I’m an enormous fan of meal prepping. By cooking meals prematurely, it makes it a lot simpler to eat wholesome all through the week, even once you’re pressed for time. It may well additionally assist prevent cash, particularly in the event you get takeout continuously, and guarantee much less meals goes to waste in your kitchen. Plus, with the appropriate meal prep necessities — and my free weekly meal plans — it’s simple to prepare dinner a variety of wholesome recipes prematurely.
I’ve been meal prepping for years, and there are a number of instruments I all the time attain for to make the duty quicker and simpler. I’ve listed 12 of my must-have meal prep necessities beneath, together with my favourite meal prep containers, must-have freezer trays, the very best meals scale, and a number of other different useful instruments that make cooking a breeze.
My Prime Picks
- Finest Meal Prep Containers: Ello Glass Meal Prep Container Set – $31.22 at Walmart
- Finest Meals Scale: OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Meals Scale – $55.95 at Amazon
- Finest Freezer Trays: Souper Cubes – $34.99 at Amazon
- Finest Salad Dressing Containers: Salad Dressing Containers – $12.99 at Amazon
- Finest Vegetable Chopper: OXO Good Grips Vegetable and Onion Chopper – $22.95 at Amazon
Evaluations of Meal Prep Necessities
1. Finest Meal Prep Containers: Ello Glass Meal Prep Container Set
In case you’re going to prepare dinner meals prematurely, the meal prep containers are important. I’ve tried out a number of choices through the years, and my present favourite are the Ello Glass Meal Prep Containers, which are available in a set of 5. They’re made out of sturdy glass with colourful silicone sleeves to guard the fabric, and the lids are hermetic and leak-proof, making it doable to take your meal on the go if wanted. Plus, the entire thing can go proper within the dishwasher for simple cleansing.
Nonetheless, in the event you choose to maintain the components of your meal separate, you would possibly like these 3-compartment containers from Bentgo. They’re cheap and are available in a set of 10, and the BPA-free plastic may be put within the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safely. The containers have one giant compartment to your fundamental dish, in addition to two smaller sections the place you possibly can put sides, snacks, or dressings.
For normal meals storage, I additionally love this glass container set from Pyrex. It comes with 9 completely different class containers of various sizes which might be nice for saving leftovers and can be utilized to prep completely different parts to your meals for the week. Plus, the colourful lids are freezer, microwave, and top-rack dishwasher protected.
Purchase the Ello Glass Meal Prep Container Set:
Purchase the Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Meal-Prep Containers:
Purchase the Pyrex Meal Prep Merely Retailer Glass Rectangular and Spherical Meals Container Set:
2. Finest Meals Scale: OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Meals Scale
It may be difficult to eyeball equal parts once you’re meal prepping, so I all the time wish to have my kitchen scale close by to ensure each container will get the identical quantity of meals. I personally love the OXO Good Grips Meals Scale, which has a big measuring plate and easy-to-read show. It may well measure in ounces, kilos, grams, or kilograms, and the show really pulls away from the bottom to make it simpler to learn in the event you’re measuring into an enormous bowl or container.
3. Finest Freezer Trays: Souper Cubes
At any time when I make certainly one of my soup recipes or a bunch of rice, I like to save lots of the leftovers utilizing my Souper Cubes. These silicone trays are extremely helpful—they’ve pre-portioned trays that maintain a single cup of meals, and you may put the entire tray proper into the freezer. The lids are sturdy plastic, permitting them to be stacked on prime of one another, and once you wish to take a serving out, the versatile silicone makes it simple to come out the frozen meals and reheat it.
4. Finest Salad Dressing Containers: VITEVER Salad Dressing Containers
Salads are a fast and simple meal to make prematurely, however I don’t suggest placing on the dressing, as it might probably make the components mushy. As an alternative, I wish to hold the dressing separate, and these cute salad dressing containers are the right measurement. They’re made out of dishwasher-safe stainless-steel with silicone caps, they usually every maintain round 2.4 ounces. You’ll be able to simply tuck the little cups into your meal prep containers, they usually’re additionally nice for condiments like mayonnaise or ketchup.
5. Finest Vegetable Chopper: Cuisinart Core Customized 4-Cup Mini Chopper
Some meal prep recipes, reminiscent of my Rainbow Quinoa Salad, require fairly a little bit of chopping, and if you wish to velocity up the method, the Cuisinart Core Customized 4-Cup Mini Chopper is a useful instrument to have within the kitchen. As an alternative of dicing the components along with your chef’s knife, you possibly can merely place them inside this small meals processor and whirl away for completely sized items. It’s a must have instrument to save lots of time in the event you like making chopped salads, sauces, salsa, or any dishes with loads of chopped greens.
