Meal prep can often feel like a full-time job. Whether it’s hand-chopping vegetables, pounding spices, or perfecting your stew, the process can get overwhelming.
While the kitchen is often the heart of the home, people (especially those who aren’t doing the actual cooking) may overlook the actual work involved in creating a home-cooked meal. Although ordering a takeaway is always an option, investing in a few quality kitchen gadgets can significantly reduce your preparation time and make cooking quicker and so much more enjoyable.
So, what are some of these time-saving kitchen essentials? Keep reading to find out.
Garlic Press
Say goodbye to the hassle of peeling and mincing garlic by hand! A garlic press is a small but mighty kitchen tool that every home cook should have. It effortlessly crushes cloves into finely minced garlic, saving you time and ensuring consistency in your seasoning. Whether you’re making a pot of flavorful jollof rice, stir-frying vegetables, or marinating meat, this gadget delivers perfectly minced garlic without the mess of a cutting board or knife.
Its compact design makes it easy to clean and store, and it’s especially useful for anyone who loves bold, garlicky flavours but dreads the prep. Price: ₦74,000. Where To Buy: Shop Fouanistore.
Food Processor
A food processor is the ultimate multi-tasking gadget in the kitchen. It can handle everything from chopping vegetables and slicing fruits to grating cheese and even kneading dough. Imagine having a mountain of vegetables ready in seconds instead of labouring with a knife. The combination of the food processor’s powerful motor and sharp blades do the hard work for you so you can say goodbye to tedious chopping and slicing.
A food processor can knead dough which will be highly beneficial for anyone who frequently bakes. You won’t have to use all of your energy on twisting and turning the dough. It can also purée and shred which means you can prep ingredients for stews, soups and salads in minutes. Price: ₦74,000. Where To Buy: Shop Fouanistore.
Chopper/Dicer
A veggie chopper with a mandoline slicer, cheese grater, veggie spiralizer and French fry dicer? Sign us up. If you’re all about multipurpose kitchen gadgets that will help you eliminate clutter, I suggest you get your hands on this one gadget. Essentially, they can do all the tasks of a food processor, but they’re smaller in terms of size. This is also a plus because you can quickly mince smaller ingredients like garlic and onions without having to use a bigger tool.
With a simple press, you can finely dice onions, peppers, or tomatoes – all without a single tear or messy cutting board. It takes away the hassle of manual chopping and provides even, professional-looking cuts immediately. It’s also compact, easy to clean and store. Price: ₦9,500. Where To Buy: Shop Konga.
Blender
A blender can be an essential time-saver for anyone who loves smoothies, soups, or sauces. Imagine this: you’re in a hurry to leave the house, and instead of preparing a full meal, you can whip up a filling smoothie packed with fruits, vegetables, and protein in under five minutes.
Additionally, you have more control over how finely you blend your ingredients since you can control the speed you want it to move and the texture. Some blenders even have settings for ice, smoothie, rough and smooth to suit your preference.
Having a blender in your kitchen helps you cut down on the time (and mess) it takes to make your pepper mix for your soups and stews. It saves you the stress of having to bundle up all your pepper and carry it to the market for it to be blended for you. Price: ₦58,800. Where To Buy: Shop Alabamart.
Spiralizer
The spiralizer is perfect for anyone who loves healthy meals or is trying to cut down on carbs. With this gadget, you can turn vegetables into thin pasta-like strands. You can spiralize apples, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes and many other fruits and veggies.
Spiralizers make it incredibly easy to prepare vegetable-based dishes without any of the slicing or chopping that usually goes with it. Instead of labouring to chop vegetables, you simply twist and go. They're also relatively affordable so they’re a great addition to any meal prep lover's kitchen. Price: ₦39,220. Where To Buy: Shop Jumia.
Stand/Hand Mixer
If you’re whipping cream, mixing cake batter, or kneading dough, a mixer takes the effort out of the process. This appliance has saved us from tired arms and it’s essential for anyone who enjoys baking or simply wants to avoid the arm workout of stirring thick ingredients by hand. A hand mixer is perfect for beating eggs, mixing cake batter or shredding chicken.
While stand mixers do the same thing but are hands-free so you can add more ingredients to the mixture or move on to other cooking steps. For a professional baker, a stand mixer will do you so much good, while a casual cook can make use of a hand mixer. Stand Mixer - Price: ₦46,000. Where To Buy: Shop Fouanistore. | Hand Mixer - Price: ₦27,500. Where To Buy: Shop zit.ng.
Rice Cooker
If you’ve burnt rice at least once due to forgetting to check if it’s ready, you’ll understand why a rice cooker is a kitchen must-have. Although severely underrated, a rice cooker is a simple, foolproof gadget that ensures you’ll never have undercooked or overcooked rice again. With the touch of a button, it prepares rice to perfection and keeps it warm until you’re ready to serve.
No more watching over a pot or adjusting the heat. Also, a rice cooker allows you to set it and forget it, so you can focus on preparing other dishes. Not only does it cook your rice, it also steams any added vegetables. Price: ₦89,000. Where To Buy: Shop Fouanistore.
Air Fryer
Air fryers have surged in popularity for good reason – they allow you to cook a variety of foods quickly and with minimal oil. From fried chicken, crispy chips, or even roasted vegetables, the air fryer can do it all with less mess and no waiting for an oven to preheat. They’re so great that they made our list of gifts you can buy for the foodie in your life.
Air fryers cook food much faster than a conventional oven, and you can achieve delicious results with just a fraction of the oil and the time. Air fryers have taken the award of the most loved kitchen appliance of 2024 ever since my dear Nigerians found out you can bake and roast plantain and fish with it. They’re just that good! Price: ₦85,000. Where To Buy: Shop Alabamart.
Instant Pot
If you haven’t heard of the Instant Pot yet, it’s time to meet your new kitchen saviour. One of the most loved meal-prep tools of all time, this all-in-one appliance combines the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, and more. It’s great for anyone who loves to batch cook their beans, soups, stews and more.
Simply load up on your ingredients, choose the right setting, and press a button to get a delicious meal without all the hard work. Asides from pressure cooking, this Instant Pot can also steam vegetables, cook rice, bake cakes, and more. It’s perfect for busy days when you need a hot meal with minimal effort. Price: ₦179,000. Where To Buy: Shop Home Kits.
Investing in these kitchen gadgets can transform meal prep from a chore into an enjoyable and efficient part of your routine. With tools designed to chop, blend, cook, and fry in record time, you’ll find yourself spending less time prepping and more time enjoying your meals.
Why not try a few of these gadgets and see how they can help you save time in the kitchen while making cooking a breeze?