Budget friendly tools that help you save time in the kitchen? Yes please!
I’m a sucker for kitchen supplies. I love anything that’s going to make my life easier, save time, make something effortlessly, or give me less clean up time in the kitchen.
Let’s face it, the less time it takes to make dinner, clean up, and relax, the happier and stress-free we all are.
My usual daily schedule goes a lot like this. I wake up at 4:00am to get ready for work, which starts at 6:30am.
Commuting to work takes about an hour, I finish my 8-hour day and start heading home. Then, I pick up the kids from school, go home and start prepping dinner.
Then, in about 2 hours, I head out, either because one of my kids has an activity or I have to run errands.
Long story short, I’m a busy mom and I’m always looking for ways to cut down on the time I spend in the kitchen.
So, I went on a quest to find affordable, budget friendly tools that I can use in the kitchen to save me time and energy.
They’ve been lifesavers in my kitchen. I rely on them to help me get dinner on the table without a lot of fuss or unnecessary hard work.
These tools make my life easier while I’m cooking and many of them allow me to completely set and forget.
1. Crock-pot
Ask any of my friends and they will tell you how much I rave about this underrated kitchen appliance. It is the most wonderful tool for anyone who is too busy or too tired to cook.
This kitchen tool does a lot. It cooks your dinner, it saves on energy cost, it keeps your house cool during the summer months. But, arguably the best feature is that it cooks while you’re not home!
I love being able to set it in the morning (which takes about 5 minutes) and go to work knowing I don’t have to worry about dinner.
I come home to a delicious smelling house and I only have to spend 15-20 minutes makes a side dish and salad.
This tool was one of the best things I got when I first started learning how to cook. It’s basically fool proof, you just set it and leave it for hours to do it’s job.
It makes cooking easy.
2. Garlic Press
The kitchen tool is one I use at least 4 times per week. We cook with a lot of garlic, so having a tool that makes the job easy is such a big help.
And it makes clean up a breeze. The bottom piece comes undone so you can thoroughly wash it clean.
It’s also really affordable. It was about $5 and lasts for years.
The rubber grip handles make it ergonomically comfortable, so you can easily mince garlic and move on.
3. Wilton Cooling Grid
Before getting this kitchen helper, I’d always have to flip my meat in the oven half way through cooking time.
With this rack, the heat circulates above and below the meat. So, it saves me a step and actually cooks my meal faster, since both sides are getting browned at the same time.
It’s also easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
4. BLACK+DECKER Rice Cooker
I’ve had my rice cooker since I was married 16 years ago. And it still does the job well.
It’s a really affordable way to ensure that your rice comes out good.
When I first started cooking, rice was a really hard dish to master. It would either come out undercooked or soggy.
My rice cooker just did the job easier. I just have to add the rice, water, a little butter and salt and turn it on. It clicks off when it’s done and stays warm until you’re ready to eat.
It saves me several steps that I used to take when I cooked rice on the stovetop (boil the water, add the rice and seasoning, wait for it to boil again, cover and reduce the heat to low, let simmer for 15-20 minutes, etc.
A rice cooker eliminates all of the steps. It’s another set it and forget it tool. I can turn it on and walk away and the clicker lets me know when it’s done.
It’s definitely work the $20 purchase for a standard edition.
5. Silicone Spatulas
These are one of my favorite kitchen tools that I use daily.
I love that I can scrape every bit of food or batter from the sides of the bowl so it eliminates waste.
It’s also great for cooking on the stove top. It never gets hot to the touch and I’m able to move the food around better and have more even cooking.
It’s also super easy to clean up, since nothing sticks to it.
A little trick I use when I’m washing dishes is to use the spatula as my food scraper. It helps cut my dishwashing time, which is amazing.
6. Grease Splatter Guard
Anyone who fries needs one of these. I used to get splatter all over my arms and shirt. But, with this splatter guard, most of the grease stays in the pan.
That also means that it protects my stove top from a bunch of grease splatter. So, it cuts down on my kitchen cleaning time.
7. Kai Pure Komachi 6-Piece Knife Set
I’ve tried many knife sets, but these are my all-time favorite.
While I’m all about saving money and being frugal, a good quality knife set is definitely worth the money.
They’ll last longer, help you cook better, and you’ll save money by eating more at home.
Through the years they’ve stayed sharp and I’ve only had to sharpen them a few times per year.
I also love that they each have their own durable washable cover, to protect your fingers when they’re in the drawer.
The cheapest sharpening tool hack I’ve found to work is using the bottom of a ceramic mug. Works amazingly well and I don’t have to buy a knife sharpener that takes extra kitchen space.
I especially like these knives because they have a rubbery grip that makes using them super easy, you’ll feel like a pro.
8. Black & Decker Electric Food chopper
I have a full size chopper that I only use for bigger jobs. But, I use my mini chopper for my day-to-day kitchen jobs.
I can chop one medium onion with ease. I use it for salsa, chopping herbs, and anything else that I don’t want to chop by hand.
I love that it fits in a small cupboard when not used and it chops everything really fast.
It’s dishwasher safe and I have never needed to sharpen the blades since I got it 8 years ago.
9. Non-Stick Copper Titanium Square Pan
This pan is another time-saver and it cooks all your dishes evenly and with no additional fat.
I love how quickly it cooks the food and everything comes out evenly brown and delicious. It’s non-stick so you don’t have to add any oil or butter to get a good sear.
It also save time during cleanup.
10. Cosori Electric Tea Kettle
My husband got this for me for Mother’s day. I absolutely love it.
It’s easy to use, boils water fast, and looks beautiful.
It’s also much easier to clean than a traditional tea kettle. It’s clear glass and is dishwasher safe, although I find myself cleaning it in less than a minute or two.
You know when your tea pot starts to have scaling ? You know, that gross while stuff that is stuck to the bottom of the pot because of the hard water?
All I do is add about 1/2 cup of vinegar and 2 cups of water and let it boil in the kettle. It comes out clean and brand new again.
Just make sure to boil clean water a few times after the vinegar so you don’t have that vinegar-y smell.
As busy moms, we need kitchen tools that make our lives easier. I want to be able to cook more dinner at home for my family, so these kitchen tools make it easier for me. They also save me a ton of time during the cooking time and clean up.
What kitchen tools help you the most?
One Response
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