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Apr 02, 2024

34 Products To Simplify Meal Prep

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Because you've got enough on your plate, and it's seemingly everything except actual food.

BuzzFeed Staff

This cooker includes the base, clear lid, measuring cup, poaching tray, omelet bowl, boiling tray, and a handy little recipe book!

Promising review: "Where has this gadget been all my life?! I love to cook but I always find boiling water for eggs to be annoying. It's very easy to use and the eggs come out perfect! You just pick how you want to make your eggs, fill the cup with water to the appropriate line, pierce the egg, cover it, and turn on. All in all, it's a great product and I’m happy with this purchase." —Death2Barbie

In need of an egg cooker deep dive? Check out our Dash Egg Cooker review.

Get it from Amazon for $18.99+ (available in eight colors).

Promising review: "One of those 'why didn't I think of this?' kind of things. It makes cooking pasta so easy and foolproof! No trying to bend/break pasta to get it to fit into a round pan. The instructions tell you exactly how long to microwave it for the different size proportions." —EQUUS

Get it from Amazon for $17.99.

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 $29.99 (available in three colors).

Plus, all the water collects at the bottom so there's no mess and no need for paper towels.

Promising review: "I've been a vegan for 13 years and I can't believe I went this long without a tofu press. So much more enjoyable cooking with tofu after pressing it. This press is different than all the rest as it has a tray that catches all the water. You can put the whole thing in the fridge and it's hassle free. Take it out the next day and drain the liquid and you're good to go. The other presses require a plate underneath and some require tightening and adjustments as it presses. I'll admit after reading some of the reviews here of users with broken Tofuture presses I was hesitant to order but I've just been careful with mine and haven't had any problems so far." —Conner

Get it from Amazon for $21.95.

Promising review: "I would literally eat semi-wet lettuce because I could never get my salad completely dry after washing. This makes me want to make salad all the time now. Being able to have completely dry lettuce and your salad not being ruined by extra bits of water is top tier." —Aliyma Lewis

Get it from Amazon for $29.99.

Promising review: "I bought this for my mother, who has some problems with arthritis, and when we gathered around to see if it worked, we were all pretty impressed. It left the edge of the can crimped in a way that avoids those sharp edges, which I personally have been sliced by several times. At first, it didn't seem like it was working, but then we lifted it and boom! Open can. I might get one for myself, honestly." —Rachel C.

Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in four colors).

Dan-O's is a small biz that launched in 2017 and gained popularity on TikTok during the pandemic.

Promising review: "I became interested in this product while watching TikToks. I have been adding it to so many things. I use it in spaghetti, on fish, and one of my favorites is to add it to popcorn. My husband had to ask why my popcorn smelled like steak. I love the fact that it is low sodium as well. I am not a fan of extra salt and most foods already have plenty of salt but need some seasoning. This should be your go-to seasoning." —Heartcri

Get a pack of two (one original, one spicy) from Amazon for $13.98.

This is the air fryer I bought for my parents a couple of years ago and they ~love~ it. The first time my mom used it she noted how easy it was to clean, especially compared to traditional oil fryers. The nonstick frying basket is completely detachable and includes a dishwasher-safe basket.

Promising review: "I love fried food but I hate the mess. This contains everything so no splashing. Very easy to clean. I put the basket in the sink to soak while we eat and then lightly scrub afterward. So easy to make chicken wings, fried shrimp, and lots of vegetables. We got it for Christmas and my wife commented that I seem to use have used it every day since. Very happy." —Larry Greenblatt

Get it from Amazon for $44.99+ (available in four colors).

The set comes with two different-sized magnets.

Promising review: "I thought it over a few times then I bought these so I could have a quick reference handy for those times I wanted to make something in my air fryer, which is quite a bit. What surprised me is how often I refer to it. I just throw something in my air fryer glance at the section that lists the item I’m cooking. Press a few buttons on my fryer and I’m in business. No more having to search on my phone with wet fingers. A frivolous buy that turned out to be worthwhile." —PickyExtra

Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in black and white).

Promising review: "I was a little hesitant to buy this as an addition to my camping supplies. I thought who really needs a pancake batter mixer? How hard is it to mix up some batter in a bowl and ladle it? After using this, I was extremely happy I spent the money and purchased it. It makes mixing the batter super easy and the control it offers when pouring the batter is exceptional. Get one!" —Monkey's Mom

Get it from Amazon for $14.75+ (available in two colors).

Promising review: "So my husband thought I was ridiculous for buying this but I always cook pasta for a family of 10. I’ve been wanting this for a long time but also thought it was silly to spend money on it, but I must say this is needed in every kitchen! I did the portion for two people and thought 'pfft, that is tiny. Probably for a healthy skinny person,' but I thought to myself just go with it and let’s see the result and I must say I was shocked that me and my husband had our normal pasta portions and were full!" —Jacqui

Get it from Amazon for $6.99.

