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1. A microwaveable panini press here to prove that not all culinary heroes wear capes — if you don't have access to a toaster, stove, or grill, you can still make crispy paninis, grilled cheeses, and meats right in the microwave, no muss, no fuss. People in RVs and dorms especially swear by this (and reviewers love it for crisping up reheated leftovers!).
2. A microwave pasta maker so you can enjoy the glory of your favorite carbohydrate by literally just pressing a button on the microwave and walking away, so you don't have to hover over a boiling pot listening to a podcast just to get your noodles on.
Promising review: "This is a fantastic product. I’ve been cooking for more than 50 years. Pasta has always been a simple go-to dinner for me. Tending to the boiling pot of pasta was just part of the process. I’ve been getting tired of cooking as I’ve aged. This simple little microwave pasta cooker has simplified cooking so much more than I could have imagined. Seems silly, but it’s kinda like a little miracle. No more toting a heavy pot to the stove. No more pouring pasta and boiling water into a colander. It’s simple, lightweight, and foolproof. You’ll never regret buying this. I suggest buying the larger size to have more portion options." —Winky
Get it from Amazon for $17.99.
3. Plus a rapid veggie steamer that will easily let you be like, "BOOM. SIDE DISH!" without actually putting in any work beyond pressing a few buttons and waiting five minutes.
4. A reviewer-beloved veggie chopper to make you feel like a golden god in your kitchen — this gadget julienne, chops, spiralizes, and slices vegetables in an instant and has a built-in storage container to hold the chopped veggies so you can pour them into a pan or dish without any mess.
Check out a TikTok of the veggie chopper in action.
Promising review: "Makes life so much easier. I can't imagine chopping onions or bell peppers by hand anymore, and it does so much more. We used to have a Prepworks chopper which was a similar idea, but you had to press so hard to chop, and it broke after not too long. This one requires very little effort to cut through the food and it has a generous container." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (clip the $5 off coupon on the product page for this price).
5. A Souper Cube, aka a busy meal prepper's best friend — this is designed to perfectly house leftover soups, stews, and sauce, so the next time you need a quick-fix meal, you can pop it out and reheat it in no time flat.
Souper Cubes is a small business seen on Shark Tank that specializes in bake-and-freeze storage products.
Promising review: "So happy that I found these. I’m the only one in my household who enjoys soup year-round. Have you ever tried to make homemade soup for one? I say it’s impossible! But no longer. I can brew up the stock pot with bone broth or my favorite home soup. Fill up my Souper Cubes, freeze, pop out, store my goodies in a freezer bag, and I’m ready for the next batch!" —Debbie R. Texas
Get it from Amazon for $19.95.
6. A Dash mini maker with so much fast cooking potential that your tastebuds will *sing* — reviewers use this for anything from whipping up eggs to grilled cheese to pancakes to cookies. People who live alone or in small kitchens swear by this as a fast, easy cooking hack.
Promising review: "This is the perfect easy breakfast sandwich maker. It cooks the egg perfectly (I used jumbo eggs, and it worked perfectly just like regular eggs). It’s honestly one of my personal favorite appliances. I just had a baby, and having something I can crack an egg into and let it sit to cook without having to flip and it’s done within five minutes is honestly a lifesaver, and it cleans super easy! 10/10 I love this thing; it's just like my George Foreman!" —Emily
Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in six colors).
7. A Dash air fryer you will come to rely on for *all* your quick fix meals — reviewers love that there's no waiting for it to preheat, so you can cook (or crisp leftovers!) without any oil required, whether it's meats, veggies, or even fruit. (Put more apples in the air fryer 2022!!)
Promising review: "I purchased this product as a gift to myself before the holidays. I wanted to give myself some time before reviewing it so I can really see if this thing is as great as it seems. After using it a couple of times I am happy to report that it IS as great as it seems. I've fried tater tots, mini pizzas, sweet potato fries, and even some carrots! I am so glad I purchased this and next up I'm going to try apple slices and see if I can't make cinnamon apple slices for a snack at work!" —MacKenzie Masten
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in two sizes and six colors).
8. Plus a magnetic air fryer cheat sheet to help minimize cooking time and maximize deliciousness, all while saving money by staying in to eat.
