Any mom who prepares breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner from scratch knows that it takes a village to feed growing kids. And if you don’t have a village as a support system for all your meal preps, your next best bet are these 10 must-have kitchen appliance for busy moms:

1. Air fryer

Get the crispness of food as though you cooked it in a deep-fryer, but without the greasy bowl of oil. With an air fryer, you can cook any of your favourite fried meat, fish or vegetable meals while cutting about 70 to 80% calories.

It’s a perfect partner if you’re planning to switch to a healthier diet. Plus, it also works as a dehydrator, so if you’re a fan of dried fruits, you’ll love how easy it is to make some at home.

2. Slow cooker or multi-cooker

If you find yourself juggling chores, taking care of a baby or toddler, or working from home, the modern, programmable slow cooker can be heaven-sent. Here are a few reasons why:
  • Cook perfectly steamed rice
  • Make slow-cooked recipes to perfection (I use this for awesome curries)
  • Use it as a pressure cooker, yoghurt maker, and slow cooker alternatingly
  • A space-saving design ideal for small kitchens
And because you can program cooking times, temperature, and other built-in settings, there is a lesser chance of accidentally burning your food.

3. Toaster oven

Reheating food in the oven is possible without setting up, powering up and cleaning your full-sized convection oven.
A toaster oven is handy for quick reheating, toasting and even baking. Some models even have broil settings.
Here are 2 reasons why you might go with a toaster oven if you already have a microwave oven or traditional gas range or wall oven:

  • Affordability - It’s way cheaper than a real oven, but it works just like the real thing. You still get to bake, broil, toast, and heat food with a toaster oven.
  • Multi-purpose - Any multi-purpose kitchen appliance is welcome in my book since you’re guaranteed to save time and space.

4. Sandwich maker

Got sandwich-loving kids? With this handy kitchen appliance, you can pop in pieces of bread with ham, cheese, and other ingredients in one go, leave it on for extra crunch and serve your kids their favourite sandwich in under 5 minutes.

5. Electric griddles

If you don't have an electric griddle yet, you're missing out! You can cook pancakes and eggs, fry bacon, heat burger buns, and grill any food you want all in one go. Buy a bigger model if you're feeding a family of 5 or more and you won't cram meals ever again.

6. Hand blender

Known as either an immersion blender, portable blender or hand blender, this must-have kitchen tool lets you puree food, create pesto, salsa, soup, smoothies, or a wide range of homemade sauces like a pro. Plus it's super affordable, easy to clean, and because of its space-saving size, it's easy to store too!

7. Electric kettle

Perfect for small kitchens, an electric kettle frees up space on your stove so you can cook while boiling water in a flash!

You have two choices: a wired and a cordless electric kettle. Both are just as helpful for busy moms who need a fresh cup of coffee or tea quickly.

8. Food processor

You don’t need the biggest food processor or chopper in the market. Even a small one can do wonders in cutting your prep time by half.

Pick an all-in-one food processor for grating carrots, cutting onions, shredding cabbage, mincing, slicing veggies, and more. If you get a model with a kneading feature, then it can be a handy tool for bread making as well.

9. Stand Mixer

If you’re a household who bakes their own cookies, cakes, bread, and other goodies, then a stand mixer is a MUST-buy. I dream of the retro KitchenAid mixers, but any multi-use mixer from known brands should do the trick.

Make sure you get a stand mixer with multiple attachments, so you could use it for making ice cream, homemade grains, sausages, and more.

10. Vacuum sealer

A vacuum sealer may be the last on this list, but it is definitely high-priority for most households.

Aftermarket or grocery day, vacuum sealers help you organize your pantry, ref or freezer. You'll be able to:

  • Portion vegetables before freezing
  • Preserving already-cooked meals
  • Extend the life of homemade sauces
  • Save cookie dough for the next batch of baking
  • Store make-ahead meals properly
  • Vacuum-seal leafy greens and other produce that's known to go bad quickly.

We use our vacuum sealer the most when we're packing for our annual camping, backpacking or just any outdoor trip. It waterproofs our food and reduces the bulk in the cooler.

If you’re always finding yourself rushing to cook breakfast in the mornings or squeezing meal preps in between working at home, these kitchen appliances will be life-savers for you.

You don’t need to buy them all in one go. Pick the ones that could save you the most time, then invest in the rest when you can.