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

    31 Products If Preparing Food Every Single Day Is Wearing You Out

    A microwave pasta maker, food subscriptions that send you pre-portioned ingredients, an automatic pan stirrer — cooking doesn't have to be hard.

    1. A versatile chop, slice, and dice unit here to simplify your meal prepping! Forget chopping your veggies one by one and having to clean a cutting board when you can just toss 'em in this device! And when you're done, just pop out the interchangeable blades and throw 'em in the dishwasher!

    Reviewer putting a potato on a flip top lid cutter and bringing the lid down to chop it into pieces
    The unit chopping an onion

    Fullstar is a small business established in 2017 that specializes in kitchen gadgets. 

    Check out a TikTok of the veggie chopper in action. 

    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 $32.99 (available in three colors).

    2. A Souper Cube so you can store soup or sauce in convenient single-serving portions that make it easy to defrost *only* the amount you need! Each tray has four spaces that fit one cup of liquid each. Now when you don't feel like making an entire meal from scratch, you can say "WAIT — we have soup!"

    Reviewer photo of their chicken noodle soup in the tray
    Reviewer photo of their frozen chicken noodle soup

    Souper Cubes is a US-based small business that specializes in bake-and-freeze storage products. 

    Promising review: "So happy that I found these. I’m the only one in my household who enjoys soup year-round. Have you ever tried to make homemade soup for one? I say it’s impossible! But no longer. I can brew up the stock pot with bone broth or my favorite home soup. Fill up my Souper Cubes, freeze, pop out, store my goodies in a freezer bag, and I’m ready for the next batch!" —Debbie R. Texas

    Get it from Amazon for $19.95+ (available in three colors and multipacks)

    3. A one-handed salad spinner in case the thought of drying your greens by hand and *still* winding up with soggy lettuce makes you *less* motivated to throw together a salad. With this, you can simply press down on the pump to spin your greens, and hit the brake button when they're dry!

    a reviewer photo of the salad spinner sitting inside a fridge
    a gif of a reviewer spinning lettuce in the salad spinner

    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 $29.95

    4. An Instant Pot to make your friends and family think you're a brilliant cook, when really you just followed a few simple directions and let this useful device do the rest. You won't believe how quick and simple it is to make dishes that actually taste incredible using this appliance that's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté-r, yogurt maker, and warmer all in one!

    It can prepare food up to 70% faster than other methods. It can keep food warm automatically for up to 10 hours, and there are three temperatures for sautéing and slow-cooking. The inner cooking pot, lid, and steam-rack are dishwasher-safe! Check out Instant Pot review for more deets!

    Promising review: "This is quite possibly the coolest, most versatile kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned. I love it so much that I’ve purchased two more for friends and relatives. What can it do? I think the real question is 'What can’t it do?' I truly believe you could replace every cooking appliance (including your oven and stove top) and do EVERYTHING in the Instant Pot. I purchased two sizes for my own use: the 3-quart (which is my almost-every-day workhorse for two person dishes) and the 8-quart (which I bring out to handle my dinner party dishes). Everything I’ve tried has been fabulous. In the realm of kitchen appliances, there is no better investment than the Instant Pot. Highly recommended!!!" —Stereoman

    Get it from Amazon for $79.99+ (available in three sizes and styles).

    5. A vented microwave food cover, because the last thing you need when trying to quickly heat your leftovers is spills, splatters, and explosions that'll leave you with more of a mess than you bargained for.

    Promising review: "Sometimes the simple things in life are often the most impactful. On far too many occasions I make a mess in the microwave — think minestrone soup all over the insides. This collapsible cover saves me from having to clean up explosions, and the even worse tongue lashing from my wife. It covers several sizes of plates and vessels. The vent also releases the steam, reducing the soggy outcomes you get when using only paper. The folding handle is also very useful. Overall it is a well designed tool that every microwave should have. The price is right and it pays for it self with the reduced stress and angst. GREAT PRODUCT!" —Ms. Windermere

    Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in two sizes, three colors, and a set of three).

