Looking to free up some time in the kitchen? Check out these 6 Time Saving Kitchen Essentials to streamline simple kitchen tasks!
These days, I’m pretty sure I’ll do just about anything to find just five extra minutes in my day. Having two kids in 2 years means my hand are often pretty full – literally. The amount of things I can do with a baby on each hip is pretty impressive, not gonna lie.
The bulk of my time (other than wrangling 2 little boys) is spent in our kitchen – cooking, prepping, cleaning – so I;m always searching for ways to shave my time there. That’s how I discovered some of my favorite time saving kitchen essentials. My time saving kitchen essentials are simple items that everyone should have in their kitchen
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5 Time Saving Kitchen Essentials
Box Grater. Seriously, this is probably my favorite kitchen tool. Oh, you thought that a grater was just for cheese? Nope. Do you hate chopping garlic as much as I do? It’s the bane of my existence. Peel your garlic cloves and then grate them all the way down – if needed, run your knife through it once or twice. Box graters are also perfect for zesting citrus fruit, grating ginger, making coleslaw, or even makeshift zoodles – grate a zucchini lengthwise to create the longest strips/noodles possible.
Mason Jars. Mason jars are kind of a catch all in our house – we use them for everything. Use them to save time in a bunch of different ways – leftover containers that you’ll never have to search for matching tops and are microwavable, pickling, storing loose essentials like sugar or flour, or my favorite – salad dressing! Pour seasoning, vinegar, and oil of choice and shake like crazy. I’ve also made whipped cream in one once, if you’re looking for an arm workout 😉
Food Processor. While this is obviously a larger piece of equipment, there is SO MUCH you can do with a food processor – use it to quickly and easily make pie crusts, energy bites, pestos, mayonnaise, nut butters.. not to mention, with certain blades and feeders, it can save your arm and some time in your slicing, dicing, and grating. (and maybe a finger or two, if you’re using an unguarded mandolin.)
Kitchen Shears. I use my kitchen shears at least once a day, no lie. When kept sharp and in your knife block or drawer, you won’t be searching for a pair of scissors of hurting yourself by cutting open a package of bacon with a knife. My favorite use, though, is chopped salads! Check out this post to see my favorite chopped salad, (I also really love this one!) but basically, toss everything you want in your salad into a big bowl and go at it – a salad you can make with a baby on your hip.
Scrub Brush and/or Straw Cleaner. Instead of spending stupid amounts of time scrubbing cups and straws with a sponge and who knows what (no lie, I have cleaned a straw with a cotton ball, q-tips, and a pencil.) invest in a scrub brush and straw cleaners – seriously such a time saver when you don’t have a dishwasher!
So tell me – what are your time-saving essentials for the kitchen? Am I missing your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
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Heather @ Polyglot Jot says
Good picks! I love mason jars–I just recently got in to them. They’re so versatile! I love my garlic press, mixing bowl with spout for pouring built in, and parchment paper for easier clean up!
Kristy from Southern In Law says
Yes yes yes to all of these – but add in baking paper/parchment paper – totally saves on scrubbing baking sheets!
Dara says
I second the parchment paper! It is great when making pizza-no impossible to clean burnt cheese on the pan!
Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says
Yes to these! I use my straw brush for my spiralizer, too. The blades freak me out, and the brush cleans without me having to cut myself. 😛 (And I echo Kristy’s love of parchment paper. That and/or foil are clean-up lifesavers!).
Leigh Powell Hines says
Thanks for linking up with the Small Victories link up. I have all of your list except the mason jars. That was an interesting tip. Thank you.
Leslie says
I really should use my box grater and food processor more often! Mason jars are definitely a go-to around here. I use them almost daily. If I were to add anything, it would be a proper-sized santoku knife. The right size will be different for everyone, but it can replace most other knives, which cuts down on the number of times you need to switch knives, and also on dishwashing time.
Jenna @ A Savory Feast says
What a smart idea to use your grater for garlic and more. I need to do that! I totally agree with the food processor, too. It’s great for sooo many things.
Kate says
I would have to say that my kitchen essentials include tupperware, my crock pot, scissors and definitely my keurig! I never thought to use my grater for garlic so I’d now have to add that to my list as well. 😀
Thanks for partying with us at the Merry Monday link party!
We hope to see you again next week!
Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com
Kendall says
Love this list! I need a box grater, though I guess I’ve been doing pretty well with the one hand grater I have. I really love using our food processor for different things, too. It also make sit easier for Monkey Boy to help out in the kitchen at times. He loves to press the button(s) and watch the food change! 🙂
Kelsey Rowe says
I love this list. I think I would have to add slow-cooker to mine though. We use mason jars to store almost every dry good in our pantry – no worries about little bugs in your flour that way! I struggle with my box grater sometimes – which one do you use that you like so much?
Sandra Garth says
A few months ago I thought I couldn’t manage my kitchen without a new box grater. Haven’t touched it since I bought it. Thanks for reminding me how useful it is!
Robin says
Great picks, especially the mason jars, I don’t think I could survive without them. Thank you for sharing at the Creative Muster Party. PINNED!
Erin @ Stay at Home Yogi says
I Iove to bake cookies and finally getting a kitchen aid stand mixer seriously changed my life! I used to mix everything by hand and really didn’t mind, but OMG, the time I save using the kitchen aid is amazing!
swathi says
very useful post thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop.