I have tried many meal prep styles and kitchen tools, so today I am sharing my list of meal prep essentials. Many people have a love/hate relationship with meal prepping. Whether you are an avid meal prepper or a newbie, you can create a more seamless and efficient experience with these meal prep essentials!
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Ahhhh… meal prepping. Some love it. Some hate it. You may be a pro, or you may have never meal-prepped a day in your life. When most people think of “meal prep”, they think about those Pinterest posts that have everything perfectly portioned for all meals & snacks for the entire week. You may have thought to yourself “I could never do that”. I’m here to tell you that there are many different ways to meal prep. In fact, I wrote an entire post on my top meal-prep tips and included some different styles in tip #7!
Part of my mission is to inspire you to eat more homemade meals. Learning & getting used to meal prepping will make eating homemade a heck of a lot easier. Let’s be real, I don’t expect anyone to make fresh meals for breakfast, lunch, & dinner (even if you work from home)! When you have prepped meals in the fridge, you are way more likely to eat at home when hunger strikes.
Meal Prep Tips
Meal prep is designed to save you time (& money) during the week. The one major reason people don’t meal prep is because they believe it takes too much time. First of all, make sure you read my top meal prep tips so that you have your plan in place. Honestly, the planning part is 80% of the work! Once your menu is set and the decisions are made, all that’s left is execution! In today’s post, we are specifically going to look at my top meal prep essentials that will make meal prepping WAY more efficient.
This post is all about Meal Prep Essentials!
11 Meal Prep Essentials
1. A Good Set Of Knives
Any chef will tell you how important it is to have a good set of knives. While it may be an investment, they will last you a while and you will (hopefully) be using them all the time. A good set of knives helps you cut down (pun intended) on time. Sharp knives are necessary and actually safer to use than dull knives. I recommend this knife set or this knife set from Amazon. And don’t forget about the knife sharpener!
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2. A Good Set of Pots & Pans
You may be thinking – duh! But it’s important to mention that you want a set of pots & pans with varied depths and widths. I have this set and I love it! However, I still found that I needed a deeper stock pot for soups or one-pot meals (because I like cooking large batches) so I added this 20-quart stock pot to my collection.
3. Large Sheet Pans
One-pan meals should be your best friend on busy nights. For those nights, larger 24-inch sheet pans are king. Sheet pans are perfect for roasting up a large batch of mixed veggies, cooking your protein in bulk, or baking potatoes to perfection.
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4. Foil and/or Parchment Paper
Raise your hand if you want less clean up after you cook. Now that every hand in the world is raised, let me tell you that foil and parchment paper cut down your scrub time significantly. Sure, you may still have to rinse a few things – but that definitely beats soaking and scrubbing. Am I right?!
5. Slow Cooker & Liners
A slow cooker is one of the most affordable kitchen appliances and I promise they are worth every penny. They are famous for their “set-it-and-forget-it” nature or the “dump-and-go” style of cooking. It is truly very hands-off and almost impossible to mess up. If you spend 5 minutes in the morning throwing dinner in the slow cooker, then a hot meal will be waiting for you when you get home – what’s better than that?!
Pro tip: buying reusable liners or one-time-use liners will save you on clean-up time. You’re welcome.
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6. Food Thermometer
In our household, we are big on food safety – so we use our food thermometer regularly. It keeps you from having to cut open the chicken to make sure it’s done. It’s an easy way to quickly check on meats to make sure you aren’t over or under-cooking them.
Here is a complete list of safe internal temperatures to keep handy during your next meal prep session.
7. Glass Storage Containers
Any kind of storage container will do – it’s not required to be glass. However, I prefer (and recommend) glass because I can see what’s inside which means I am more likely to use it before it goes bad. If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. We use these glass storage containers. I love that they vary in size and they have extra-large containers!
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8. To-Go Storage Containers
This is a new staple for us. I always have these disposable casserole dishes and these on-the-go meal prep containers on hand. The disposable casserole dishes are nice because I can make casseroles in them, store them for the week, and discard them at the end of the week for minimal cleanup and easy cooking. They also come in handy when you are attending a party at someone’s house or signing up for a meal train. That way you never have to worry about getting your dishes back.
The meal prep containers are mainly for my husband’s lunch (so they are great for any on-the-go situation). He wasn’t the best at bringing home the dishes from work, so we switched to all disposable options which means fewer dishes are lost and less cleanup! Plus, he doesn’t have to remember to bring home dishes or feel bad when he forgets. It’s a win-win.
9. Cutting Boards
Again, you might be thinking – duh! But it is important to have a few cutting boards on hand. If you want a low-maintenance option, I recommend this plastic dishwasher-safe cutting board set. They are affordable and a good size (I can’t stand the small cutting boards). Wooden cutting boards take a bit more maintenance, but I love using my wooden cutting boards. Pro tip: they double as a serving platter for a snack spread or charcuterie!
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10. Liquid & Dry Measuring Cups
You will use these again and again – so it’s time to get a good set of liquid measuring cups and dry measuring cups!
11. The Spice Girl Kitchen Spices
You can’t meal prep without a good set of spices! Lucky for you, I have created the best salt & sugar-free, culturally inspired seasoning line on the market. The flavor is done for you, so add it to whatever you are cooking and it will taste like that culture! The spices are already well-balanced and ready to go. Just remember to salt to taste! I recommend starting with my easier blends, like Mexican, Cuban, Okie Rub, Greek, or Cajun!
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Additional Items To Consider
These items aren’t as “essential” as the ones above. You can absolutely meal prep without these things. However, I do find that they make life easier, so let’s run through them together quickly:
12. Food Scale
Definitely helps with weighing protein and with any recipe that lists ingredients by weight.
13. Vegetable Chopper
Dice and chop with ease with this multi-functional vegetable chopper. Plus, it doubles as a storage container! I use it to cut up bell peppers & onions for the week for my egg scrambles.
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14. Blender
I am a smoothie-lover. So a blender is necessary for our household. But blenders can also be used to make dressings, marinades, sauces, and soups! Here is the blender we have (very aesthetic) but this is a more affordable option!
15. Food Processor
If you want to start making dips, sauces, pesto, or salsa – you will want a food processor! They definitely come in handy!
P.S. Shop everything mentioned in this post by clicking this link!
I hope you try some of these items and find that they make your life a little easier!
This post was all about Meal Prep Essentials.
Did you try these items? Make sure to tag me @thespicegirlkitchen_ on Instagram or @thespicegirlkitchen on TikTok! I love seeing you CRUSH IT! I will be your ultimate hype woman!
Want to learn more about Kelsey? Click here to read her story!
