The Best Kitchen Gadgets To Cut Down On Prep Time

Slicing and dicing ingredients by hand might be efficient for professional chefs, but home cooks need an edge. Here are our favourite gadgets for reducing prep time that allow you to put down the knife.

OXO Good Grips Garlic Press, $20

Ignore the haters: A garlic press made of non-reactive metal is a perfectly fine substitute for mincing by hand. Crushing can actually coax more flavour out of each clove because it produces a chemical reaction that enhances garlic’s allium potency.

Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor, $300

Fistfuls of greens, mountains of shredded cheese, pie-crust dough—a food processor can power through it all, and it more than makes up for its price and counter-space footprint if you use it often. The Chatelaine kitchen has been using a Cuisinart model for years; they come in a variety of sizes, hold up to almost any kitchen job and last forever.

KitchenAid Classic Egg Slicer, $14

A good-quality egg slicer will outshine most sharp knives when it comes to cleanly sliced or diced hard-boiled eggs, but it’s also a speedy option for soft produce of a similar size. Strawberries, mushrooms, and more are cut with a single swipe. Bonus: It’s a perfect tool for small kids to use.

ZWILLING Multi-Grater, $50

Salad fanatics, scalloped potato lovers and stir fry devotees, take note: A mandoline is a godsend for large amounts of produce. We love Zwilling’s grater-style version, which includes four different cutting blades and a safety handle for holding produce tight and protecting your fingertips.

Cuisinart Smart Stick 2-Speed Hand Blender, $80

We reach for an immersion blender any time we’re making a blended soup—it’s faster than using (and washing) a full-size blender. Cuisinart’s high-speed version comes with three accessories that allow you to whip egg whites and salad dressings and mince small amounts of produce in a snap.