For meal prep, canning, and cooking there are tools that shorten prep time and just make the whole process easier. These are some of my most-used, must-have meal prep tools.
1. Choppers
In our kitchen, the absolute most-used tools are these choppers. They’re simple and effective, and they don’t require any electricity (so we can take them camping too). Chop and/or mix what you need with just a few pulls of the cord rather than having to use a knife. Don’t get me wrong, I love my knives, but there are certain things that are a pain to chop by hand (I’m looking at you, onions). The smallest size is perfect for mincing onions, garlic and/or ginger and in our house it gets used for this daily. They’re also great for making sauces, dips & pesto, because of the ability to chop and mix ingredients all at once. I use the largest one for larger batches of chopped onions, veggies, for making fresh salsa, and for lots of canning recipes like green tomato salsa verde, relish, jam, and more. It cuts the time to chop or mince down to seconds, saving me so much time. It’s also a great way to safely include the kids in meal preparation; they love to pull the cord while I hold it.
Your choice:
- Small Chopper $70
- Large Chopper $107
- Sonic Chopper System (Small & Large size bases with one shared lid) $156
OR get the best value when you join Tupperware with the bundle of your choice. The Home Chef bundle includes both large and small choppers for $139 (less than the cost of the sonic chopper system and the bundle includes the cost of shipping) and you get a whole bundle of other tools along with them.
2. Mandoline
A mandoline is another great time-saver when it comes to meal preparation. Most mandolines slice very efficiently, but the Tupperware Mandoline has several extra cutting options and lots of safety features.
I used to be really nervous around mandolines, but this one has so many safety features I feel so confident using it. It’s my favourite for slicing apples to dehydrate or make caramel apple slices, for making sandwich fixings like tomatoes, onions, and even some deli meats, and for making french fries, potato chips, and hashbrowns.
3. Master System
It’s super convenient having shredded cheese on hand but I’m not a fan of the price (and added ingredients) in the pre-shredded cheese available at the store. We use the Master System GrateMaster Shredder attachment to shred blocks of cheese once every couple weeks. The shredded cheese keeps well in the fridge or longer in the freezer until ready to use and there’s no added anti-caking agents or preservatives. It costs much less than the pre-shredded kind and we like the quality much better too. It works for cheddar and mozzarella so we can quickly and easily whip up some natchos or make a pizza, and it also works really well for hard cheeses like parmesan (I buy the big wedge from Costco and shred a few cups at a time to keep in the fridge for when we have pasta or when I make spinach artichoke dip). The shredder can also shred vegetables like potatoes (hasbrowns, latkes, etc), carrots (carrot cake!), and beets (borscht, beet burgers, etc.).
You can also get several other attachments for the Master System including the spiralizer (make zucchini noodles, carrot noodles for carrot salad, etc), mincer (make your own ground meats & sausages), and sorbet maker. You just need one base and then choose the accessories that make the most sense for you. We definitely use the GrateMaster Shredder attachment the most.
Of course, there are lots of essential tools we love for prepping meals like a good set of knives, bowls, containers, and the ultimate meal prep tool: a pressure canner!
What are some of your favourite meal prep tools?