6. Finest In a single day Oats Containers: Ball Common Mouth Mason Jars
I like making Cinnamon-Raisin In a single day Oats or Apple Pie In a single day Oats for a simple, high-fiber breakfast on busy mornings, and Ball Mason Jars are good for portioning out single servings. These cheap jars, which are available in a pack of two, maintain 8 ounces every—excellent for one breakfast—and include screw-on lids that create a leak-proof seal. Additionally they can be utilized for different meal prep recipes, like my Watermelon Feta Arugula Salad.
I additionally like utilizing these thicker plastic lids for my mason jars as a substitute of the lids they arrive with. Not solely do I really feel that they’re extra sturdy, however in addition they look tremendous fairly!
7. Finest Storage Baggage: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag
In case you like to cut up veggies prematurely or portion out snacks to seize and go, Stasher’s silicone storage baggage are an excellent different to single-use plastic baggage. They’re made out of a thick layer of silicone that is available in a rainbow of colours, they usually kind a good, leak-free seal to maintain the contents from dripping into your lunch field. One of the best half is the baggage are dishwasher-safe, so you possibly can simply wash them and reuse them each week.
8. Finest Muffin Pan: Wilton Recipe Proper Muffin Pan
Muffin pans may not appear to be a meal prep important, however they’re really fairly versatile. I exploit them to make handy single servings of recipes like Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups, Loaded Egg Muffins, and Mini Quiche, all of that are easy, wholesome breakfast choices for busy mornings. In case you don’t have already got a muffin pan, I like this set from Wilton, which incorporates two pans and has a nonstick end that ensures your meals comes out simply. Every of the trays holds six muffins, which is nice once you don’t have to make a full dozen.
9. Finest Salad Spinner: OXO Good Grips Massive Salad Spinner
I like to clean my lettuce after chopping it up, and the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner can deal with giant portions — best in the event you’re prepping salad for the entire week. The bowl can maintain greater than 6 quarts (roughly 24 cups), and it’s simple to function due to its non-slip backside and huge pump button. It has a brake that can cease the interior bowl from spinning immediately, and the lid comes aside so you possibly can clear it simply. The outer bowl can even double as a salad bowl!
10. Finest Stress Cooker: Immediate Pot Duo 7-in-1
A few of my favourite meal prep recipes, reminiscent of Baked Oatmeal Bars and Rooster Noodle Soup, may be made in an Immediate Pot. These versatile stress cookers are in a position to prepare dinner recipes tremendous quick in comparison with different cooking strategies. It’s additionally purposeful and has different cooking features, together with a gradual cooker, rice maker, steamer, and extra. The Immediate Pot Duo has a 6-quart capability that may put together as much as six servings directly, and I nonetheless use mine on a weekly foundation, which makes it completely price it..
11. Finest Egg Cooker: Sprint Fast Egg Cooker
Laborious-boiled eggs are supply of protein once you’re meal prepping, and I wish to eat them for breakfast, add them to my salads, or use them to make Egg Salad. There are a number of methods you could make boiled eggs, however the Sprint Egg Cooker is without doubt one of the quicker and best choices. This cute little equipment holds as much as six eggs at a time, and it’ll prepare dinner them to smooth, medium, or laborious boiled firmness in just some minutes. It may well additionally make different sorts of eggs, together with scrambled, poached, and even omelets.
12. Finest Mixing Bowls: Pyrex Sensible Necessities Mixing Bowl Set
If you wish to put together large batches of meals to retailer within the fridge, these mixing bowls have tight-fitting lids. The goass are available in a set of 4 that nest collectively, they usually vary in measurement from 1-quart to 4-quart. The lids and bowls are colour coordinated, so you possibly can all the time discover the appropriate one, and I like that the containers are see-through, so you already know what’s inside. Plus, each the bowls and lids may be put within the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher.
13. Finest Sheet Pans: Nordic Ware 3 Piece Baker’s Delight Set
Bulk roasting greens at first of the week is tremendous useful for meal prepping. Afterward, you possibly can retailer them in containers and add them to grain bowls or salads for fast wholesome meals. I like this set from Nordic Ware, which comes with 1 / 4 sheet, jelly roll, and half sheet pan, and the number of sizes may be useful for various parts.
Why You Can Belief Me
I’m Gina, the creator and recipe developer behind Skinnytaste, which is devoted to sharing wholesome, family-friendly recipes made with seasonal, clear, entire meals. Along with posting my newest recipes, I additionally publish free weekly 7-day meal plans that can assist you to plan forward and make scrumptious recipes for your loved ones, together with choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Whereas you can also make the meals as you go, the plans are additionally good for meal prepping — particularly you probably have a busy week arising.
I put collectively this record of meal prep necessities utilizing my very own experiences. Lots of the merchandise are ones that I exploit in my very own kitchen, and I like that they make meal prepping quicker, simpler, and extra handy. The gadgets I haven’t personally examined are highly-rated choices that come beneficial by different cooking professionals and 1000’s of critiques.
Costs have been correct at time of publication.