    6. And a set of Anyday microwaveable cooking bowls designed to make fast and delicious meals from scratch — in the microwave! The silicone-rimmed glass lid keeps the steam in the dish to ensure evenly cooked food, and you can use the same bowls to serve your meal as well as store and reheat the leftovers! If you love the sound of less dirty dishes and low effort, yet tasty meals, these are worth the investment! 

    six dishes with lids
    Anyday

    What's included: Large deep dish, large shallow dish, medium deep dish, medium shallow dish, and two small dishes. 

    Anyday is a small, modern cookware brand from Steph Chen. If you need some inspiration, check out Anyday's dish ideas which include recipes from the likes of David Chang and Joshua McFadden!

    Promising review: "Giving five stars does not do this dish justice; it needs five billion stars! This has to be the BEST product I have ever purchased in my life. Since I do not have access to a stove or oven, these dishes have allowed me to 'cook' chicken, salmon, tilapia, shrimp, pork chops, and vegetables with just a microwave! Genius!! Thank you Anyday for this beautiful ray of sunshine you have bestowed upon my life." —SR

    Get it from Anyday for $170 (originally $200; available in three colors). 

    7. Clip-on bag stands so you can say goodbye to struggling to hold a Ziploc bag open with one hand and attempting to pour leftovers in with the other without making a big mess. That song and dance ends NOW. 

    Five bags being held up by the clips to be filled with food
    Amazon

    They're *also* great for air drying bags you've washed out to reuse.

    Promising review: "I used three of these to help me make freezer meals for after I have a baby. I can honestly say I don't know how I would have filled the freezer bags without these ingenious baggy holders. I was able to dump veggies, spices, meat, and cans of heavy beans and tomatoes into the bags, and they stood up the entire time without sliding or spilling. One of the bags I stuffed literally to the brim, as full as it could go, and the bag did not fall down. I would definitely recommend these." —Tom S.

    Get a pack of two from Amazon for $11.99 (also available in larger packs).

    8. A brilliant Kitchen Cube all-in-one measuring cup with over 19 measurements to make portioning out wet and dry ingredients a lot faster and easier. Instead of digging through drawers looking for the right spoon or cup and trying to do math to figure out conversions, you can rely on this thing! Plus, it has both US and metric measurements just to make your life even simpler.

    the teal kitchen cube, which has different measurements on each of its sides, next to its box
    Amazon

    It's made of BPA-free food grade material, has both US and metric measurements, and is dishwasher- and microwave-safe!

    Kitchen Cube was founded in Minneapolis by a group of entrepreneurs who were tired of having a bunch of measuring tools cluttering up and getting lost in their drawers!

    Promising review: "First of all I gotta say, I don’t cook much, and if there’s something I hate after cooking it's having to wash a bunch of utensils once I use them. This cube has been amazing; I don’t have to wash a million utensils over and over, it’s very easy to use, easy to clean, and it’s very handy to use when I’m meal prepping for the week. I bought this out of curiosity and ended up enjoying it a lot. If a regular guy like me is enjoying it, I’m sure it would be a great tool for people who cook or bake on a regular basis." —Daniel Matajira

    Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

    9. A set of reusable toaster oven bags for when you're craving grilled cheese but can't imagine turning on the stove or dirtying a pan. Now you can toast your entire sandwich at once for a quick meal with minimal effort! 

    a toaster with the light brown paper bag around an uncooked grilled cheese
    reviewer image of a grilled cheese they made sing the toaster bags

    You can also heat up pizza slices, chicken nuggets, and more with it, meaning you'll have dinner ready in a matter of minutes. Reviewers say these are also great for anyone with a gluten allergy who needs to keep their bread separate in the toaster.

    Promising review: "TikTok made me buy this!! I do not regret it. :) Great purchase for the grilled cheese lovers. It's easy to use, easy to clean, and easy to store. Highly recommend." —Gloria Nunez

    Get a four-pack from Amazon for $8.99 (also available in a 6- and 10-pack).

