I’m an enormous fan of meal prepping. By cooking meals upfront, it makes it a lot simpler to eat wholesome all through the week, even whenever you’re pressed for time. It might additionally assist prevent cash, particularly in case you get takeout often, and guarantee much less meals goes to waste in your kitchen. Plus, with the proper meal prep necessities — and my free weekly meal plans — it’s straightforward to cook dinner a variety of wholesome recipes upfront. 

I’ve been meal prepping for years, and there are a number of instruments I all the time attain for to make the duty sooner and simpler. I’ve listed 12 of my must-have meal prep necessities under, together with my favourite meal prep containers, must-have freezer trays, the very best meals scale, and a number of other different helpful instruments that make cooking a breeze. 

My High Picks

1. Greatest Meal Prep Containers: Ello Glass Meal Prep Container Set – $31.22 at Walmart
2. Greatest Meals Scale: OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Meals Scale – $55.95 at Amazon
3. Greatest Freezer Trays: Souper Cubes – $34.99 at Amazon
4. Greatest Salad Dressing Containers: Salad Dressing Containers – $12.99 at Amazon
5. Greatest Vegetable Chopper: OXO Good Grips Vegetable and Onion Chopper – $22.95 at Amazon

Opinions of Meal Prep Necessities

1. Greatest Meal Prep Containers: Ello Glass Meal Prep Container Set

In the event you’re going to cook dinner meals upfront, the meal prep containers are important. I’ve tried out a number of choices over time, and my present favourite are the Ello Glass Meal Prep Containers, which are available in a set of 5. They’re constructed from sturdy glass with colourful silicone sleeves to guard the fabric, and the lids are hermetic and leak-proof, making it doable to take your meal on the go if wanted. Plus, the entire thing can go proper within the dishwasher for straightforward cleansing. 

Nevertheless, in case you want to maintain the elements of your meal separate, you would possibly like these 3-compartment containers from Bentgo. They’re cheap and are available in a set of 10, and the BPA-free plastic may be put within the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safely. The containers have one giant compartment to your important dish, in addition to two smaller sections the place you may put sides, snacks, or dressings. 

For common meals storage, I additionally love this glass container set from Pyrex. It comes with 9 completely different class containers of various sizes which might be nice for saving leftovers and can be utilized to prep completely different parts to your meals for the week. Plus, the colourful lids are freezer, microwave, and top-rack dishwasher protected.

Purchase the Ello Glass Meal Prep Container Set:

Purchase the Bentgo Prep 3-Compartment Meal-Prep Containers:

Purchase the Pyrex Meal Prep Merely Retailer Glass Rectangular and Spherical Meals Container Set:

2. Greatest Meals Scale: OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Meals Scale

It may be difficult to eyeball equal parts whenever you’re meal prepping, so I all the time wish to have my kitchen scale close by to verify each container will get the identical quantity of meals. I personally love the OXO Good Grips Meals Scale, which has a big measuring plate and easy-to-read show. It might measure in ounces, kilos, grams, or kilograms, and the show really pulls away from the bottom to make it simpler to learn in case you’re measuring into an enormous bowl or container. 

3. Greatest Freezer Trays: Souper Cubes

At any time when I make considered one of my soup recipes or a bunch of rice, I like to avoid wasting the leftovers utilizing my Souper Cubes. These silicone trays are extremely helpful—they’ve pre-portioned trays that maintain a single cup of meals, and you may put the entire tray proper into the freezer. The lids are sturdy plastic, permitting them to be stacked on high of one another, and whenever you wish to take a serving out, the versatile silicone makes it straightforward to come out the frozen meals and reheat it. 

4. Greatest Salad Dressing Containers: VITEVER Salad Dressing Containers

Salads are a fast and straightforward meal to make upfront, however I don’t advocate placing on the dressing, as it will probably make the elements mushy. As a substitute, I wish to hold the dressing separate, and these cute salad dressing containers are the proper measurement. They’re constructed from dishwasher-safe stainless-steel with silicone caps, and so they every maintain round 2.4 ounces. You may simply tuck the little cups into your meal prep containers, and so they’re additionally nice for condiments like mayonnaise or ketchup. 

5. Greatest Vegetable Chopper: Cuisinart Core Customized 4-Cup Mini Chopper

Some meal prep recipes, resembling my Rainbow Quinoa Salad, require fairly a little bit of chopping, and if you wish to velocity up the method, the Cuisinart Core Customized 4-Cup Mini Chopper is a helpful device to have within the kitchen. As a substitute of dicing the elements along with your chef’s knife, you may merely place them inside this small meals processor and whirl away for completely sized items. It’s vital device to avoid wasting time in case you like making chopped salads, sauces, salsa, or any dishes with numerous chopped greens. 

