11+ Best Kitchen Tools for EASY Healthy Eating in 2021

If you’re trying to eat a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet, but are overwhelmed by how difficult it can be, I’m here to help. These meal prep products are my must-haves for maintaining a consistent healthy lifestyle and eating healthy. So keep reading to find out what kitchen tools you can use to help make healthful meals more consistently! For an even easier way to eat an anti-inflammatory diet, don’t forget to check out my 7-Day Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Plan & Guide.

Are you looking for an easier way to make healthy meals? I’ve got several awesome kitchen tools for healthy eating. Keep reading…

I made this list because we all need more items on our Amazon wish list! 😉

I started following an anti-inflammatory diet after getting so fed up with my chronic joint pain and endometriosis pain. I had gone from doctor to doctor with no real answers and only solutions with boatloads of side effects. I was in debilitating pain and feeling helpless.

That’s when I decided to take my health care into my own hands. I’ve learned that you have to be your own best advocate for your health.

One of the things that has helped me recover my health is following this anti-inflammatory diet. It’s not a quick fix or a cure-all, but it has made a huge difference in my life.

However, when I first started it was HARD. I had a difficult time finding meals that my family would actually eat and most of the recipes I found were very complicated and took a ton of meal prep.

Through years of trial and error and a ton of research, I’ve formulated meals that work for my family and that are simple to make. If you’re interested in those meals, check out this post about The Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Meals for the Whole Family as well as my Simple 7-Day Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Plan & Guide. I created these resources to help moms in chronic pain like me – but without all the frustration that I went through to find what worked for me and my family!

However, I would be remiss to tell you all about the recipes I use without giving credit to my amazing kitchen tools! This is what helps me actually follow through with making these meals without all of the daunting meal prep tasks.

Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission when you buy through the links on this page.

Cutco Knives

Having good knives REALLY makes a difference in your cooking experience. Especially when you’re chopping lots of vegetables – it pays to have the right tools. My mother-in-law gifted us a set of Cutco knives for our wedding and they have been invaluable. I even bring them with us when we travel because I hate using dingy knives at vacation rentals!!

One of the nice perks about having a Cutco knife is that you can get it sharpened for free and their warranty is amazing – they really back these knives. Last year I sent in my knives and kitchen shears to be sharpened, and they replace the kitchen shears completely because they were slightly bent (I didn’t even notice!). That’s pretty amazing.

For an introductory knife, I recommend the trimmer, the shear utility set (which comes with the trimmer and the kitchen shears), and/or the hardy slicer.

My kitchen scissors are used for everything – from quickly chopping pasta or meat to kid-safe sizes to all of its ‘normal’ uses.

– Jenny, homeschooling mom of two

Instant Pot

I can’t describe to you what a game changer this thing is for a busy mom. I love that I can prep a meal when I have a few minutes of free time during naps and then set it and forget it. It’s has all of the benefits of a slow cooker sped up – and more.

We actually have TWO instant pots now – the larger 8 quart one and the smaller 3 quart one. I’ll often use the larger one to make a big batch of dinner and the smaller one to make farro, risotto, rice, oatmeal or other starches.

I’m working on adding Instant Pot instructions to all of my anti-inflammatory meals. Stay tuned!

My air fryer! I put salmon, broccoli and cauliflower in there and it’s an easy, healthy meal. 20 minutes and it’s done. The kids love it!

– Julianna, mom of two (and my neighbor!)

My air fryer is my new best friend. My favorite so far has been making chicken…it’s amazing, it cuts the cooking time in half. Helps so much when trying to get dinner on the table quickly after a long day.

– Clarice, boy mom of two

Juicer / Grater / Garlic Press / Garlic Peeler

These simple tools make all the difference in the world. Especially if you have pain in your hands from arthritis or an autoimmune disease, these tools are invaluable.

My mom ordered a similar set for me when she came to my house for a weekend and saw me peeling and finely dicing all my own garlic and ginger. “It should be way easier than that!!” she told me. Two days later, I got this package from Amazon and now I’m wondering how I lived without these tools.

I have three staples that I use on a daily basis: 1. My grill pan 2. Mini wok 3. Wooden spatula. Honestly couldn’t live without any of those!

