5 Kitchen Items That Save Me Time

Cooking is apparently making a comeback.

At least I hope it is. For those like me, who wish to feed their children relatively healthy, cooking is the most affordable option (especially in America). With fast food rapidly declining in quality and increasing in price, and pre-packaged food companies all beginning to have less than reputable histories of harmful products (as well as inflation), more and more people are going back to basics.

But it's hard finding the time to cook.

Time is the most valuable thing to most people, right alongside their money. Cooking a healthy or at least wholesome meal requires time. I personally love cooking, and I find that when I have to spend an hour or two in the kitchen it's when I am most at peace (mostly because my children are not allowed in there when I'm cooking). But not everyone is me - and they want to get out of that kitchen hellscape as soon as possible.

So I have a few tricks to save me time - and sometimes money in the kitchen I'd like to share.

It's amazing how much saving time and frustration can be worth some dollars. And just so you know, my links are affiliate links, so if you make a purchase I might get a commission. That would be okay because then I can pay my water bill, right?

The point of this article is I am sharing products I use and trust.

All Hail - The Mighty Electric Can Opener

Recently, after 8 long years of loyalty almost every day, and 8 years of holiday meals (and I don't make 'little' holiday meals, I make FEASTS), my trusty electric can opener finally retired itself.

There's nothing quite like having planned an evening meal based around some canned vegetables and your can opener is as old a dinosaur sloth that takes hours to open one can* or worse, fails you completely. Listen, do NOT use a knife - I don't care if you think can, it's NOT safe, your fingers will thank you later.

Oh, my darling fiance who I know is reading this article - I highly suggest one of the following to replace our deceased kitchen friend:

Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener (Amazon)

Small, and compact, you just put this little guy on your cans and put the button. Can be stored in the drawer too which is nice for those of us with space issues. The only problem I see with it is that it's battery-operated.

Kenmore 3-In-1 Electric Can Opener (Amazon)

This one sits on the counter, gets plugged in, and is a little pricier. But the one that lasted me for almost a decade was a Kenmore, so therefore I would bet it's worth the price. It's the trusty usual model, with an additional bottle opener and knife sharpener. For a kitchen appliance, it's kinda sexy.

All-In-One Vegetable Slicers

Recently, my future husband in a stroke of random good luck, purchased me a Prosmart Vegetable Slicer. And if I could find it on Amazon or Temu to link to you guys I would.

I could spend HOURS raving about how many HOURS this tool has saved me in the kitchen. All-in-one slicers are magic. Need your veggies chopped? Julienned? Diced? Sliced? No problem, along with sparing your arm and possibly your fingers because these affordable solutions keep you safe - so long as you use them correctly.

My first place stand-in: Fullstar Safer Mandoline Slicer (Amazon)

Second place would be the 5 in 1 Veggie and Fruit Slicer On Temu

The image below has a QR Code for savings that new users to Temu can enjoy.

Griddle Pans Are My Best Friends

During the summer, I have 8 mouths to feed, including my own. During the rest of the year, 7. And I'll be honest, burger nights, fried pork chop nights, and weekend brunches would take me a solid hour or so longer if it weren't for the two-burner griddle pan that allow me to make almost everyone's food at once.

Sausage and bacon can be done at the same time or up to 6 pancakes. And if you're gonna get a griddle pan, you better make it cast iron for best results.

Reversible Cast Iron Griddle Pan with Press (Amazon)

It works on gas stoves and grills. It is reversible, which is great because ya know... pancakes on one side and burgers on the other!

Electric Stovetop Friendly Griddle Iron Pan (Amazon)

Chop it like a NINJA! Processors Are MAGIC!

Food-chopping appliances make me a little too excited. When we go for a quick shopping trip and we aren't allowed to let me spend time drooling over things in the store, my husband doesn't allow me in the kitchen area, or the baby areas. Or the baking section. Or the art departments... Mostly the kitchenware sections though.

My Ninja BN601 Professional Plus Food Processor is the absolute best tool in my kitchen. For soups, sauces, and dough for biscuits, my poor blender can be reserved for what its functions are, now that my Ninja annihilates any smushing, kneading, or fine-slicing adversary I may encounter while in the kitchen.

It's pricier than anything else I've suggested so far - but I am telling you, hours have been saved, as well as much soreness from all the mushing and slicing it's kept me from needing to suffer.

Bakers Rejoice When They Are Gifted Stand Mixers

My Ninja is great for everything. I mean everything. But I am not. I tend to overmix my cakes sometimes in the Ninja, because it's not really meant for cake mixes. So the stand mixer is a hero for those of us who delve in batters and cheesecakes. It's much easier to make a smooth and perfectly creamy batter with a mixer - and it IS possible to do it by hand, it just takes...forever. And saving time was the point of all of this.

I've never used anything but a Hamilton Beach mixer- and they have never let me down. Granted, as long as there is a high, low, and medium speed, I don't think a stand mixer CAN let someone down.

And This 4-Quart 6-speed Bad Boy is only $50.

So there you have it my friends. The appliances that save me precious time when cooking for my family.

Time is precious, thank you so much for taking some to read my article. I hope you enjoyed it and it proved useful in some way!

Find my fictional fantasy book "Memoirs of the In-Between" on Amazon in paperback, eBook, and hardback.

You can also find it in the Apple Store or on the Campfire Reading app.