Promising review: "Bought an air fryer several months ago which I haven't used a whole lot because it came with only a few recipes but not enough info on other items to cook. The Lotteli cheat sheet gives you cooking times and temperatures for a lot of your common everyday foods in a magnetized easy-to-read, two-sheet combo that fills in where air fryer pamphlet that came with the unit leaves out. I also bought an air fryer cook book but this only comes with specific recipes, whereas the cheat sheet fills in the void for quick basic needs. Very happy with this purchase! 😁" —B. Frank Smith
Get it from Amazon for $11.45 (available in two colors).
9. A silicone baking mat for your sheet pan, so on days when you're trying to resist the temptation of Seamless you can just slap a bunch of veggies and frozen goods down, drizzle them in olive oil, and shove them in the oven. Bonus: these are super easy to clean, so you won't have to deal with a mess!
Promising review: "I use these mats multiple times a day. They make cleanup super easy, which is really important in my hectic life. They wipe off easily with just water." —Tasia Lung
Get a set of two from Amazon for $9.59.
10. A Potato Express, because I think if we're all being honest with ourselves, the older we get, the more we crave a weeknight at home with Netflix in our eyes and a warm potato in our laps. This cooks up to *four* potatoes flawlessly in mere minutes so you don't have to wait to go to clown town with cheese and other fixings.
11. Plus a rapid corn and potato cooker for a delicious double feature — this uses steam to thoroughly cook them all the way through in three to five minutes to cut down on wait time (and unfully cooked potato disappointment).
Promising review: "I used the rapid corn and potato cooker for both corn on the cob and for baked potatoes. This rapid cooker is wonderful to use, less time and no mess to clean up. Both corn and potato takes only three minutes in the microwave with the rapid cooker, taste of food is great. Can also use this for steamed veggies." —Abe
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
12. A set of nonstick, reusable toaster oven bags to let you make grilled cheese, paninis, and toasted sammies right in the toaster.
(Psst — you can also use these to reheat french fries, pizza, and even mini tacos, and get all that glorious heat without them getting all soggy from the microwave. Leftovers just got lit.)
Promising review: "I had no idea how well these would work. You can put toast or rolls or anything that will fit in the slot — even if it has jelly or spread or anything on it — in the bag in the toaster and it doesn't hurt the toaster, and the food comes out warm." —mare36
Get a four-pack from Amazon for $8.59.
13. A weekly meal planner you can use to map out all your grocery needs in advance, saving you soooo much time, money, and food waste in the long run that Captain Planet himself might just come on over for dinner.
The list magnetizes to the fridge, and has the meal plan on one side, and a perforated "shopping list" you can tear off and take with you on the other side.
Promising review: "I’ve been starting to get into meal prepping and this planner really helps! I like being able to look up recipes on my phone, then write down whatever ingredients I still need on the grocery list section of this planner. Being magnetic is cool because you can hang it on the fridge. I love how the grocery list section can be ripped off so you can take it to the store, but the daily meal plans remain on the fridge so you can stay organized. This is a very simple idea, but it’s cute and helps keep me organized and motivated to plan out my meals." —Samantha M.
Get it from Amazon for $9.95.
14. A rapid egg cooker I am warning you right now is going to become your most meaningful relationship. It can make soft-, medium-, *and* hard-boiled eggs in addition to poaching, scrambling, and making omelets out of them. This gizmo is, like, a thousand potential meal preps in one.
I've owned one of these babies and have faithfully used it every week for upward of two years, and especially love it while working from home — it simplifies breakfast because I know no matter what assortment of groceries I'm working with, there are precooked eggs to add some protein to it (I like mine medium-boiled 🍳). If my dinner is boring or seems like it needs a little extra "oomph" to it, I'll throw in an egg from this too. Some reviews note that the alarm on it is a little loud, but the new models have significantly decreased the volume and sing a little song instead!
Promising review: "I saw someone on TikTok with this and gasped! Ordered it right away. I had no idea these things existed. Super easy and convenient and the hard-boiled eggs came out perfectly. I’m testing a batch now without punching a hole in the eggs to see how they come out. Because why not make an easy process even easier?!?! LOL." —Gina
Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in five colors).
