Kitchen Tools That Save Spoons: What Earns Its Counter Space

Slow cooker

I tip things in, set it and walk away. No standing, no stirring, no monitoring. It does all the work after the one-off effort of assembling the meal. If I could keep only one appliance, it would be this. Mine has seen better days and could definitely use an upgrade. You can see it on Amazon.

Pressure cooker or Instant Pot

Faster than slow cooking and still hands-off once it’s sealed. I use mine for stews, soups, grains and legumes on the days when waiting four hours isn’t practical. You can see it on Amazon.

Air fryer (and liners)

My air fryer earns its space on medium and even low spoon days. The real trick is the liner: I tip my food in, cook, lift the liner out and I’m done. No scrubbing the basket. On a day when cooking is manageable but cleanup isn’t, a liner is a genuine spoon saver. You can see the air fryer and the liners I use on Amazon.

Rice cooker

I eat rice regularly, so I never have to stand and watch a pot. I press a button and leave. Portions of cooked rice in my freezer are half a meal on a bad day. I also use it to make small stews and mixed rice dishes when I don’t have the spoons or the time to pull my slow cooker out, or when I don’t need to make a huge meal in the pressure cooker. Mine is a Nutribullet that was sold specifically in South Africa, so I couldn’t link that exact model, but I found a similar rice cooker on Amazon with comparable functions.

Electric can opener

An electric can opener is on my wishlist, and it will definitely be in my kitchen by Christmas. Opening tins is hard on my hands on a bad day, and a tin of soup or legumes is a perfectly good meal, so this is one I’m looking forward to having. You can see it on Amazon.

Freezer bags and labels

These are the foundation of making meals ahead. I prep a dump bag meal into a large freezer bag, label it with what it is and how to cook it, and freeze it. My future low-spoon self is always grateful. You can see the Ziploc bags I use and freezer labels on Amazon.

A counter-height stool or sturdy chair

Not an appliance, but possibly the most useful thing here. I don’t have to stand to chop, mix or portion food. Sitting changes the energy cost of preparing a meal significantly, and on medium spoon days I prep sitting down as a matter of course.

Things I already own

My microwave does more than reheat: it steams vegetables, cooks rice and defrosts my frozen prep. My kettle handles instant oats, couscous, noodles and soups. I use them without apology. Convenience isn’t cheating. It’s an accessibility tool.

If I were starting again

I’d pick the one tool that removes the step I dread most, and build a few easy meals around it before buying anything else.

If I could only pick one of the two, it would be a tough choice between the pressure cooker and the slow cooker. The pressure cooker is fast, and on a day when I realise at five o’clock that I haven’t planned dinner, it’s the one that rescues me. But the slow cooker makes the whole house smell like a home, and on my slow days I love that more than I can explain. I’ll put something in early, rest, and by the afternoon the smell tells me dinner is looked after. So if I were starting again I’d probably start with the slow cooker, and add the pressure cooker once I wanted the speed.