– Alana, homeschooling mom of three boys

Food Processor

I LOVE my food processor! I used to have a dinky little food processor that could barely chop an onion. After I purchased this food processor (in order to make this recipe – which we now make all of the time!) I threw my old food processor in the trash. It wasn’t even worth donating.

This is perfect for when I have a lot of veggies to chop or shred (for example, when making a vegetable soup). But we use it the most for baking, including our new favorite healthy protein bars from my friend Tabatha at A Joy-Fueled Journey.

Ohhh I love my Ninja food chopper. I use it for all the veggie dicing and mincing.

– Amanda, mom of two and guest writer of this post

Check out another tool for healthy eating: my healthy week-long meal plan. It includes a plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts for 7 days – that’s 35 meals planned out for you along with recipes, tips and tricks for your picky eater, a grocery list and more.

Wok

We make stir fry almost every week in our house. It’s healthy yet simple, versatile and filling. That’s why I love my wok – it distributes the heat evenly so that all of the different vegetables in the stir fry cook at the same time.

I did a lot of research before buying this particular wok. I decided to get carbon steel (versus stainless steel, cast iron, non-stick or aluminum). I’m trying to avoid aluminum kitchen tools in an attempt to lower my aluminum intake (you can read a well-balanced article about that here) and the consensus online was that carbon steel was the best for my situation. This article gives a solid comparison of each option.

However, there are a few downsides with carbon steel: you have to season your wok properly, which takes time. Also, the wok does patina – so it’s not going to ever look shiny and brand new after the first use. It can rust, but the rust is easily washed away and kept away by proper maintenance.

I have a set of 10 glass bowls from small to large that I use ALL THE TIME for baking, mixing, food prep, dips, etc.

– Kelly, mom & avid baker

Meat Thermometer

Tell me if you’ve ever had this experience: you find a recipe on Pinterest, and the food blogger tells you this chicken (or turkey, or fish) is the most moist, amazing, wonderful, delicious meal you’ve ever had in your whole life. You follow the recipe EXACTLY. And what you get is dry and certainly not wonderful, delicious, etc.

Have you been there?

Me too.

One of the things I’ve discovered is that every oven is a little different – what’s 375 in my oven might actually be 360 in your oven or 390 in another.

And don’t even get me started on the variability of cooking times!

One of the best, simplest ways to combat this is by using an oven-safe meat thermometer. When you put your meat into the oven, put it in WITH the meat thermometer and set the desired cooking temperature. Then, when the thermometer goes off, pull your meal out – even if it’s before the allotted cook time.

Through this method I discovered that I was WAY overcooking my favorite turkey meatball recipe. And I was sadly overcooking all of my salmon, too.

Another technique that I use is that I pull the meat out *just* before it reaches the desired cook temperature. I’ll allow it to rest for a few minutes until it reaches the right temperature. This keeps it extra moist and juuuuuusssssttt right. 😉

If you send your child to school, I recommend a bento box. My daughter’s bento box has 6 sections which keeps me accountable to make sure I hit every food group.

– Betsy, registered dietitian and mom of two

Magic Bullet Blender

This is what we use to make smoothies – and we reallyyy like smoothies in our household! What I love about this blender set is that you can make individual servings instead of a huge blender with smoothie that gets dumped in the sink. Also, no more chunks of frozen fruit getting stuck in your straw!

I love my avocado tool. Use the knife to slice in half, the middle part to extract the seed, and the last part to slice the avocado into pieces. Voila!

– Jesi, mom and PhD candidate

Immersion Blender

I use my immersion blender for one of my favorite anti-inflammatory recipes: this Butternut Squash Curry. Hannah, mom of two girls with one (boy!) on the way, says she loves using her immersion blender for making sauces and soups.

If you are trying to eat a healthier diet, but need help, here are my favorite anti-inflammatory diet recipes!

I hope this guide is helpful to you as you strive for a healthier lifestyle! Remember, making small, simple steps each day is better than trying to overhaul your life. So pick ONE thing to change today and stick with it. Hopefully one of these tools can help!

What are some of your favorite kitchen tools for healthy eating? Let me know and comment below!