I’m a giant fan of meal prepping. By cooking meals upfront, it makes it a lot simpler to eat wholesome all through the week, even if you’re pressed for time. It will probably additionally assist prevent cash, particularly should you get takeout steadily, and guarantee much less meals goes to waste in your kitchen. Plus, with the correct meal prep necessities — and my free weekly meal plans — it’s simple to prepare dinner a variety of wholesome recipes upfront.
I’ve been meal prepping for years, and there are a number of instruments I all the time attain for to make the duty sooner and simpler. I’ve listed 12 of my must-have meal prep necessities under, together with my favourite meal prep containers, must-have freezer trays, the most effective meals scale, and a number of other different useful instruments that make cooking a breeze.
My High 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 upfront, 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 comprised of sturdy glass with colourful silicone sleeves to guard the fabric, and the lids are hermetic and leak-proof, making it attainable to take your meal on the go if wanted. Plus, the entire thing can go proper within the dishwasher for simple cleansing.
Nonetheless, should you desire to maintain the elements of your meal separate, you may like these 3-compartment containers from Bentgo. They’re cheap and are available in a set of 10, and the BPA-free plastic might be put within the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safely. The containers have one massive compartment in your essential dish, in addition to two smaller sections the place you possibly can put sides, snacks, or dressings.
For basic 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 in 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 tough to eyeball equal parts if you’re meal prepping, so I all the time wish to have my kitchen scale close by to verify 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 will probably measure in ounces, kilos, grams, or kilograms, and the show really pulls away from the bottom to make it simpler to learn should you’re measuring into a giant bowl or container.
3. Finest Freezer Trays: Souper Cubes
At any time when I make considered 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 high of one another, and if 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 upfront, however I don’t suggest placing on the dressing, as it could actually make the elements mushy. As an alternative, I wish to preserve the dressing separate, and these cute salad dressing containers are the right dimension. They’re comprised of dishwasher-safe chrome steel with silicone caps, and so they every maintain round 2.4 ounces. You possibly can simply tuck the little cups into your meal prep containers, and so they’re additionally nice for condiments like mayonnaise or ketchup.
5. Finest Vegetable Chopper: Cuisinart Core Customized 4-Cup Mini Chopper
Some meal prep recipes, similar to 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 software to have within the kitchen. As an alternative of dicing the elements together 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 software to save lots of time should you like making chopped salads, sauces, salsa, or any dishes with quite a lot 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 excellent 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 an alternative of the lids they arrive with. Not solely do I really feel that they’re extra sturdy, however additionally they look tremendous fairly!
7. Finest Storage Luggage: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag
In case you like to cut up veggies upfront or portion out snacks to seize and go, Stasher’s silicone storage luggage are an incredible different to single-use plastic luggage. They’re comprised of a thick layer of silicone that is available in a rainbow of colours, and so they type a decent, leak-free seal to maintain the contents from dripping into your lunch field. The most effective 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 seem to be a meal prep important, however they’re really fairly versatile. I take advantage of 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 if you don’t have to make a full dozen.
9. Finest Salad Spinner: OXO Good Grips Massive Salad Spinner
I like to scrub my lettuce after chopping it up, and the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner can deal with massive portions — excellent should 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 because of its non-slip backside and huge pump button. It has a brake that can cease the internal bowl from spinning immediately, and the lid comes aside so you possibly can clear it simply. The outer bowl may also double as a salad bowl!
10. Finest Stress Cooker: Instantaneous Pot Duo 7-in-1
A few of my favourite meal prep recipes, similar to Baked Oatmeal Bars and Hen Noodle Soup, might be made in an Instantaneous Pot. These versatile strain 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 capabilities, together with a gradual cooker, rice maker, steamer, and extra. The Instantaneous Pot Duo has a 6-quart capability that may put together as much as six servings without delay, and I nonetheless use mine on a weekly foundation, which makes it completely value it..
11. Finest Egg Cooker: Sprint Speedy Egg Cooker
Arduous-boiled eggs are supply of protein if 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 that you may make boiled eggs, however the Sprint Egg Cooker is without doubt one of the sooner and best choices. This cute little equipment holds as much as six eggs at a time, and it’ll prepare dinner them to delicate, medium, or onerous boiled firmness in just some minutes. It will probably additionally make different kinds 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 huge 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, and so they vary in dimension from 1-quart to 4-quart. The lids and bowls are colour coordinated, so you possibly can all the time discover the correct one, and I like that the containers are see-through, so what’s inside. Plus, each the bowls and lids might be put within the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher.
13. Finest Sheet Pans: Nordic Ware 3 Piece Baker’s Delight Set
Bulk roasting greens originally 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 might 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, complete meals. Along with posting my newest recipes, I additionally publish free weekly 7-day meal plans that can allow you to plan forward and make scrumptious recipes for your loved ones, together with choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Whereas you may make the meals as you go, the plans are additionally excellent for meal prepping — particularly if in case you have a busy week developing.
I put collectively this listing of meal prep necessities utilizing my very own experiences. Most of the merchandise are ones that I take advantage of in my very own kitchen, and I like that they make meal prepping sooner, simpler, and extra handy. The gadgets I haven’t personally examined are highly-rated choices that come advisable by different cooking professionals and 1000’s of evaluations.
Costs had been correct at time of publication.
