5 kitchen tools that simplify weekday cooking

Cooking up a healthy (and tasty) dinner after a demanding workday is a worthy goal, but, let’s face it, also a bit of a challenge. Even the simplest home-cooked meal typically takes more time than estimated, and finding motivation in the kitchen after a long day at the office is hardly a given.

One way to make weeknight dinners more manageable is to be organized and well equipped with convenient, smartly designed tools that reduce time and frustration in the kitchen. The items we’ve selected, below, comprise a range of kitchen accessories and tools that, among other things, improve efficiency, save time, and make cleanup easier. Bon appétit!

Kizen Digital Meat Thermometers for Cooking

Get an accurate temperature reading in as little as 3 seconds with the Kizen kitchen thermometer. This digital thermometer features a probe and a flat handle that’s been fitted with a large LED display. Simply insert the probe, and watch the screen light up with the temperature. Whether used indoors or for outdoor grilling, whether roasting meat and chicken, baking bread or heating oil, the Kizen thermometer is a convenient, efficient device that delivers an accurate temperature gauge within seconds.

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Plastic Carving Board with Groove

Nothing showy about this kitchen must-have. Commercial grade plastic, comprised of Solid High Density Poly (HDPE), gives this clean and simple contemporary carving board a long and useful life. The helpful grooved perimeter traps liquid, preventing messy countertop spills, and its solid, stain-resistant (and cut-resistant) surface makes sure it ages remarkably well. Best of all, just slide this board into the dishwasher for a spanking-clean start to your next cutting or carving task.

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Checkered Chef Cooling Rack

A cooking and cooling rack that streamlines baking, roasting and broiling, this solid stainless steel oven rack fits most standard ovens. It’s an ideal tool for elevating a whole chicken, ribeye, or pork shoulder above roasting pan, allowing fat and drippings to collect below. The solid stainless steel construction prevents warping, and the tight grid pattern encourages airflow while keeping cookies and other small goodies from sliding through the gaps. When done, simply pop this cooking rack in the dishwasher, and watch it go from greasy to gleaming.

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Coffee Gator Coffee Canister

Listen up, coffee aficionados. Keeping those pricey coffee beans in a sealed paper bag is no way to treat your morning luxury. But the Coffee Gator Canister is. Don’t let this stainless steel vessel’s good looks fool you; it’s as supremely functional as it is handsome, thanks to an airtight lid and nifty built-in date tracker that ensures the freshest coffee possible. A magnetic measuring spoon sticks to the canister’s side, guaranteeing a neat and tidy start to the day.

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Coffee Gator Manual Burr Grinder

Is there any better way to kick off a workday than by indulging in a cup of coffee, made with freshly ground coffee beans? Add a few scoops of your favorite coffee beans (stored in your Coffee Gator storage canister) to this manual bean grinder, rotate the handle, and the freshest ground coffee is yours, delicious aroma and all. A choice of 15 settings ensures that you get just the right consistency, and the manual motion is one way to get a spot of exercise in even before your first cup!

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Few things are as gratifying—and as good for both body and mind—as eating a clean, nutritious home-cooked meal. But the demands of professional life can drastically cut into time spent in the kitchen. Save crucial minutes with a few innovative cooking tools and accessories that streamline the food preparation process, and, consequently, make cooking dinner every night something to truly look forward to—not something to routinely dread.