15. Or a handmade pottery egg cooker that is not only key to your kitchen's ~aesthetic~, but key to the ultimate goal of eating eggs as fast as possible. The bb cooks up eggs (with mix-ins!) in a minute or less, giving you perfectly-round shaped little omelets you can eat on their own or put in a sammie.
JK Creative Wood is an Iowa-based, family-owned Etsy shop established in its sixth generation of woodworking that specializes in handmade pottery and wooden goods.
Promising review: "Beautiful blue glaze on this piece. Love the natural, sandy shade peeking through, and the elegant, ribbed handle, as well. This is also a very handy size for cooking eggs‚- and it does this wonderfully! I followed the directions included with my cooker, and ended up with tender, delicious eggs, just perfect with my toasted English muffin. Packaged safely and shipped very quickly as well. Thank you!" —Wendy Murrill
Get it from JK Creative Wood on Etsy for $39 (available in ten finishes).
Psst — this item ships for free!
16. An electric potato peeler worthy of a permanent spot on your counter. Not only does it effortlessly peel potatoes, but it can handle pretty much any peeled produce you throw at it, from apples to kiwis to oranges to tomatoes. (To be clear, though, your highest priority should *always* be mashed potato-ing.)
Promising review: "Love it! It's light and easy to use. When I use a potato peeler I was always peeling too much potato with the peel. This blade is fine and only gets the skin, in seconds. Except for the 'poles' of the potato but I don't mind. It's easy to clean if you have a sprayer to just rinse off the spikes where you insert your potatoes. Small enough and doesn't take up much room." —yestfl
Get it from Amazon for $19.98.
17. A set of three dough presses in different sizes perfect for hand pies, dumplings, ravioli, calzones, empanadas, and truly any delicious thing you can think of that you want tucked into a pillow of warm carbs — this makes the process streamlined and easy so you don't have to sweat it.
Promising review: "This was a great purchase for the price. I was making empanadas and folding them by hand, which didn’t look too good. This set helps me cut them easily into circles and then easily presses them close. Consistent look each time! I like that there are three sizes in the set so I can make them according to my mood. Easy to wash and use. Would highly recommend for the price and functionality!" —Sox
Get a set of three from Amazon for $9.99.
18. A rapid ramen cooker that gets the job done in the microwave in just three minutes so you don't have to waste any time babysitting the stove or measuring out the water just right — just fill to the line, pop it in, and let the magic happen.
Promising review: "This thing may seem like just an ordinary Tupperware, but I assure you it will blow that thin plastic garbage out of the water. It retains heat amazingly and does not bend nor falter under extreme temperatures. I'm a college student, and I have never felt such joy from making ramen in my small dorm microwave; for a 900 watt, I recommend five minutes. Buy this product if you live and breathe air, because it is beautiful." —Theron
Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (available in eight colors and two sizes).
19. A three-sectioned nonstick skillet so you can achieve a meal of champions without dirtying every single pan you own, plus keep all your sides from fraternizing. Bonus — it's oven- and dishwasher-safe!
Promising review: "There’s no words to describe how awesome this thing is. Had it for maybe a year now. It’s long lasting and still highly effective. I love making hamburgers. Takes about 5–10 minutes. Throw the meat on there and bacon, fried egg on the other side and grill up the buns. All comes together on one skillet. Superb." —Stephanie M.
Get it on Amazon for $35.45.
20. A variety pack of grain pilaf mixes in flavors so delicious that you'll be mixing and matching them with all your favorite foods in no time. Bonus for any efficient meal preppers out there: it cooks in five minutes!
Yolélé is a Black-owned, New York-based business established in 2017 that connects smallholder farmers in West Africa with local and global markets, and specializes in products inspired by traditional West African dishes.
The three flavors include Afro-Funk (dawadawa and herbs), Jollof (tomato and bell pepper, and Yassa! (onion, lime, and chili).
Promising review: "We ordered the variety pack and love all of them! This stuff is seriously good, and so quick and easy to make. Excellent quick and healthy meal...just throw in some chopped veggies and meat/tofu, and dinner is done in minutes. It’s also good cold, as a salad. Will definitely make this a staple in our house." —Kate in the Northwest
Get three-pack variety pack from Amazon for $18.95.
21. A pair of cut-resistant gloves for anyone whose hands aren't quite as steady as their love for thick-cut meats and thinly sliced veggies — these are designed to be four times stronger (!!) than leather to keep your digits safe.
