have plenty of great options to choose from based on your budget. If you want to save even more time, though, I recommend getting the two-basket, dual-zone cooking one from Ninja that lets you cook two different dishes simultaneously. It even has the option to synchronize the finish times, which is handy when hosting a dinner party with friends.
However, it does take up space on the kitchen counter, so if your kitchen is as small as mine, you might like a model with a smaller footprint. I love the Ninja Crispi air fryer system for that reason. This portable air fryer system is very handy, thanks to its stackable, portable design so you can easily put it away. It also comes with two glass bowls that function as air fryer baskets and food containers, meaning fewer things for you to wash.
Of course, you can’t only rely on air fryers, so I also recommend investing in top-quality pots and pans. I like the Hexclad line, as its pots and pans heat faster and are less prone to scratches than others I’ve tried. I use its 8-quart stock pot for cooking pasta and hearty stews. I’m also obsessed with the large-capacity 6.75-quart oval Dutch oven from Le Creuset, as it’s extremely versatile — you can cook a lot in it, from stews to bread — and cooks food evenly, producing better results.
A robust set of spoons like the wooden ones from WoodenHouse will also come in handy, as will a meat thermometer so you don’t undercook or overcook your meats and an electric grinder set that should help control the amount of salt and pepper you’re putting in your dishes. To prevent injuries to your hands, dump your old fabric pot holders and invest in silicone ones like the Gorilla Grip oven mitts I use, as they have superior heat resistance.
Don’t forget to utilize your oven as well. I love roasting veggies and meats in mine, as the cooking process requires less involvement from me. Just ensure you buy quality bakeware like this set from Caraway, which is nonstick, easy to clean and cooks evenly.
Smaller kitchens like mine require more portable kitchen appliance solutions. That’s what I love most about the Ninja Crispi air fryer system. Besides its impressive cooking performance, it has two different-sized baskets that moonlight as storage containers and can be taken apart for easy stowing or transport.
One of the downsides to non-oven air fryers is that they’re limited by their basket size, which means you have to wait to cook another batch or another dish. You don’t have to do it with this one, as it comes with two baskets that can cook two different dishes simultaneously. What I love most about it, though, is that I can program it so both dishes finish at the same time. It comes in several capacities too.
You don’t have to wait long for this pot to heat up as it cooks quickly and evenly. Hexclad pots and pans may be pricier, but they’re superior in cooking performance, even to rivals at the same price point. Plus, they can take a lot of abuse and still come out looking like new. I love these pots so much I have three of them.
Dutch ovens are pricey but worth the investment, as they are versatile pots you can use for a slew of dishes and even baking bread. I love this bigger oval one from Le Creuset that lets me make bigger meal portions for dinner and holiday parties. And it comes in several different colors.
In terms of kitchen brands, Caraway is surely considered premium. However, its bakeware set, which comes with all the essentials you need for cooking and baking (including storage organizers), is proof that you’re also getting excellent quality. The pans and sheets in this set are high quality, ceramic-coated and fantastic at baking evenly. This set comes in full and half sets.
Though it may seem like you don’t need to invest in good-quality cooking utensils, trust me when I say that flimsy ones only get in your way. Get something like this wooden spoon set instead; the spoons are well-made, robust and lightweight, so they’re easy to use for cooking.
One of the hardest parts about cooking meat, if you’re a beginner, is not knowing whether it’s cooked well enough to be safe for consumption, so I recommend getting an affordable digital thermometer like this one from CDN. It just takes the guesswork out of it, which helps you produce better results.
I used the same fabric pot holders and mitts for years until my friends turned me into the silicone ones, which are much better at heat resistance and protecting your hands. I love these from Gorilla Grip, as they’re much more flexible and allow more movement.
Who hasn’t accidentally poured more salt or pepper than they were supposed to in their pot because of some flimsy lid? I love using these when I don’t need to measure the amount of salt or pepper I’m adding or just want to add a little extra to my dish.