    10. A set of foodie dice if the hardest part of making dinner is...deciding what to eat. Now you can simply roll the dice and let the universe come up with a combination of ingredients and cooking methods so you don't have to.

    A set of wooden dice with different foods engraved in the wood of each side
    Two Tumbleweeds/Etsy

    Two Tumbleweeds is an Arizona-based, sister owned Etsy shop established in 2014 that specializes in products for foodies and people who like to cook.

    Each set includes five main dice (protein, cooking method, grain/carb, herb, bonus ingredient) and four seasonal veggie dice. All you gotta do is roll 'em up and send them scattering and they will decide what kind of meal you should try to prep. Bonus — these are all naturally gluten-free, if you or a foodie you love has any dietary restrictions!

    Promising review: "Such a fun gift! My husband loved the idea and we already successfully made a dish!" —Kasia

    Get it from Two Tumbleweeds on Etsy for $20.40 (originally $24).

    11. A rapid egg cooker that'll make it much faster and easier to prepare a delicious and nutritious breakfast! This impressive lil' device can make hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, and scrambled eggs in just minutes! It can even make an omelet if you wanna feel fancy without the extra effort.

    Reviewer photo o f rapid egg cooker with six eggs inside
    Reviewer photo of six eggs cooked with rapid egg cooker

    See it in action on TikTok here!

    Promising review: "If you are on the fence about getting one of these, GET ONE. It really is as easy as it sounds to have a perfectly cooked egg, no guesswork. Soft-boiled eggs took me about 11 minutes to make. Just have an ice bath ready next to the cooker and let the eggs sit for a minute or two in there...peels come right off :) Makes healthy eating a breeze in the morning! Where has this been all my life!??!?" —rebecca

    Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in six colors).

    12. A stainless-steel butter spreader because butter on toast should be a super quick, stress-free snack to prepare when you can't imagine getting involved in something more complicated. Cut to you struggling to evenly spread cold hunks of butter and crying out "can't anything be truly easy??" It can now! This spreader is designed to gently curl butter onto your bread so you can stop digging into it and winding up with hole-y, unevenly buttered toast.

    Promising review: "My brother and his wife received a knife like this as a wedding present and I had to try it for myself. I only buy real butter and I keep in the fridge, so this is so helpful to get the right amount of butter to spread on toast. It really is a neat little find!" —K. Carbo

    Get it from Amazon for $10.49 (also available in a two and four-pack).

    13. Or a butter bell to keep butter fresh on the counter, so when it comes time to spread it on some toast, you'll be amazed at how smoothly and easily it goes on!

    reviewer's butter bell on kitchen counter
    better bell with lid cup filled with butter and bottom half full of water

    Promising review: "This looks great on the counter and works well! It makes butter easy to spread and stays fresh with natural water seal. I should have bought one of these years ago!" —jlw

    Get it from Amazon for $27.95+ (available in 14 colors).

    14. clip-on silicone colander that'll take the ~strain~ out of straining noodles. It's flexible, cleans up easy, and can be attached to cookware of almost any size!

    reviewer pic of the strainer attached to a pot draining water out of pasta
    Gif of using the colander to strain water out of a pot it's attached to

    Here's why BuzzFeed market editor Abby Kass loves this:

    "I recently picked one of these up, and it is such a game changer. I have hated using a colander so much. It's so bulky, hard to use, and takes SO much time to clean. This solves all those problems. I've clipped it on various pots and pans, and it's fit every single one. It makes it ridiculously easy to strain the water out of the pasta and even the excess fat from ground beef. I'm throwing my old colander away because it will never be used now that I have this genius tool!"

    Promising review: "Love, love, love this pasta strainer!!! My husband and I hate cleaning out the strainer, so I ordered this to make life easier. OMG, does it make life easier!!! If this ever breaks, I’ll be ordering another! It’s very sturdy and easy to use. Absolutely love it!" —ShylohsRedShadow

    Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in five colors). 

    15. A nonstick, food-safe baking mat because cooking in the oven is even *easier* if you can avoid having to scrape a baking pan clean after.