Promising review: "I loved Al so much, I sent one to each of my sisters. Not only is he whimsical, but he’s also fairly accurate. I’m making excuses to make pasta just so I can hear the tunes." —imlms

Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

Promising review: "Saw it on TikTok and had to get it! I love waffles but I don't always remember to buy them so I love being able to make them super easily with this mini waffle maker. It's so easy and convenient for me because I didn't want anything that would take up too much time and space. It's perfect. I also used the waffle recipe provided by Dash and it's great!" —Ken

Get it from Amazon for $9.95+ (available in 20 styles).

Promising review: "Brilliant. 100000% Recommend them! It lets me separate veggies by how long they take to cook so they are all ready at the same time and nothing is over/undercooked. I love these cheat sheets. They are a great tool for my kitchen." —yule

Get a set of four from Amazon for $29.99.

This set includes one tall container, four large, six medium, and four small containers.

Promising review: "I ordered this set to continue on the road to an organized pantry. There are enough containers and enough variety of sizes to make me happy. I have stored pastas and noodles, dried beans, rice, sugar, instant mashed potatoes, crackers, etc. When I open a box of something, I put whatever is unused into one of the containers and feel very secure that the contents will be fresh and protected from any possible insect problem." —R M

Get it from Amazon for $23.95+ (available in three colors).

The set of six includes five drawers with built-in handles and an egg tray with 14 slots.

Promising review: "My refrigerator and shelves are organized for the first time ever! I can just pull out a container and get what I need instead of having to move things all around to reach something in the back of a shelf." —..

Get a set of six from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in three colors).

Promising review: "I use these every single time I make something in my crockpot. It cuts down (A LOT) on the time I spend cleaning up after dinner and when I have been at work all day, that’s really nice. I have bought them four times in the past three years and the quality has never decreased, they are just great." —Julia Montoya

Get a six-pack from Amazon for $3.48.

Promising review: "Probably the coolest holder I have ever seen. Bought it for my wife and she loves it and thinks it's cute. I laugh when I look at it! Hangs on all of our pots and pans and stays cool. Easy to clean and looks awesome. Great addition to any kitchen. Works great and does exactly what it is intended to do!" —Logan E

Get it from Amazon for $13.35+ (available in five styles).

Sienna Sauce was started by then-14-year-old Tyla-Simone Crayton after her favorite wing place shut down and she asked her mom if they could recreate the sauce. Together they created something even better, an everything sauce that won the favor of the Sharks in season 12 of Shark Tank.

Promising review: "Saw this first on Shark Tank so I thought I would give it a try. I figured if nothing else, at least I would be helping a young entrepreneur. I ordered the sauce and the delivery was very fast. I received a three-pack of different flavors. I tried one and found it to be awesome so I tested each of the others and they were the same. I am now a devoted consumer of these sauces. This young lady has hit a home run with this product!" —Navys-Top9

Get a three-pack from Amazon for $29.85.

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 $29.99 (available in six colors).

Good news — Batteries are included!

Get it from our Goodful shop for $19.99.

Promising review: "I love this steamer. I recently started a low carb diet, which means eating more fresh vegetables. I use this daily and it does an excellent job. It doesn't burn your hands taking it out of the microwave and is super easy to clean. Definitely going to order some as gifts." —JRS

Get it from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in two sizes and in four colors).

Promising review: "Mincer is of solid metal, super easy to use and clean. I had doubts about that silicone peeler thing until I used it...where has this thing been my whole life??? Highly recommend this set." —Tara Burkey

Get it from Amazon for $7.99.

This little bloodsucker is 100% food-safe, BPA-free, and dishwasher safe!

Promising review: "I was getting very tired of the garlic presses that turn garlic into a mush and require incredible force to mash the clove into unrecognizable oblivion. This is far easier and turns the garlic into pieces rather than mush." —C. Pearlman

Get it from Amazon for $17.95.

Planning meals and going to the grocery store is the actual bane of my existence. The fact that EveryPlate sends me everything I need at a very affordable price is such a weight lifted off my shoulders! I've been using the service fairly regularly for over three years and its helped me learn new cooking techniques, order less takeout, and reduce food waste, because I don't get saddled with a whole bundle of green onions just for one lousy recipe. And lately, it's been a really easy way to eat more creative meat-free meals, because of their increasing (and delicious) vegetarian options.

Sign up for EveryPlate for $4.99+/serving.

FryAway is a woman-owned small business helping fried food lovers avoid goopy cooking oil messes.

Promising review: "This stuff really worked!!! I never know what to do with used oil and was watching a video about home products and saw this being used. So I figured I would try it. I didn't really think it would work, but I was amazed at how well it did and how easy it made it to put the solid oil in the trash afterward. The seller was awesome, not only did he send me the stuff in a super quick timely manner but also sent me a PDF on directions on how to use it to get it to work properly. Really nice." —Sabrina Bax

Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three styles).

Green City Living is a small biz based in Denver that specializes in eco-friendly home goods. They donate 2.5% of sales to Climate Emergency Fund, an organization that supports climate activists.