Promising review: "I bought the gloves because I had two nasty cuts in quick succession from a cheese grater. Anyone who has had injuries to their fingers knows how difficult it is to continue to do everyday activities and meal preparation while still protecting your wound. I received the gloves quickly after my order and pressed them into use immediately that evening. I am most impressed. My fingers/hands were protected from my very sharp grater and knife while I prepared dinner. I bought two pairs, one to keep and one to give as a gift. I am now going to buy a third pair in a larger size for a friend who also likes to cook but suffers from occasional run-ins with mandolines, graters, and knives. Great product!" —O'Hare
Psst — check out BuzzFeed's full review of NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves for more deets.
Get it from Amazon for $11.49 (available in sizes S-XL and two colors).
22. A rapid defrosting tray that uses the thermal conductivity of aluminum to thaw frozen food faster to save you a whole bunch of prep time, so you can start throwing patties or veggies on the grill in no time.
Promising review: "I was a little concerned this was going to be one of those gifts that were hyped up but it’s not. It’s not going to thaw a huge chunk of meat in an hour but I have thawed a chunk of chicken in a few hours. The product itself isn’t very thick which I like as it doesn’t take up a lot of space for storage. It doesn’t warm up, but pulls the cold from the meat, which makes the product thaw (like putting meat in cold water to thaw it faster and not cook it)." —Savannah A.
Get it from Amazon for $20.98.
23. A set of reusable silicone Stasher bags so you can meal prep food at the beginning of the week and jam it in one of these for easy cooking all week long — these re they're freezer-, fridge-, and microwave-safe, so the effort to make dinner is essentially zilch.
Promising review: "Okay okay. I jumped on the Stasher 'bag' wagon. I got these as part of the Prime Day deal and I was not disappointed. These have stood the test of time. Easy to wash and clean. Great for the freezer. You can sous vide with them. Maybe it’s overkill as a sandwich bag. But for meal prep and food storage I think they’re great. This sandwich size is the most versatile. I have all four sizes. Try it out." —Tina H.
Get it from Amazon for $9.21+ (available in four sizes and eight colors).
24. Or a set of glass meal prep containers that are safe in the oven and the microwave, meaning you can cook, reheat, and eat out of 'em without ever bothering to go find a plate. Plus, these lids are tighter than the Pentagon.
Promising review: "Perfect for eco-friendly meal prep. I was looking to use less plastic and more glass in my meal storage which is why I ended up buying this set. The glass is thick and really durable, the lids fit snugly and everything is dishwasher-safe. I feel better knowing I don't have chemicals leaching into my food. Well-made product." —HoorayForCoffee
Get a set of five from Amazon for $34.99.
25. An affordable eight-pack of ready-to-eat pinto beans with a 12-month shelf life, so anytime you look down at a dish and think, "Hmm, this needs a little extra ~oomph~," you'll have a delicious, instant option you don't have to worry about expiring anytime soon.
A Dozen Cousins is a San Francisco-based, Black-owned small business that provides an annual grant and volunteer support to nonprofits working to eliminate socioeconomic health disparities in the US.
Each of these packs comes with four packs of black beans and four packs of pinto beans, which can be heated up in the microwave in 60 seconds.
Promising review: "I loveeee this! It’s such an easy meal add on and super flavorful. Usually packages food isn’t flavored or bland but this isn’t like that. My super picky kids even loved it!" —S. Islam
Get an eight-pack from Amazon for $29.99.
26. A set of heat-safe microwave bowl holders — you can pull this right out of the microwave with your bowl without burning your hands, *plus* use them to hold your bowl in your hands or lap while you're eating (presumably in front of the TV, as one does) without hurting your fingers. Bonus: it also helps keep your food warm for longer!
Check out a TikTok of the microwave bowl holders in action.
Bonus — the insulation of these also keeps cold food like ice cream colder for longer (and helps prevent your fingers from freezing!).
Promising review: "Buy these for yourself and everyone you know. They are soft and fit a variety of sizes of bowls to put under them in the microwave and eat from. My kids love them. We bought some to gift to other people too, and I will get some for my son to use at college. Made of a heavy terry cloth that can be thrown right in the washer when needed. We used towels before under our bowls, but these cradle the bowls so are easier to hold. We bought some bigger plate sizes too." —Heidi J.