    A reviewer's vegetable and mozzarella sticks cooking on a sheet pan
    A reviewer's croissants cooked on a sheet pan

    Promising review: "I use these mats multiple times a day. They make cleanup super easy, which is really important in my hectic life. They wipe off easily with just water." —Tasia Lung

    Get a set of two from Amazon for $12.59 (available in two styles and larger packs).

    16. And some reusable air fryer liners so you can air fry to your heart's content without having to spend time cleaning afterward since it's dishwasher-safe!

    a reviewer's red liner
    a reviewers shows the black liners in the air fryer

    Promising review: "I absolutely love these liners. I love the fact that you get three in the package so you don’t have to immediately wash the one you’re using before you reuse it. You can just simply use one of the other two. This was a brilliant idea." —Roxanne C 

    Get a pack of three from Amazon for $10.17+ (available in six sizes, three shapes, and two colors).

    17. A genius tofu press — stop fussing with towels and heavy objects trying to get *all* the liquid out of your tofu. This makes the process much faster, simpler, and less messy — resulting in the perfect taste and texture!

    Tofu being pressed inside plastic container
    TofuBud

    BTW locals, TofuBud is a small biz based in San Fransisco!

    Promising review: "I was resistant to getting a tofu press. Another kitchen gadget! But this little guy does not disappoint. It saves time and is clean, fast, and easy. I thought I would want something made of wood or metal — but really this is just the thing. It’s cute, rinses out licketty split, and gets the job done without messing up towels or having to boil off extra water. My countertop stays clean. I’ve been a vegetarian all my life and this little gadget is already indispensable." —Maria Lewis

    Get it from Amazon or TofuBud for $26.95.

    18. A rechargeable personal blender great for busy people or anyone with limited storage space. Just dump in your favorite ingredients, press the blend button, and enjoy. You can even take it on the go and use it as a travel mug!

    reviewer holding blender with light blue base and purple smoothie inside
    reviewer holding the same blender with strawberries and blueberries inside

    This blender comes with an ice cube tray and a funnel, plus you can remove the base to turn the blender itself into a drinking cup.

    Promising review: "As a very busy college student, I find it's hard to eat healthy. Between my limited dining hall options and my busy schedule, I needed a way to both eat my veggies and get to class on time. ENTER: this amazing blender bottle. BEST purchase my limited paycheck was ever used on. Fill 'er up with wilted salad bar spinach, crappy orange juice, a grainy apple, some ice, and BOOM...a shake is born. No need to head back to my dorm to plug it into a wall-socket base like most blenders. To my amazed friends, I am now the wizard of smoothies. They all want one now!" —Adrianna Simmons

    Get it from Amazon for $36.99 (available in six colors).

    19. Home Chef, which is the perfect thing to take the stress out of meal time. Just pick and customize your meals for the week, and pre-portioned ingredients will be delivered right to your door with easy-to-follow step by step recipes! Plus, they offer everything from five-minute to 30+ minute meals to accommodate your ever-fluctuating schedule.

    Meal types offered: Gluten-free, dairy-free, meatless, calorie-conscious, and carb-conscious meals

    What does it include? Portioned and labeled ingredients, and instructions for your choice of meals that take 30 minutes or 15 minutes to cook. Oven-ready meals that simply need to be popped into the oven are also available!

    Promising review: "Excellent flavors, easy to make, good variety of meals, arrive fresh and correctly prepared every time. Couldn't be more pleased. Has saved me time and money during the busy weekdays!" —Jessica

    Get it from Home Chef starting at $8.99/serving.

    20. Or a Blue Apron subscription — they'll send you fresh ingredients from farmers pre-portioned for specific dishes, plus easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions so you can get perfect results every time, *without* the hassle of grocery shopping, measuring ingredients, and hunting down recipes.

    Model cooking with various ingredients
    Blue Apron

    Meal types offered: Vegetarian, diabetes-friendly recipes, and family-style meals

    What does it include? fresh measured ingredients from family-run farms, measured spices, and recyclable packaging

    Get it from Blue Apron: a two-serving plan starting at $12.49/serving or a four-serving plan starting at $9.99/serving.

