People who say cooking at home requires too much effort might be right on some fronts — however, there’s also a good chance they just haven’t found the right tools to make the process easier. Your culinary arsenal must be fully stocked with quality cookware, cutlery, mixing tools, storage containers, and more in order for meal prep to not feel like a chore. But I bet that even as I was listing those items out, you got to thinking, How much is this going to cost me? If you follow our editors’ recommendations, not that much!
It’s basically our job to test kitchen products around here, and over time, we’ve racked up a growing list of favorites under $50 each. Whether you’re in need of a food processor for your next dip appetizer or a compact lunchbox with separate compartments for all your side dishes, we’ve got you covered. Just check out our meal prep superheroes below to determine which ones will fit best into your process.