13 Meal Prep Kitchen Tools Under $10

If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Including vegetable peelers and box graters.

Food & Wine / Amazon

The only way I get through the week without spending an unreasonable amount of money on takeout is by prepping a few ingredients over the weekend. I’ll usually steam some vegetables, batch-cook some grains, and roast chicken or chickpeas to mix and match with whatever is left in my refrigerator on Thursday night.

Shockingly, making so much food at once is easy to do if you have the right tools. Whether it’s a strawberry huller for easy, healthy snacks or sturdy kitchen tongs for tossing vegetables come dinnertime, I rounded up 13 gadgets that will change the way you meal prep. Oh, and did I mention that they’re all under $10?

Amazon

I rely heavily on juicers in my kitchen because I firmly believe that a splash of citrus is the key to rounding out most dishes. If you feel similarly, grab this $7 tool that comes recommended by nearly 9,000 Amazon shoppers. It’s simple to use, a cinch to clean, and the best way to squeeze all of the juice out of your limes and lemons.

Amazon

A durable box grater is how I make quesadillas and lasagnas taste better. Grated cheese is coated in a layer of starch to keep the strands from sticking together, which inhibits melting and changes the flavor slightly. It’s smarter to buy blocks and grate them fresh, especially when a box grater only costs $9. You can also use it to shred vegetables, zest citrus, and break down blocks of chocolate.

Amazon

The amount of fruit I eat during spring and summer is honestly a little alarming. I’m a particular fan of strawberries, but hate having to deal with the stems. This clever huller is a sneakily useful tool for cutting away the core without getting rid of too much flesh. No wonder it’s so popular at Amazon.

Amazon

We’re also nearing corn season, which means it’s time to boil, bake, grill, and shuck all the ears you can get your hands on. Do yourself a favor and grab OXO’s shopper-loved corn peeler to make quick work of this annoying task. One shopper swears it cut their prep time “in half,” adding that all it took was about “six strokes and the cob was clean.”

Amazon

Paring knives don’t have to be pricey to work well. Victorinox’s multi-functional model is loved by shoppers and professional chefs alike for its affordable price and easy-to-sharpen blade. It’s impressively lightweight and more than capable of cutting through onions, garlic, tomato cores, and more.

Amazon

A steamed meal is not only healthy, but it’s also easy to throw together. With a little water in a pan and a sturdy steamer basket, you can have a complete dinner on your table in less than 20 minutes. It’s a seriously undervalued cooking method that consistently delivers great results.

Amazon

It’s a lot easier to control the amount of olive oil you’re using with TrendPlain’s dual-use sprayer on hand. Shoppers love that they can set it to “mist” to coat chicken destined to be air-fried or “pour” to whip up a marinade for tofu. One shopper out of thousands who gave it a perfect rating called it the “best sprayer for the money.”

Amazon

Over 4,300 Amazon shoppers recommend Chef Craft’s liquid measuring cups for cooking and baking. They’re available in three sizes (1, 2, and 4 cups), all of which include metric and Imperial markings for easy conversions between the two measurement systems. They’re also dishwasher-safe for the easiest cleanup ever.

Amazon

Whether I’m tossing vegetables with olive oil, flipping chicken thighs over a stove, or serving fresh green salads, I use my stainless steel tongs. Winco’s model is a great find for under $10 because it’s dishwasher-safe, affordable, and known for its durability. I suggest grabbing a few, so you always have a clean pair waiting for you.

Amazon

Kitchen shears come in handy for everything from breaking down a chicken for homemade stock to snipping herbs for a fresh frittata. Since a quality pair is essential to keeping from cutting yourself, I’m putting my trust in over 69,300 Amazon shoppers and Food & Wine editors who all agree that these scissors are “sharp,” “durable,” and “comfortable” to hold.

Amazon

One of my favorite time-saving hacks in the kitchen is buying pre-cut parchment paper. It takes less than five seconds to grab a sheet from my drawer, which is a whole lot faster than cutting the correct amount from a roll. But the best part of using pre-cut parchment is that it comes out of the package completely flat, so I don’t have to uncurl it and dump food on my cookie sheet at the same time.

Amazon

It’s annoying how much space colanders take up in my kitchen cabinets. They’re necessary tools for draining pasta, rinsing raw rice, and washing fresh vegetables, but they’re also bulky and unwieldy. The solution? Building the bases out of silicone. For just $10, you get two colanders that collapse in on themselves for efficient storage.

Amazon

More than 42,000 Amazon shoppers swear by OXO’s vegetable peeler for peeling potatoes, carrots, chocolate, cheese, and more. What sets this peeler apart from the hundreds available on Amazon is that the head swivels to conform to the shape of the food you’re handling. It will also last a long time without rusting because its blades are made of stainless steel.