    21. A vegetable brush so you can skip the task of peeling potatoes and other veggies, and simply clean them instead — which is much faster and easier thanks to this tool!

    Promising review: "I’m delighted with this brush. With the rise of popularity of sweet potato dishes, I didn’t want to lose nutrition by tossing the skins. The amount of dirt this removes from the surface actually surprised me. The grip is comfortable. Go ahead! Grab the brush, and eat those skins!" —Jennifer Guerrero

    Get it from Amazon for $7.95.

    22. An oil mister because no one feels like ending up with greasy hands every time they dress a salad or do a little cooking.

    Promising review: "This is a great item for lightly spraying salads, roasting vegetables, or adding some oil to a prepared plate of pasta. Avoids using more oil than necessary so that’s a savings right there. I also use it to put a light coating of oil on all my cast-iron cookware to prevent rust. Best of all, it looks great on the dinner table. Lots of uses which really makes it an asset in the kitchen. It seems that it should last a while so I think it is worth the few bucks spent." —Clancy

    Get it from Amazon for $11.39.

    23. microwave pasta maker with a built-in strainer that lets you make perfect al dente pasta...IN THE MICROWAVE. Just insert noodles and water, stick it in the microwave, and you'll have delicious pasta in minutes. No mess or sticking!

    Model using the built-in strainer in the pasta maker to strain the water into the sink
    The pasta maker with uncooked noodles inside
    Amazon

    It even has handy serving size holes on top so you can ensure that you're putting the right amount of noodles inside!

    Promising review: "This little thing is great. I wish I'd bought it sooner. It's a very simple container with draining and measuring holes (for long pasta) in the lid. The container itself isn't anything special. Honestly, the part that makes it REALLY worth buying is the little instruction card. It accurately shows you how long to cook many different kinds of pasta, how much water to add, etc. It takes out all the guesswork, which saves SO much time. Every kind of pasta I've tried so far has come out perfectly al dente by strictly following the instructions." —T. B. H.

    Get it from Amazon for $17.99.

    24. And a portable, microwaveable Rapid Ramen Cooker for anyone who wants the flavor and texture of stovetop cooked noods without the hassle and wait time that stands between you and a delicious meal.

    Just add your noodles, fill with water to the water line marked inside the cooker, microwave for three minutes, and that's it! Perfect ramen noodles! Plus, this is BPA-free and can be put in the dishwasher!

    Rapid Brands is a California-based small business that specializes in dishwasher-safe, microwaveable, BPA-free kitchen products. 

    Promising review: "This thing is amazing. Crack the noodles, throw 'em in, put the spice packet in, fill the water to the line, microwave for four minutes, and they're perfect. Not too hard, not too soft. You can even add in frozen veggies at the start (just make sure they're under the noodles or on the side), and throw cheese on at the very last 30 seconds if you want. The handles don't get hot, so you can grab it right out of the microwave, and it's easy to clean to boot! This is just a DREAM for me when I'm feeling lazy. Oh, and they're dishwasher safe." —Jessica B

    Get it from Amazon for $10.98+ (available in 14 colors, two styles, and multipacks).

    25. A pair of bear claws that make it so much easier to shred meats. Hate getting your fingers covered in greasy rotisserie chicken? Use these instead!

    Model using the bear claws to shred meat
    Amazon

    Promising review: "Just yesterday, I was using these claws to turn a roast I was browning, and I declared my undying love for them. Then I remembered I haven't yet written a review for them. They seriously have changed my life as far as cooking meat. Flipping a chicken, or a goose, or a duck, turning a roast, transferring a roast from the rack onto the board for cutting, holding the meat steady while cutting — the claws do it all. They are like salad hands for your meat. Buy them and see your life change too!" —Anonymous

    Get them from Amazon for $20.99 (available in two styles).