6. Greatest In a single day Oats Containers: Ball Common Mouth Mason Jars

I like making Cinnamon-Raisin In a single day Oats or Apple Pie In a single day Oats for a straightforward, high-fiber breakfast on busy mornings, and Ball Mason Jars are good for portioning out single servings. These cheap jars, which are available in a pack of two, maintain 8 ounces every—excellent for one breakfast—and include screw-on lids that create a leak-proof seal. In addition they can be utilized for different meal prep recipes, like my Watermelon Feta Arugula Salad. 

I additionally like utilizing these thicker plastic lids for my mason jars as a substitute of the lids they arrive with. Not solely do I really feel that they’re extra sturdy, however in addition they look tremendous fairly!

7. Greatest Storage Baggage: Stasher Reusable Silicone Storage Bag

In the event you like to cut up veggies upfront or portion out snacks to seize and go, Stasher’s silicone storage luggage are a terrific various to single-use plastic luggage. They’re constructed from a thick layer of silicone that is available in a rainbow of colours, and so they type a good, leak-free seal to maintain the contents from dripping into your lunch field. The most effective half is the baggage are dishwasher-safe, so you may simply wash them and reuse them each week. 

8. Greatest Muffin Pan: Wilton Recipe Proper Muffin Pan

Muffin pans won’t seem to be a meal prep important, however they’re really fairly versatile. I take advantage of them to make handy single servings of recipes like Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups, Loaded Egg Muffins, and Mini Quiche, all of that are easy, wholesome breakfast choices for busy mornings. In the event you don’t have already got a muffin pan, I like this set from Wilton, which incorporates two pans and has a nonstick end that ensures your meals comes out simply. Every of the trays holds six muffins, which is nice whenever you don’t have to make a full dozen. 

9. Greatest Salad Spinner: OXO Good Grips Giant Salad Spinner

I like to scrub my lettuce after chopping it up, and the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner can deal with giant portions — ultimate in case you’re prepping salad for the entire week. The bowl can maintain greater than 6 quarts (roughly 24 cups), and it’s straightforward to function because of its non-slip backside and huge pump button. It has a brake that can cease the interior bowl from spinning immediately, and the lid comes aside so you may clear it simply. The outer bowl also can double as a salad bowl!

10. Greatest Strain Cooker: Instantaneous Pot Duo 7-in-1 

A few of my favourite meal prep recipes, resembling Baked Oatmeal Bars and Hen Noodle Soup, may be made in an Instantaneous Pot. These versatile stress cookers are in a position to cook dinner recipes tremendous quick in comparison with different cooking strategies. It’s additionally practical and has different cooking features, together with a gradual cooker, rice maker, steamer, and extra. The Instantaneous Pot Duo has a 6-quart capability that may put together as much as six servings without delay, and I nonetheless use mine on a weekly foundation, which makes it completely value it.. 

11. Greatest Egg Cooker: Sprint Fast Egg Cooker

Arduous-boiled eggs are a superb supply of protein whenever you’re meal prepping, and I wish to eat them for breakfast, add them to my salads, or use them to make Egg Salad. There are a number of methods that you would be able to make boiled eggs, however the Sprint Egg Cooker is among the sooner and best choices. This cute little equipment holds as much as six eggs at a time, and it’ll cook dinner them to mushy, medium, or exhausting boiled firmness in only a few minutes. It might additionally make different forms of eggs, together with scrambled, poached, and even omelets. 

12. Greatest Mixing Bowls: Pyrex Sensible Necessities Mixing Bowl Set

If you wish to put together large batches of meals to retailer within the fridge, these mixing bowls have tight-fitting lids. The goass are available in a set of 4 that nest collectively, and so they vary in measurement from 1-quart to 4-quart. The lids and bowls are shade coordinated, so you may all the time discover the proper one, and I like that the containers are see-through, so you realize what’s inside. Plus, each the bowls and lids may be put within the microwave, freezer, and dishwasher. 

13. Greatest Sheet Pans: Nordic Ware 3 Piece Baker’s Delight Set

Bulk roasting greens initially of the week is tremendous useful for meal prepping. Afterward, you may retailer them in containers and add them to grain bowls or salads for fast wholesome meals. I like this set from Nordic Ware, which comes with 1 / 4 sheet, jelly roll, and half sheet pan, and the number of sizes may be useful for various parts.

Why You Can Belief Me

I’m Gina, the creator and recipe developer behind Skinnytaste, which is devoted to sharing wholesome, family-friendly recipes made with seasonal, clear, entire meals. Along with posting my newest recipes, I additionally publish free weekly 7-day meal plans that can assist you to plan forward and make scrumptious recipes for your loved ones, together with choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Whereas you may make the meals as you go, the plans are additionally good for meal prepping — particularly if in case you have a busy week developing. 

I put collectively this listing of meal prep necessities utilizing my very own experiences. Lots of the merchandise are ones that I take advantage of in my very own kitchen, and I like that they make meal prepping sooner, simpler, and extra handy. The objects I haven’t personally examined are highly-rated choices that come really useful by different cooking professionals and 1000’s of evaluations. 

Costs have been correct at time of publication.