4 Kitchen Money-Savers That Pay for Themselves in No Time at All

I’m crazy about gadgets—everything from quirky can openers to smartphones. Hand me a Swiss Army knife and I’m in heaven—the more blades and utensils the better. Of course, my favorite gadgets are those that help me save money and/or time. 

 

I’ve been fooled from time to time, spending good money on things that just did not perform well. Or the gadget turned out to be so cumbersome, using it actually complicated rather than simplified my life.

Take that One-Second Needle. It was a great idea, but sadly that is one gadget that needs to be put out of its misery.

But now and then, I strike on a gadget that is so magnificent in its functionality and money-saving abilities, I can’t wait to tell you about it.

Today, I want to tell you about four kitchen gadgets I consider wise investments—money savers!

All four are inexpensive enough to pay for themselves in a short period of time—and then continue paying off in food savings, which is saying a lot as food costs continue to soar.

Vacuum Sealer

I’ve depended on a vacuum sealer in my kitchen for so many years I cannot imagine getting along without it. Now and then, I get lazy, which invariably gives me a jolt to remind me why I do this.

Take strawberries for example. If I put them into a rigid container (like a Mason jar using the jar sealer accessory) and vacuum out all of the air, fresh strawberries will last for at least two weeks in the refrigerator—remaining as fresh as the day I bought them. Strawberries in the refrigerator in their original container often start to show mold in just a couple of days. Check out this time-lapse video!

My FoodsSaver gets a workout every day. Depending on the type of food, I use FoodSaver containers, canisters, plastic bags, and canning jars to seal food items (this requires the jar sealer accessory).

I vacuum-seal raw rice, sugar, spices, and meat I vacuum-seal baked goods (I freeze them first, so the vacuum doesn’t crush them), fresh fruits, and vegetables—and so much more.

I even vacuum-seal silver flatware to keep it from tarnishing. I vacuum-sealed my Birth Certificate and my Social Security card.

• MORE: Ways to Use a FoodSaver That Have Nothing To Do with Food

While I have had Foodsavers for many years, about eight years ago, I upgraded to this FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer 4840 and all I can say is, Wow! This is one fantastic, durable, reliable piece of kitchen equipment—highly improved over my older FoodSaver Pro. I think it just might have a brain with its liquid detection system. It also functions more automatically than the older Pro version. And it looks great sitting on the counter.

A vacuum sealer, when used diligently, will extend the shelf life of every type of food imaginable. That means your garbage disposal and trashcan will cease to be the best-fed members of your household!

 

Blender

I am more convinced than ever that healthy eating is one of the most cost-effective things we can do to reduce healthcare costs. That’s why I thought we needed a powerful juicer to make healthy smoothies every morning. So I purchased a highly rated juicer. And used it exactly two times before it became a dust collector and space occupier.

Cleaning the thing was so difficult and time-consuming that it became more of a problem than a solution. Whoops.

Another problem? Juicers don’t make smoothies! Professional-grade powerful blenders do.

So eight years ago, I donated the juicer to a friend who could use it and replaced it with this Blendtec Total Classic Blender with Jar. This exact model Blendtec is still available at a much-reduced price from what I paid.

With its professional-grade power, the self-cleaning feature, 4 pre-programmed cycles, and 5-speeds, I could not ask for more. This is one fabulous machine.

Let’s say you spend $10 a week on smoothies from that cute place with a drive-thru that’s on your way to work. That’s at least $500 a year—more than it would cost to purchase a high-quality, fabulous professional-quality blender that doesn’t balk in the presence of large ice cubes! And so easy to clean.

Do the math … you’ll see what I’m talking about.

 

Dehydrator

No one was more surprised than I by what a terrific money-saver a dehydrator can be. Of course, you have to actually use it. But when you do, you’ll be quite amazed.

The cost of dehydrating your own food is a fraction of the cost of commercially dehydrated foods and—no additives or preservatives.

 

If dehydrating is something you’ll actually do, my pick for Best Inexpensive food dehydrator is NESCO Food Dehydrator Model FD-1040. Now you can dry fruit, vegetables, and jerky in hours instead of days.

• MORE:  Make It Yourself: Beef Jerky, French Salad Dressing, Steak Sauce

This food dehydrator is compact as dehydrators go, and comes with 4 trays—but expandable to 20! It’s powerful enough to be super useful, but compact enough to allow for reasonably easy storage. I love this gadget money-saver and I think you will, too.

 

 

Food Slicer

I’ve been using my new electric food slicer for nearly four years now and oh boy, what a lovely item it is. I’ve pretty much used it every day since I pulled it out of the box. I know what you’re thinking: Why?!

I would have asked the same thing before I did a little cost evaluation. At our home, we eat a lot of deli-style turkey. As I write, at my local Costco warehouse, Kirkland whole Oven Roasted Turkey breast (about 4 lbs) is $5.37/lb. Two aisles over the very same Kirkland Oven Roasted Turkey Breast sliced is $9.35/lb. Each time I opt for the whole turkey breast over the equivalent amount of the sliced option (then slice it myself at home with my meat slicer), I am not spending $4.00/lb, or about $16.

 

I discovered the same level of price difference for cheese—sliced vs. bulk. Calculating how often I purchase these items, it didn’t take long to see that slicing at home would pay off big in lower costs. What I didn’t calculate was the fun factor. Seriously, fun.

This machine is so versatile that I can set it from paper-thin for sandwich meats up to a 3/4″ slice, which is perfect for homemade bread. I get perfect slices from my 5-minute artisan bread for sandwiches and English muffin Bread for toast. You really need to try making both kinds of bread, food slicer or not!

More than just turkey and cheese, I am slicing leftover steak and roast for sandwiches these days. I slice raw vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions to make the most perfect slices ever.

I looked at a multitude of food slicers from manual to electric. After much consideration (and slicing), this Chef’sChoice Food Slicer is definitely my pick for Best Inexpensive. I calculate that it paid for itself in the first nine months.

Another example: Today at my local Costco warehouse, Kirkland whole Oven Roasted Turkey breast (about 4 lbs) is $5.37/lb. Two aisles over the very same Kirkland Oven Roasted Turkey Breast sliced is $9.35/lb. Each time I opt for the whole turkey breast over the equivalent amount of the sliced option (then slice it myself at home with my meat slicer), I am not spending $4.00/lb, or about $16.

• MORE: Household Substitutes: 11 More Ways You Can Use This for That

 

 

Revised & Updated 11-1-22

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