Cooking can be fun, but as a monotonous chore, it can get dull. Do you wish about things you could get around your kitchen without a major rule to make your cooking faster? Well, who doesn’t? You need to save up on time, especially now that most of us are busy and on a tight schedule. So we’ve got a list of essential yet minimalist things that can speed up your cooking and make it easier than you usually have it.
List of things to get to make your cooking easier:
1) Sharp, assorted knives
Yeah, you probably have a bunch of knives lying around in your kitchen but before you skip this point, let’s tell you why you may need new ones. Kitchen knives get worn out easily and lose their cutting prowess in no time. Secondly, using the same knife for veggies, fruits, and meats isn’t nice. This affects the knife’s life badly. A way to become a proficient and easy cook is to begin with choosing items that make cooking easy. You may not be a celebrity chef, but you’re definitely a self-made home chef! So it’s highly recommended you invest in a quality chef knife. Chef knives cut more efficiently and use less muscle power. You’ll be surprised to know that blunt, worn-out knives cause more accidents than sharp ones. Along with a chef’s knife, also get a paring knife and a serrated knife. It’s a good idea to keep different knives for vegetarian and non-vegetarian items to prevent cross-contamination.
2) Dishwasher-safe items
Whenever purchasing any kitchen items, ensure to check the ‘dishwasher-safe’ label. It’s a no-brainer that the dishwasher eliminates the pains of hand washing and saves time and mess. So the more your utensils, tools, and cookware is dishwasher safe, the better you’ll be off in saving time and drudgery.
3) Cutting boards
If you still use your precious stoneware kitchen counter as a cutting board, you will end up damaging it. Also, countertops can be slippery, and you can get hurt or have the cut items falling and rolling off the edges. You can choose flexible cutting boards or hardwood ones. Bamboo boards are both durable and cheap. Also, please select the right board size, i.e., one that’s large enough to provide you with enough cutting surface. Purchase a couple of boards, so you always have a clean one within your reach.
4) Microwave and freezer-safe mixing bowls
Mixing bowls are multi-functional; use them for mixing, blending, whipping, and storing food items. They save up on your meal prepping time. Many bowls come with airtight lids and are microwave and refrigeration friendly, so they also act as perfect storage!
5) Apple corer cum slicer
An Apple corer cum slicer gets your 5 minutes job done in a second. It cores out the fruit core and pip and simultaneously slices it into equal, chiseled fruit slices. You can use it for apples, pears, quinces, and other fruits or vegetables that can be cut like an apple.
6) Rice cooker
A rice cooker is a super time-saver kitchen-essential gadget when you need to cook large quantities of rice. Depending on the amount and variety of rice used, it would cook rice at a varying time, but at a lesser time than stovetop cooking. It is economical, saves energy, and cuts costs as electricity usage is significantly less.
7) Oil sprayer
An oil sprayer is fast, precise, and evenly distributes oil for cooking. It’s excellent for oiling during grilling and barbequing. Instead of using a spoon, you can use the oil sprayer for flavoring vegetables, prepping bread, and coating pans. Don’t use any kind of sprayer bottle for this purpose. You’ll find sprayer bottles for edible oils sold mainly for this use.
8) Food processor and blender
An easy cook process is incomplete without the use of blenders and processors. Food processors can save you a lot of time when you’ve got a lot to chop, slice, shred and mince. It’s an even faster option than graters. Blenders help to mix different ingredients for items like soups, smoothies, purees, cake mixes, ice crushes, etc.
9) Garlic peeler
This is a small yet extremely handy tool. Garlic smell can linger on your fingers for a long time, and peeling their skins is a time consuming job. Garlic peelers make this job a breeze. They come as a rubber or silicone tube, and the garlic clove needs to be rolled in a couple of times; voila! You’ve got peeled garlic lobes.
10) Measuring cups and spoons
You can use measuring cups and spoons apart from baking. They come in handy for any cooking recipe. A large measuring spoon also serves as a ladle. It’s a wise idea to own two sets of these so you can use similar quantities without washing for reuse. Also, for beginner cooks confused between quarters and halves of teaspoons, tablespoons, and a ‘pinch’, measuring cups and spoons can help.
We covered some of the best ways to make your cooking easier and faster. Anything that makes cooking an easy cook process is worth finding a place in your kitchen.