Dining at home can be a great way to save money and eat healthily. The cost of eating out has increased significantly in recent years, making it important to find ways to cook at home more often. However, the convenience of take-out meals can sometimes be hard to resist, especially for busy families. Fortunately, there are many smart kitchen appliances available today that can help you get dinner on the table quickly, even on busy nights. Here are five kitchen appliances that can make meal prep faster and easier.
A slow cooker can be a great tool for preparing meals in advance. By using a programmable slow cooker, you can start dinner in the morning and have it ready when you get home. Some slow cookers even have a defrost function to safely defrost and cook meat according to food safety guidelines. Pressure cookers are another great option for speeding up meal prep. By using pressure and steam, pressure cookers can cut cooking times in half for certain dishes. Popular options include the Instant Pot Rio and the Breville Fast Slow Pro Multi-Function Cooker.
Air fryers are a convenient tool for reducing the amount of oil used in cooking and are more convenient to use than an oven. The Instant Vortex air fryer offers six customizable programs for easy one-touch meals, while the Typhur Dome is a versatile 10-in-1 appliance that is self-cleaning and can be monitored and adjusted from your phone. Food processors can also save time by cutting down on prep work. The Cuisinart custom 14-cup processor is powerful and has a large feed tube for whole fruits and vegetables, while the Cuisinart mini chopper is perfect for smaller jobs.
Immersion blenders are another time-saving tool that can help streamline meal prep. With no need to transfer ingredients to a blender or dirty extra dishes, immersion blenders are great for individual blending jobs. The KitchenAid immersion blender comes with a three-cup blending jar with a lid, while the Hamilton Beach two-speed immersion blender includes a wand and whisk. By incorporating these kitchen appliances into your meal prep routine, you can make dinner time faster and easier, allowing you to save money and eat healthily at home.