Make your ingredients last longer
The longer you’ve been doing meal prepping, the more you realize you can save even more by making dishes that use many of the same ingredients. Herbs are a great example here. I’m not the only one who ends up with soggy leftover herbs at the bottom of their fridge drawer, but I found that if I choose dishes that use the same herbs, I’m maximizing my grocery haul.
Using the right storage bags can also make a difference. I’ve always used disposable zip-close bags to store my leftover produce and freezer items, but I’ve since switched to these silicone storage bags from Stasher. They’re easier to clean and work wonders at keeping food fresh longer. These bags are what I use now to store my meats in the freezer and my herbs in the fridge.
I also recommend getting airtight storage containers for pantry items like flour, sugars or cereals. They help keep these items fresher longer, keep your pantry organized and give you easier access to your ingredients. Be careful, though, as there are many of these at Amazon and only a handful truly deliver on the airtight promise. I recommend grabbing this set from Bentgo; they are the best among the ones I’ve tried over the years.
The difference in the freshness of food I store in these Stasher bags compared to regular disposable zip-close bags is massive, whether it’s the meat I put in the freezer or leftover herbs I stash in the crisper. These are expensive, but they’ll save you money in the long run by reducing the amount of food you have to throw away.
I’ve tried so many “airtight” food storage containers over the years, and Bentgo is the only one of them that’s truly delivered on that promise. I love using these containers to keep my pantry ingredients fresh, dry and easily accessible.
Prep your meals so they’re ready to go
So, you’ve successfully made your dishes for the week, and they look great and taste even better. What next? Well, now comes the easy part. Give your dishes some time to cool, then it’s time to distribute them in grab-and-go meal-prep containers that you can easily store and organize in your fridge.
For full “multicourse” meals, I love using these unbelievably affordable bento boxes from Bentgo that come with three compartments so there’s space for a main, a side and a dessert. For single-course meals, I love the collapsible ones from Stojo, which are extremely tough. Both options are easy to stack and store when they’re not in use, and more importantly, they’re also dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
And when that’s completed, pat yourself on the back for a job well done, maybe do a victory lap to show off your delicious concoctions and give yourself some well-deserved pampering. You and your family will eat well for the entire week while also saving money. Now you deserve a treat.
I love bento boxes because they let me separate meal items into different compartments, but they’re usually expensive. Not these Bentgo boxes, though. Plus, they’re sturdy and reliable.
If you’d rather have a one-compartment meal container, I recommend getting these from Stojo. They’re a touch expensive, but they are made of premium food-grade silicone, spillproof and collapsible, making them easy to store in your purse when empty.
Make breakfast quick and easy
Like most people, mornings are the most hectic time for me, so I usually only have enough time to enjoy a cup of coffee before heading to work. There’s no reason not to prep your breakfasts, though.
You might not have time to make eggs and bacon, but you’ll have time to meal prep your smoothies the night before. If you have something like the Beast blender system, which comes with three portable containers and lids, you can prep your smoothie ingredients the night before in the containers, quickly blend them in the morning and enjoy your breakfast smoothie on your commute to work.
Most viral products on social media aren’t worth the hype, but this blender system from Beast is one of the few exceptions. The motor is powerful, the design is sleek and beautiful, and the included containers and lids make it extremely adaptible. It’s great for making soups and pasta sauces as well.
Why trust CNN Underscored
CNN Underscored editors thoroughly test all the products we cover and provide full transparency about how we test them. We have a skilled team of writers and editors with many years of testing experience and ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when relevant to make certain we are testing each product accurately and speaking about the pros and cons of each item.
Testing writer Michelle Rae Uy has been testing and writing home and kitchen appliances and tools for years, even before she joined CNN Underscored’s testing team. She’s also been meal prepping for years, spending many Sunday mornings cooking two to three dishes at a time to give her a variety of meals to choose from throughout the week.
Michelle Rae Uy is a writer for CNN Underscored. She handles product testing and best-of updates across multiple verticals. An experienced and passionate traveler based in Los Angeles, she dreams of running her own animal sanctuary and traveling to space one day.
