Let me be honest with you. I was not the best cook, before I started ketogenic diet.

I wouldn't prep my weekly meals, I would barely go to the grocery store, and I would eat a bunch of junk Food on the go. My life was a mess.

Do you think keto forced me to meal plan? Nope. Unfortunately, budgeting forced me to meal plan. Keto came way after that and meal prepping came in handy.

When I started keto, I slowly added keto kitchen items that would significantly make my life easier.

1. Milk Frother/Mason jar (bulletproof coffee)

I make bulletproof coffee every single morning. Unfortunately, water does not easily mix well with oils. The best device that I found is milk frother for my bulletproof coffee.

I found the hard way that immersion blenders are too high power and if you use a regular blender, then you gotta clean it.

Milk frother works best for me because I can make mix it right in my cup. They cost 6-20 bucks on amazon. Heavy cream keto lattes with it are also the best.

A cheaper option would be to buy a mason jar or no leak coffee mug and shake it really well. It doesn't mix for me as well as a milk frother, but it still works.

2. Crock Pot Bag Liners (BPA free)

If you have a slow cooker, this is a must product for me. You put a plastic bag in the slow cooker and cook with it.

People also call them crock pot "condoms", because you gotta practice safe crockpotting people.

I hardly ever cook keto meals without using them. They are very cheap and avoid unnecessary cleaning of the pot.

3. Blender

Smoothies are the best way for me to get my daily portion of keto vegetables and protein right after my workout.

Here is my favorite one:

• Avocado

• Spinach

• Vanilla Protein Isolate

• Coconut/Almond Milk

• Vanilla Extract (unsweetened)

• Erythritol

• MCT oil/Coconut oil

4. Microwave Splatter Cover

When I meal prep for the week, I find yourself microwaving a lot of dishes. You can use a paper towel technique that could get pretty messy.

Microwave platter cover makes it very easy to keep your microwave clean. I reheat my meal all the time, and it is a great item to keep in your kitchen.

5. Coconut oil Spray

I love cooking with coconut oil. It has pretty high smoke point, so it is really good for roasting and baking.

Spray is very convenient because I can take it with me to put on a salad or just spray it on my pan or baking sheet.

6. Kitchen scale

I purchased a food scale 3 months ago, and it has been eye-opening.

Apparently, I am horrible at eyeballing almonds, liquids, and meats.

A kitchen scale definitely takes all the guesswork of meal prepping according to my macros.

Now, I don't have to worry about tbsp, tsp, cups, packing almonds, or cooking 16oz streak instead of 8oz.

It was definitely worth the $15 investment.

7. Food Processor

I bought a food processor before keto, because I cook meals for my dog in it. She has a lot of GI issues and needs special cooked meals.

For keto meal prep, my food processor is the king of the kitchen on Sundays. Chopping veggies, making riced cauliflower or mashed cauliflower, blending keto friendly sauces, or turning pork rinds into breading for meats.

8. Food Dehydrator (your own beef jerky)

If you like dried meats as much as I do, food dehydrated can be very handy.

I love beef jerky and dried calamari, but most stuff at stores has a lot of sugar in them and it can get pricey.

I have been experimenting with different recipes and it is truly amazing to get 2 pounds of jerky for just $20.

9. Good Tupperware

Before starting keto, I got away with crappy tupperware. I would put vegetables, eggs, maybe some fruit. The cleaning was easy-peasy.

Now, all my tupperware is filled with greasy food. It is really hard to clean if it is made of plastic.

Glass tupperware completely solved that problem. It is definitely more expensive, but worth the investment.

10. Cast iron skillet

I love cooking frittatas, steak, chicken, baked veggies with cheese on the skillet. The are a lot of benefits of cast iron skillet.

The best one for me is that it is easily transferable to the oven which makes a lot of dishes much easier to cook and less messy.

Also, it is extremely long-lasting. Some people have their iron skillets passed through generations.

It is hands down the most versatile pan that you will ever own.

11. Vegetable noodle maker

Truth to be told, I miss pasta. Shirataki noodles are nice, but their texture is different from a regular noodle. I only use Shirataki noodles in my soups.

Veggie noodle makers are not going to substitute regular noodles for you. If people say, that veggie noodles taste exactly the same as a regular noodle, when properly cooked, I am ready to do a blind test right now.

Vegetable noodle maker makes veggies more fun! If you are tired of regular baked or sauteed veggies try these:

• spaghetti squash (5.5g NET carbs per 100g)
• cucumber noodles
• zucchini noodles
• eggplant noodles

I make them at least once a week. Zucchini noodles with creamy avocado pesto recipe is my favorite by far.

12. Mandoline Slicer

I haven't quite mastered my knife skills yet. At least not to the point where I can slice my veggies as fast as the slicer.

Why would I ever have mandoline slicer and a food processor though? Sometimes, I need to make a salad quickly or prep veggies for dinner for my friends and family.

This makes it extremely fast, easy, and the cleaning is a breeze.

13. Instant Pot / Slow Cooker

Folks, if haven't gotten Instant Pot, please check it out on amazon. It is a godsend for lazy cooks.

You can make amazing wings, spaghetti squash, pulled pork, cook eggs, stews, bone broth, I can on, and on, and on.

Because one of the functions of Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, a lot of the dishes can be done much quicker than doing them regularly.

You can also time it so the meal will be ready by the time you come back home. The latest version even has an app that comes with it.

I am not affiliated with this company, but I can't praise it enough.

14. Set of Good Knives

Maybe this not just for keto, but buying a great set of knives can change your attitude about cooking.

I personally own chef's knife, paring knife, bread knife, carving knife, and boning knife.

Also, don't forget to keep them sharp with a honing steel. I try to sharpen mine once in 2 months, depending on how much I cook.

15. Stove Top Smoker

I know a lot of people don't like smoked meat, because of the carcinogens in them, but I do. Unfortunately, I don't have enough space for a smoker outside.

Stove top smoker is easy to use and you get a very similar result to a regular smoker. I have been hooked on smoked fish recently, but you can do whatever you want.

What are you favorite kitchen item that made keto easier? Share in comments below!