August is coming to an end, and with it, the spontaneous holiday meals. Getting back into the routine doesn't have to mean cooking from scratch every day: with a little preparation on Sunday and the right tools, you can have the base of your meals ready for the whole week. These are the gadgets that make that Sunday prep session truly worthwhile.
If you're looking for ideas on what to cook, rather than what to buy, check out our guide to healthy main dishes. Here, we're focusing on the equipment that makes meal prep faster.
Step 1: Chop Everything at Once
What is it and what is it used for?: The most time-consuming part of meal prep isn't cooking, it's chopping: onions, garlic, peppers, for several recipes at once. A portable electric chopper does in seconds what takes several minutes by hand per ingredient.
Ideal for: preparing the base sofrito, chopped vegetables, or garlic you'll need for the whole week all at once.
Our recommendation: The 250ml Portable Cordless Food Chopper is large enough for batches of several servings; if you usually cook for one or two people, the 100ml version is more compact.
Step 2: Store Without Losing Freshness
Preparing food in advance only pays off if it stays fresh until you eat it. This is where two tools come in that we have already recommended this month for other uses, but which are just as useful for weekly meal prep:
- Vacuum sealer: ideal for portions of already cooked meat or fish that you will consume in 2-3 days; it extends their freshness without the need to freeze them.
- Stackable airtight containers: perfect for individual portions of rice, legumes, or already cooked vegetables, organized by day in the refrigerator.
Our recommendation: Check out our guide on how to store food in summer, where we recommend both the vacuum sealer and the containers that work best for this use.
A 45-Minute Sunday Routine
- Chop all at once all the onion, garlic, and pepper you will need for the week with the electric chopper.
- Cook 2-3 bases that go well together: a grain (rice, quinoa), a legume, and a grilled protein.
- Divide into individual portions using the stackable airtight containers, labeling the day if you are going to consume it in more than 2-3 days.
- Vacuum seal what you are not going to eat in the first few days of the week, so that it stays fresh until Thursday or Friday without losing texture.
Conclusion
Getting back into the September routine doesn't have to mean going back to improvising meals every day. With an electric chopper, a vacuum sealer, and some good airtight containers, a little time on Sunday can cover several days of ready-made meals. If you want to review everything we have been recommending this month, don't miss our complete guide to kitchen gadgets.
Frequently Asked Questions about Back-to-Routine Gadgets
Which gadgets are most useful for weekly meal prep?
A portable electric chopper to speed up vegetable chopping, stackable airtight containers to organize individual portions, and a vacuum sealer to extend the freshness of what will not be consumed in the first few days of the week.
How long does it take to prepare food for the whole week?
With the right tools —especially an electric chopper that speeds up vegetable chopping— a session of about 45 minutes on Sunday is enough to chop the base ingredients and cook 2-3 bases that can be combined during the week.
Is it necessary to freeze the food prepared on Sunday?
Not necessarily. If you are going to consume the food in the first 2-3 days, airtight containers in the refrigerator are enough. For portions you will eat later in the week, vacuum sealing extends freshness without the need to freeze.