Having the right tools makes a world of difference in outcome and consistency. Through years of experience, there are staples in my kitchen that we use every single day to make it possible to get results and keep them. Without these tools, the job would be harder, take longer, and food would be a heck of a lot more boring.

When clients begin to struggle, show signs of getting bored, or simply say it takes too long, my first investigation is to see how they are cooking and with what.

This list is comprised of the top tools that not only I use, but other successful coaches as well! Take a look through and see where you could be making your meal prep easier.

Airfryer

A big reason why people can’t stick to an eating plan is because of the blandness of food, or not knowing how to cook very well. The Airfyer can help with both. It is truly some of the juiciest chicken breast I’ve had, and if you can read instructions, they do a good job explaining exactly how to cook a chicken breast in the manual.

That being said, I must say, not all Air Fryers are created equal and they might not be the best choice for large families. An InstaPot or CrockPot might be a better go-to for bigger preps or families.

When our first one died, we thought we would “upgrade” to a larger one with different features. It turns out that there were so many aspects to the new one that made it more difficult to use. We ended up returning it and reordering a the same version we had in the first place.

If you are wondering, it is the Instant Vortex Plus 10 Quart Air Fryer by Instant Pot. It’s easy to use, the trays cool down quickly, and the results are unmatched! There are two shelves, making it easy to cook multiple items at once.

On another note, we’ve noticed that having a mini oven finger mitt for our airfryer is the perfect match.

Steamer Bowl

You could simply get steam-in-a-bag veggies, but they can start to lean more on the bland side of things or become a texture issue. If this is true, getting a steamer bowl makes measuring and steaming veggies simple and quick!

Every day, or if I’m prepping for multiple days, I simply measure out the raw vegetable in the bowl on the scale, throw some water in it, and pop it in the microwave. We also use this bowl to make most of our rice for prep!

This one is easy to search and made by many different companies. Personally, we like the Pampered Chef one. So, if your friend is a consultant, be sure to snag this very affordable item that will save you tons of time and add great texture!

Solid Pan

This one is tough to come by, but when you find it, you’ll save so much energy. I know you likely already have a ton of pans, but how many are actually solid to use? Meaning they don’t need deep scrubs to clean them off. Let’s face it, another reason we might not want to cook is because the clean up is horrendous. So, if we can lesson this as well, it’s another win towards making cooking easier.

Many pans claim non-stick and easy to clean but as you likely have experienced, that’s not always the case. Once again, pampered chef wins here in my book. Their non-stick line is truly what it says it is.

Scale/Measuring Tools

One of the biggest things we hear when consulting a client about nutrition are the many nebulous measures of how much food the client is eating. A handful, some, a little, a splash, etc. While this might seem like an okay measuring system, a real tablespoon of peanut butter or oil can quickly become the calories of two tablespoons, adding an extra 100 or so calories to just one small moment in a day’s eating.

A lot of the success in any kind of body recomposition, losing or gaining weight, or overall healthy eating is due to knowing how much we are consuming. A simple kitchen digital scale and set of measuring spoons will go a long way in helping ensure you are actually eating as much as you think you are.

Whatever fits your fancy will work here. There is no brand I’ve found to be better than another. There is no need to get the big fancy one that tells you calories or anything. Remember, we’re trying to keep things easier and more simple. I just recommend one that can measure grams, oz, and ml.

Tupperware

Not much explaining needed here. You need stuff to store your cooked food for ease of grabbing when you need it.

But, before just going out and grabbing fun ones with multiple compartments or way more than you need, think about how you’re actually going to be using and prepping your food.

For instance, I love mixing all of my food together in a bowl, so compartments don’t really make sense for me. If you don’t like your different food touching, you might want to think about the compartments.

You also have to consider if you will meal prep two days a week or do you work from home where you can cook each meal as it comes?

If you go into work and need to prep, you can prep the night before, the morning of, or a couple days in advance. I would highly recommend getting a fun lunch box that holds all this food too. Something to be excited about!

A Good Quality Blender

Chalky or chunky shakes are the worst, along with a tired hand from beating and mixing. If you are going to be drinking protein shakes or making recipes, you’ll likely want to invest in a solid blender than produces a smooth finish. Many fit recipes call for protein powder, or other ingredients that need mixing and well, old school takes longer.

Most brands today make a pretty solid choice here. No need to overthink, just don’t go for the cheapest option. Once again, think about your day and how you’re going to use it. Do you want frozen fruit in your shakes for a denser texture? Make sure you get one that markets that. Need a big mixing container for a bigger recipe? Make sure you get a blender that has an option for that!

Shaker Bottles

It’s likely you have a couple already but if protein shakes or any powdered drink is in your regime, having a good selection of different shaker bottles is a helpful way to be ready.

Having a few that aren’t insulated but also having a couple that are will keep you ready for any circumstance.

Seasonings

Bland. This is a huge issue when people start eating better. Just because you stopped going out to eat as much, kicked processed foods, and are eating veggies more does NOT mean you can’t use seasonings and add tons of flavor to each meal.

G Hughes makes a sugar free line of barbeque sauces, ketchup, marinades and dressings. If you like sauce, this is definitely the route to go without packing on a ton of sugar calories. Some can be used while cooking and others are a nice finisher.

Flavor God is known for creating very fun seasoning mixes without any weird additives. You likely won’t find them in many stores but they do have bundle packs you can buy online. Plus, they are always posting fun recipes by people in the fitness industry if you’re looking for something interesting.

Salt, pepper, and citrus are so highly underused! Do not be scared of salt, we need it. Adding a small pinch of kosher salt while cooking your food can make a big difference in flavor town. Topping your finished meals with lemon or lime can also send you into layers of flavor for each bite!

Garlic and onion can pack a ton of flavor into your food at the beginning stages of cooking. My husband taught me this trick and it’s been a game changer. When cooking in a pan, heat your chopped garlic in the oil until you can smell the garlic aroma (pay attention and move quick because you don’t want to burn the garlic). The flavor will now be throughout the entire dish because you just flavored the oil! Onion can also do something similar or if you’re going for a different flare, you can even chop up green onion to top a dish with!

There are tons of kitchen appliances and tools out there and available. The best thing you can do is going through your daily or weekly food prep and then review. What was a pain to make? What wasn’t really yummy? How could I improve that process or make that taste better?

You can’t know which tools you actually need unless you know the job at hand!