The kickoff of the holiday cooking season is nearly here, meaning you'll soon be spending a lot more time in the kitchen. Consumer Reports is working on a special feature about appliances, products, and techniques that can really facilitate meal prep. Here's a taste of the information and advice, with an eye to holiday cooking.
Look for speed-cooking technologies. The end of the year is a great time to find deals on large appliances, since retailers are making room for next year's models. If you're in the market for for a new range or cooktop, consider one that uses induction technology, which was about 20 percent faster than that of conventional electric smoothtops in our tests. We also like ranges with double ovens, since they let you cook two dishes at two different temperatures at the sane time.
Adapt a small appliance. Our latest tests of various small appliances found many inexpensive models that can seriously cut cooking times. That includes the Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-75, a $35 immersion blenders that lets you puree soups right in the pot. The $50 Hamilton Beach Set 'N Forget 33967 slow cooker is great for make-ahead meals, and its built-in probe monitors internal temperature.
Follow point-of-use organization. Take a few minutes to make sure ingredients, cooking utensils, and the like are near where you use them. For example, baking supplies belong near the work surface where you do your mixing and kneading, while knives and cutting boards should be near the main food-prep station.
Stock up on staples. Nothing slows meal prep down faster than having to run out to the store for a missing ingredient. The basics include baking supplies (flour, sugar, and vanilla extract), oils (olive, canola, and peanut), and frozen foods (berries and vegetables). But tailor your staples to the types of food you cook the most.
Contain the clutter. The deluge of holiday cards and catalogues makes it especially hard to keep counters clear for meal prep. Create a separate landing spot for these and other papers, ideally just off the kitchen or along in it perimeter. A paper shredder, such as the top-rated Staples SPL-TXC122A, is a helpful accessory. If you have school-age kids at home, devise a system for handling the myriad notices, permission slips, reports cards, and the like that come home each week.
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