    26. A Kochblume spill stopper to avoid a mess if your pot boils over. It traps excess foam and liquid so they don't spill all over your stove. No more hovering anxiously in the kitchen while waiting for your water to boil (and say goodbye to having a huge mess to clean up all because you BRIEFLY turned your head).

    The spill stopper in red on top of a pot on a stove with water boiling inside, illustrating that it will not boil over
    Amazon

    Promising review: "Wow wow wow, I have no words to describe how great this product is. I'm a mom with a large family who cooks and bakes all the time, and there is never a time that something doesn't spill over even when standing and watching the pot. With this, life has just gotten easy. I think I'm throwing out all my pot covers after using this."—Rackel

    Get it from Amazon for $20+ (available in three colors).

    27. An automatic pan stirrer for anyone who tends to forget to continuously stir certain ingredients and always ends up with clumpy results. It even has a built-in timer, so you can let it take over at the stove while you bask in the glory of your newfound free time.

    The three-pronged stirrer in a pan
    Uncommon Goods

    Promising review: "Honestly I laughed at myself for buying this. I stopped laughing the first time I used it! What a help! It freed me up to do other things while it stirred the sauce that needed constant attention. Bought another one! Not laughing now!" —Luvdvm

    Get it from Uncommon Goods for $25.

    28. An apple slicer here to make preparing a quick snack almost absurdly quick and easy. Try drizzling some honey over your perfect slices and thank me later. You'll never cut an apple by hand again!

    A closeup of the apple slicer
    Model demonstrating how to use the slicer to cut apples
    Amazon

    Promising review: "I didn't know that an apple slicer could be this amazing! I no longer have to fight to get the apple slices out of the slicer and rip them apart. The bottom of this slicer pushes the slices through which separates them. Mind blown! And as a bonus, the bottom protects the blade while being stored. It just keeps getting better!" —AZMom

    Get it from Amazon for $6.99.

    29. And a pepper corer if you want a handy tool that'll make it quick, easy, and mess-free to remove the stem, seeds, and core from your pep. 

    Hands holding the stainless steel corer with stem and seeds inside, and a cored pepper
    Amazon

    Promising review: "I love eating raw bell peppers and this handy gadget has been a real time-saver. Removes the core to make slicing up peppers much more efficient. Two thumbs-up for this ingenious kitchen gadget." —I love Amazon

    Get it from Amazon for $12.99.

    30. A pack of FryAway Waste Cooking Oil Solidifier Powder — with this, it'll be much easier to dispose of cooking oil, which should *never* be poured down the drain. Simply add this powder to the pan once you're done cooking, and it will solidify up to eight cups of oil so you can easily scoop it out and toss it straight into the trash — problem solved!

    A customer review photo of the pack of Fry Away for pan frying
    gif of reviewer using a spoon to remove the oil from a pan

    Promising review: "Quite impressive. After making some fries, we added a packet to the hot oil and stirred a few times. Maybe 10 minutes later, we checked the pan, and the oil had solidified. Using a wood spoon, we easily removed the solid and put it in the trash. I will always make sure to keep a pack of FryAway in our pantry. Highly recommended." —Ryan O.

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

    31. And finally, a splatter guard to help protect you from sizzling oil splashes that would just love to hop on out of the pan and land on your bare skin. Plus, now you won't have to give your entire stove a deep clean just because you were in the mood for latkes.

    cooktop with a pan with the cone-shaped frywall creating a larger guard to catch oil from it
    Amazon

    Frywall is a New York-based small business that specializes in protective kitchen accessories. 

    Promising review: "I was frying chicken with lard, and I put too much in the frying pan. A few minutes after putting the chicken in, the lard began to bubble up, and if I hadn't had the Frywall in place, it would have spilled all over my stove. The Frywall creates a seal around my frying pan, stopping spillovers. Splatters don't escape, it's easy to work around it (turning my chicken over), and when I'm done, I just throw it in the dishwasher. If you do any frying at all, you want the Frywall. Helpful." —Carl G Brown

    Get it from Amazon for $21.95 (available in four colors).

    Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.