Get a set of four from Amazon for $15.99 (available in five color combos).
27. A pair of shredder claws to carve all your meats up faster than Wolverine can blink, giving them the perfect consistency for sandwiches, tacos, and (mostly importantly of all) chip dips.
Promising review: "My pork shoulder always tastes good, but I'm too lazy to pull or chop it properly. These claws really made short, pretty easy work of that job. I used them just as described: I put the meat on and took it off, cut off a portion, dug in, and started pulling. You can make your pieces as big or small as you like. Much easier than with a fork or knife. They just work. I think, after writing this, I'm going to go put a shoulder on right now." —Edwin C. Kebschull
Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in four colors).
28. A rapid grape, strawberry, and tomato cutter so you can safely get perfect halves for any genre of salad you're consuming, whether it's a straight-up fruit one or a traditional veggie one.
You can also use this to safely cut bagels and slices of meats that you're trying to cut through the middle of!
Promising review: "This item is the best kitchen helper. First time using it I was apprehensive about it really working, but it works like a charm. Put my tomatoes in first literally slicing them immediately, then my green olives...perfect. I know I will be making more salads and healthy veggie trays with this food cutter." —Cynthia
Get it from Amazon for $12.95.
29. A pair of cut-resistant gloves for all the impatient cooks out there who chop like they mean business — these are designed to be four times stronger (!!) than leather to keep your digits safe.
Promising review: "I bought the gloves because I had two nasty cuts in quick succession from a cheese grater. Anyone who has had injuries to their fingers knows how difficult it is to continue to do everyday activities and meal preparation while still protecting your wound. I received the gloves quickly after my order and pressed them into use immediately that evening. I am most impressed. My fingers/hands were protected from my very sharp grater and knife while I prepared dinner. I bought two pairs, one to keep and one to give as a gift. I am now going to buy a third pair in a larger size for a friend who also likes to cook but suffers from occasional run-ins with mandolines, graters, and knives. Great product!" —O'Hare
Psst — check out BuzzFeed's full review of NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves for more deets.
Get it from Amazon for $11.49 (available in sizes S–XL and two colors).
30. A digital recipe journal designed for use on any PDF annotation app or software so you can create recipes (or borrow easy ones from friends!), then easily organize them by type and access them at the touch of a button. This lets you create and house 600 recipes and also has navigable buttons to grocery lists, kitchen inventory, a monthly meal planner, and themed stickers, so you can plan yourself out for the whole month and ride that easy recipe coaster all the way to the end.
Amethyst & Garnet is an Australia-based, woman-owned Etsy shop established in 2020 that specializes in digital planners and organizational tools.
Promising review: "Let me just say. I AM AMAZED! I purchased an iPad along with the Apple pen because I wanted to transition from taking notes and keeping track of things on paper to digitally. I am new to Notability and her recipe book is so easy to use! Would love and most likely will order again from her! I feel like I’ll never lose or forget a recipe ever again." —carlyjcapote
Get it from Amethyst & Garnet on Etsy for $8.43 (originally $16.87).
31. A breakfast sandwich maker for anyone on that "breakfast for dinner" beat — this simultaneously cooks an egg, toasts bread, warms precooked meat, and melts cheese into the perfect sammie in less than five minutes. Dunkin' whomst???
Promising review: "Single best appliance I own. My boyfriend sent me this sort of as a joke; we both thought it was both ridiculous and brilliant to have a McMuffin maker in your house. And then I tried cooking with it for the first time. Holy crap, it's AMAZING. I ended up using frozen waffles for the bread; you have to trim them just a tad, but they are the perfect amount of crispy. I love experimenting with this, and have built some truly amazing sandwiches. Waffles, eggs, avocado, Swiss, and ham. Waffles, egg, corn salsa, jack cheese. If you can fit it into the rounds, you can make a sandwich with it. The panel under the egg slides out easily and cleanly when the egg is cooked (I find four minutes is perfect for cooked eggs with runny yolks), and the whole middle section can simply be tossed in the dishwasher." —Elizabeth Joy Weaver
Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in five colors).
You enjoying the majesty of a homemade breakfast sandwich:
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