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Want to learn how to meal prep in 2025? Chefs reveal their top tips for beginners
Three expert chefs dish out the tricks they've learned over the years that can make dinnertime easier.
It's a new year and if one of your resolutions is to cook at home more and prep your meals in advance, you're not alone. Meal prepping is a great way to set yourself up in advance for days of awesome dishes that take minimal time and effort to serve. You can prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner ahead of time, but if you've never meal prepped before, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming.
Sweetzer & Orange Gold Meal Planner and Grocery List Magnetic Notepad
JoyJolt JoyFul Glass Storage Containers with Lids, 24-Piece
Stasher Premium Silicone Reusable Food Storage Bags, 4-Pack
Zakarian by Dash 5-Quart TruPro Stainless Steel Saute Pan with Lid
Zakarian by Dash 6-Quart Nonstick Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven
Labelebal Dissolvable Food Labels
Sharpie Permanent Markers, 5-Count
Cuisinart Food Processor, 3-Cup
From creating long grocery lists to finding the right recipes, meal prepping takes a lot of thoughtful consideration, so we turned to three professional chefs to get their tips and tricks for making meal prepping more manageable.
Dos and Don'ts for meal prepping
Do get organized.
"Lists are your best friends!" says Eden Grinshpan, chef, TV personality and author of the upcoming cookbook Tahini Baby. "Write it out... groceries, recipe ideas, and schedule the meals for the day of the week. That will help you stay organized and prep/plan best you can." You can even go the extra step and buy yourself a meal prep notepad that has room for all of your menu ideas and shopping lists.
Don't overcommit yourself.
Also, if you're just getting into the wonderful world of meal prepping, don't bite off more than you can chew (pun very much intended). Chef and culinary consultant Adriana Urbina recommends that you "begin with prepping for 2-3 days instead of the entire week. This prevents burnout and ensures food stays fresh."
Do make large portions of your favorite dishes.
Do you have a recipe that you love, have made before and know you won't get bored of? Consider making a lot of it. Both Urbina and Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian suggest doubling up recipes and putting your leftovers in the freezer to eat at a later date.
But you don't have to make a lot of just your main course. You can also cook big batches of your favorite sides, salads or small plates. Urbina advises to "make large quantities of grains, proteins, and vegetables that can be mixed and matched." This way, it'll only take you a few minutes to whip up a complete meal.
Do pick a day of the week to do your prepping.
Grinshpan shares: "I love to space my meal planning and prep out. I tend to do a lot of it over the weekend. Especially on Saturday morning when the kids are watching their weekend cartoons I like to make a big list with my husband, Ido, and try to map out some dish ideas for the week. I have dishes that I know the kids will LOVE and I always try and weave in a couple of those throughout the week, but the weekend usually goes like this: Shop Saturday and prep some of the recipes on Sunday... Think sauces, dips, vinaigrettes, lettuce, cleaning, etc."
The best recipes to meal prep
When it comes to choosing your recipes, chefs agree — it's best to go with something simple. Urbina recommends "choosing recipes with minimal ingredients and steps" and suggests "having themes like 'Taco Tuesday"' or 'Pasta Night' to simplify decision-making."
Grinshpan adds: "When I do my big shop on the weekends, I always load up on seasonal vegetables and fruit, and restock on lots of pantry staples like grains, legumes, pasta, all the things that I can reach for throughout the week. Having a stocked pantry is key to being able to lean on easy meals throughout the week."
Need more inspo? Zakarian says to consider "tuna or chicken salad, soup, chili, oatmeal, rice, roasted vegetables and protein."
Chef-approved kitchen tools you need for meal prepping
Pro chefs and novices alike are only as good as their tools, so you can consider this your official meal-prep shopping list!
Grinshpan recommends: "I love Stasher bags, glass containers, parchment paper, deli food containers in different sizes, masking tape and Sharpies. You want to store and label things properly, and don't forget to date everything!"
Zakarian recommends: "Plenty of containers in various sizes that are clear so that you can see what's in them. Also, labeling and dating each container with masking tape and a Sharpie is a pro tip that restaurants use to stay organized. Large cooking vessels like my Zakarian by Dash Nonstick Cast Iron Dutch Oven or 5-Quart Saute Pan are excellent for batch cooking.”
Urbina recommends: Grab some high-quality containers. "Opt for glass or BPA-free plastic containers in various sizes. Look for ones with airtight lids." Freezer bags, a food processor and storage labels also made her list of must-haves for making the process easier.
See also:
This meal planning notepad has 52 tear-away sheets that are split in half — one side for menu planning and one for your grocery list. It also has magnets on the back so you can conveniently keep it on your fridge.
After you've cooked up a bunch of meals, you'll need something to store them in. These glass containers are a Yahoo editor and reader favorite that almost seems too good to be true. They can go in the oven, freezer, microwave and have an airtight seal to keep your food fresh. Trust us — these are a no-brainer buy.
These silicone food storage bags are a go-to for both chefs and Yahoo editors. BPA- and leak-free, these bags can hold everything from soups and dips to nuts and snacks. Plus, they're a breeze to clean (they're dishwasher-safe!) and can be popped in the microwave and oven (up to 425°F).
Every chef, no matter their expertise level, needs a reliable saute pan. This one comes with a lid, has a nonstick coating and can be used in the oven (up to 425°F).
This Dutch oven is one of those special cast iron pieces that has a nonstick coating and doesn't require any seasoning — a win-win! This Dutch oven can be used in the oven (up to 500°F), on the grill and on the stove.
All three chefs said labels were a food prep must-have, and this roll of 600 seems like a great place to start. These dissolvable labels have spots for what the container holds and the date you made it (or froze it) so you can keep you and your family from eating food that's past its prime.
Don't underestimate a Sharpie. You'll need these permanent markers to write on food labels, make your grocery lists and stay organized in general.
This mini food processor won't take up much space in your kitchen, but it will save you time that would've been spent slicing and dicing. This Cuisinart favorite can chop and grind ingredients with ease — and the bowl and lid are dishwasher-safe.