Promising review: "Worked great!!! Grease didn’t even get through to the plate underneath the sponge — DEFINITELY worth it!" —Cait

Get it from Amazon or from Green City Living on Etsy for $14.99.

Souper Cubes is a family-run small business with a passion for better frozen meal prep and food waste reduction! Plus, their products are BPA-free, dishwasher-safe, and it have fill lines on the side of the compartments for half and full cups.

Promising review: "LOVE LOVE LOVE. My freezer is so much more organized now. Gone are the days of having to defrost an entire bag of chicken broth for one cup for a recipe. I now have perfectly portioned 1/2-cup and 1-cup blocks ready to go. They fit easily in freezer bags, take up less space, and make me incredibly happy. There was a lot of attention to detail put into the design and I particularly appreciate the wire inside the rim that holds everything steady — no more worrying about spilling all the liquid on the way to the freezer. Just a fantastic product all around. I purchased this and a cheaper version from another manufacturer at the same time but returned the other product. This one is definitely worth the added cost." —Kate

Get it from Amazon for $19.95 (available in blue and charcoal).

Promising review: "Rarely do I buy something that delivers 100% of what they claim it will. I'm happy to report that this completely lived up to my expectations. Truth be told, it works even better than I expected it to. I made a batch of guac a week ago. Two or three times during the week, I unlocked it, dipped a chip or two and then re-locked it. After a week, the guacamole is as fresh as if I made it this morning. I typically make a batch of guac each week and use it as a snack or as a spread on sandwiches. I also typically throw out one-third of the batch because it spoils before we can eat it. Not any more. I estimate the food I'm not wasting will actually pay for the Guac-Lock in about a month." —mhogan

Get it from Amazon for $39.89.

Omsom is an Asian woman-owned small biz selling preservative- and artificial flavoring-free sauces from regions all across Asia to help up your cooking game with very little effort involved.

The sauce bundle includes: 2x Lemongrass BBQ, 2x Larb, 2x Sisig, 2x Spicy Bulgogi, 2x Yuzu Miso Glaze, 2x Spicy Mala for a total of 12 sauce starters that serve two to three.

Keep these sauces stocked in your pantry, and you'll always have a quick and easy dinner option that you can really get excited about. The recipes they provide really couldn't be simpler to shop for/follow and I've yet to make one that wasn't an absolute ~delight~ to put in my mouth. If you're sensitive to spice, I would be mindful of their chili pepper ratings before buying, but if you have a pretty average spice tolerance none of their meals should give you any trouble.

Get it from Omsom for $59.

Promising review: "I saw one of these in action at a friend's house like five years ago and thought it was just a made up memory, because making ice cream out of solely frozen fruit seems wild. But when I saw a TikTok about it I immediately went to Amazon and bought it. Literally this was the BEST decision of my life. I cannot believe still how amazing this thing is! It makes the creamiest, best tasting fruit ice cream ever. It’s easy to take apart and clean, and super easy to use." —DMCKAY

Get it from Amazon for $39.50+ (available in six colors).

Not just for sandwiches, these bags can be used in the toaster, microwave, oven, or on a grill to heat up pizza, burgers, pastries, and so much more! When you're done, just wash them in warm soapy water or in the dishwasher. They're designed to last through 50–100 uses.

Promising review: "At home, we use two different toasters since our son has a gluten sensitivity. Since we didn’t feel like traveling with the GF toaster for the holidays, we got these toaster bags. Not only did they toast a bagel nicely, but they also brought some really odd looks from people at the hotel breakfast bar which is one of my fortés in life. They wash up nice and we’ve gotten a few uses out of the first bag so far." —Gene

Get a set of four from Amazon for $8.99.

It's heat resistant up to 392 degrees Fahrenheit and is 100% dishwasher safe!

Promising review: "This pooper scooper looking strainer has become one of the most used gadgets in the kitchen. I didn’t like wire strainer because they were so hard to clean. This is super easy. And really good at picking food when I deep fry in the wok. I also use it for straining leftover soup when I’m done eating so I don’t clog up the sink drain. And super easy to clean." —oel

Get it from Amazon for $9.95.

A Dozen Cousins is a small biz aiming to create healthy, plant-based options that are actually convenient and authentic. The Black-owned brand is based in San Francisco and is named after the founder Ibraheem Basir's daughter, her 11 cousins, and all the family dinners they've shared.

My colleague Katy Herman is a big fan of these beans:

"This pack is from Black-owned, San Francisco–based bean brand A Dozen Cousins and comes with black beans, pinto beans, chickpea curry, red beans, refried black beans, and refried pinto beans. They're all vegan and made with avocado oil. I personally swear by their black beans, which I have just recently become completely obsessed with. They're so flavorful and perfectly seasoned and shockingly easy. Plus, one bag has about two small servings for one person, so I have leftovers the next day. I've been enjoying them with quesadillas and nachos, in homemade burrito bowls, and over microwave seasoned rice."

Get a variety six-pack from Amazon for $22.14.

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.