Save Time in the Kitchen with these 4 Tools

Cooking may not always get done in a flash, but there are ways to ensure that time in the kitchen is time well spent. Having these 4 tools in your kitchen will help you save time and get cooking done more efficiently.

  • By Jess Dang
  • June 20, 2016

I used to be one of those people who was happy to spend all day in the kitchen . . . and then I became a mother.

I’ve always cared a lot about efficiency but having a small little human being completely dependent on me made me really care about efficiency — because there’s a whole lot more to get done these days!


Luckily, I’ve got a few tools in my kitchen that have always made my time in the kitchen uber efficient.


Honestly, every time I use them, I think about all the hours they’ve freed up for me and I feel grateful that I’ve made these investments.

Here they are in no particular order:

4 Tools that Help Save Time in the Kitchen


1. Food processor

I was making a huge slaw the other day and had to grate 2 pounds of carrots. With the grater disc, it took ~3 minutes to turn a dozen plus whole carrots into perfectly uniform teeny tiny shreds. And then I just disassemble and put all the parts in the dishwasher. Seriously, magic!

2. Slow cooker

I try to spend most of my post-work time with Baby N, which means I find myself prepping dinners in the morning instead. This is totally doable thanks to my slow cooker. I get everything prepped and program it to cook while I’m out at work.

Whether you have a traditional slow cooker or an Instant Pot, this tool is perfect for reducing the many hours we spend hovering over hot pots. Plus, I get to walk into a house that smells like I’ve been cooking for hours.

3. Immersion blender

We did away with our traditional blender a few years ago because our immersion blender takes up less space and is just as good. I tend to make a lot of pureed soups because they’re easy to prep, very freezable and you can dump anything you want in them.

I know lots of people love their Vitamix for that job, but with an immersion blender, you save so much time from not having to transfer small batches into a blender. It allows you to bring your blender right into any sized pot of soup. Not to mention, its slim shape makes cleaning a breeze.

4. Knife skills class

Ok, I’ll admit this is not a physical tool per se, but knowing how to use a knife properly will be the best time-saving asset in your cooking toolkit. You’ll use a knife almost every single time you cook, so making sure you understand how to use one properly and safely will pay huge dividends in time saved and health benefits (because you won’t get so frustrated that you’d rather just not cook and default to not-as-healthy options).

So go and find a knife skills class in your area – Yelp is a great place to look. I promise you, it’ll be some of the best money you’ll ever spend.

If you can’t find one or just love Cook Smarts (I sure hope so!), consider joining Nourish, our 6 week online cooking program, dedicated to making your knife your best friend in the kitchen, among many other skills.

You can learn all about what Nourish can do for you here and also sign up to get the schedule and course syllabus for our next class.


It truly is a transformative experience, and we hope you’ll join for what surely will be our best class yet!


What tools have helped you save time in the kitchen? Please share with us in the comments below!


Note: We are not paid to endorse any of the above products. However, all Amazon links are affiliate links, which means Amazon gives us a small percentage of the revenues if you decide to buy the item through them. This helps us continue our mission of delivering lots of smart cooking info to you, all for free. Thanks for supporting us!


We’re always on the lookout for ways to improve efficiency in the kitchen, and having your kitchen stocked with the right equipment is one step to easier cooking. For more essential kitchen tools, visit our guide here.

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