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Kitchen Gadgets That Made My Kids Actually Eat Fruit at Every BBQ
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items My kids would walk right past the fruit plate at every cookout and head straight for the chips. I spent two summers trying different ways to make fruit appealing before landing on these tools. If you're tired of throwing away untouched cantaloupe sli...
Sections
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Watermelon Slicers That Turn Fruit Into Kid Snacks
Fruit Prep Tools That Save You 20 Minutes Before a Cookout
Serving Platters That Make Fruit Look Fun to Kids
Popsicle Molds for Freezing Leftover Fruit
Kid-Friendly Utensils for Outdoor Eating
Coolers and Storage That Keep Fruit Fresh Outside All Day
Watermelon Slicers That Turn Fruit Into Kid Snacks
Cutting watermelon into wedges never worked. The juice ran everywhere and my kids refused to deal with the mess. These slicers turn watermelon into stick shapes and bite-sized pieces that disappear in minutes.
Use this to cut watermelon into perfect sticks your kids will grab like popsicles. My 4-year-old ate an entire quarter of a watermelon at our July cookout because it looked fun. Stainless steel, dishwasher safe, and way faster than a knife.
Yueshico Stainless Steel Watermelon Slicer Cutter Knife
Grab this if you want watermelon cubes without a cutting board disaster. You just press and twist, and perfectly even cubes fall right onto the plate. My neighbor bought one after watching my kids devour a whole melon in ten minutes flat.
Watermelon Cutter Windmill Shape Plastic Slicer
Pair this with toothpicks and suddenly cantaloupe is candy to a six-year-old. I started making melon ball skewers for birthday parties and the fruit platter actually comes back empty now. Works on honeydew too.
Norpro Grip-EZ Handle Stainless Steel 1.25" Melon Baller
Switch to this from your big kitchen knife and you'll never go back. Cuts perfect triangles with one squeeze, and the tongs grip each slice so kids can serve themselves without dropping anything in the grass.
Watermelon Slicer & Tong by Sleeke
Keep this in your BBQ tool drawer all summer. It cuts 12 even slices in under 30 seconds, which sounds fake until you try it. Perfect for when eight kids show up and you need fruit on the table fast.
REZUOFI 1 Pcs Watermelon Cutter Tool with Baller
Fruit Prep Tools That Save You 20 Minutes Before a Cookout
I used to spend forever cutting fruit before guests arrived. Now I knock out the entire fruit spread while the grill preheats. These shaved serious time off my prep routine.
Toss strawberries and kiwis into this and get uniform pieces in seconds. Before I had this, I was hand-cutting fruit for 25 minutes while my husband yelled that the burgers were ready. Not anymore.
Fullstar, Vegetable Chopper, 4 in 1, Food and Onion Prep
Try this once and you'll feel silly for ever wrestling with a pineapple and a chef's knife. Cores and slices a whole pineapple in maybe 45 seconds. My kids actually request fresh pineapple now because they see how easy it is.
OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer & Slicer
Grab a pack of these before strawberry season. Hulling berries by hand was making me lose my mind at every potluck prep session. This pops the stem out clean and fast, no wasted fruit.
Strawberry Huller
For anyone who's ever ended up with mango juice running down to their elbows. Splits, pits, and slices a mango in three moves. My kids went from never eating mango to requesting it weekly.
Zyliss 3-in-1 Mango Slicer, Peeler, Pit Remover
Snag this for the parent who cuts 47 apple slices a week. One press and you get eight perfect slices. Works on pears too. I bring pre-sliced apples to every park day and they vanish before the sandwiches do.
Apple Corers in Kitchen Tools & Gadgets
Serving Platters That Make Fruit Look Fun to Kids
Presentation matters more than I wanted to admit. When I started putting fruit on colorful plates instead of sad paper bowls, my kids and their friends actually walked over to the table.
Get these bright colored trays and watch kids gravitate toward the fruit table. Something about neon green and orange plates makes watermelon sticks irresistible to anyone under ten. Lightweight, stackable, and they survive drops on the patio.
Youngever 3 Pack Plastic Serving Trays, Serving Platter
Use the separate sections to make a rainbow fruit spread. Kids treat it like a game, picking one from each color. My daughter started calling it the rainbow plate and now asks for it at every single outdoor dinner.
Divided Serving Tray
Keep fruit cold outside for hours without it turning into a sad warm pile. The ice tray underneath keeps everything chilled while the lazy susan lets kids spin and pick. Worth every penny at a three-hour cookout in August heat.
Prodyne Appetizers On Ice Revolving Serving Tray w
Set this up near the grill and fruit becomes grab-and-go. Something about a tiered display makes kids reach for grapes like they're at a hotel breakfast. Folds flat for storage, which saved me cabinet space.
3 Tier Fruit Basket for Kitchen Counter
Bring this out for smaller gatherings when you want things to look a little nicer. Five sections means five different fruits, and the white ceramic makes the colors pop. My mother-in-law complimented the fruit spread for the first time ever.
Divided Trays Platters Ceramic Serving Dishes
Popsicle Molds for Freezing Leftover Fruit
Half the watermelon always went to waste after cookouts. Now I blend the leftovers and freeze them into popsicles. Zero waste and the kids think they're getting dessert.
Toss leftover watermelon and a squeeze of lime into these and freeze overnight. My kids pull them out the next afternoon like it's a reward. Six molds per set, which is exactly enough for our crew plus the neighbor kid who always shows up.
ZOKU Classic Pop Molds, 6 Popsicle Molds with Reusable
Try blending leftover strawberries with a little yogurt and pouring them in here. The silicone is flexible so pops slide right out, unlike the old plastic ones where I'd run them under hot water for five minutes. Drip guards actually work too.
Popsicles Molds, Ozera Set of 6 Reusable Ice Pop
Get these star-shaped molds for the kid who eats with their eyes first. Frozen mango pops shaped like stars disappear at our house before I even get one. Dishwasher safe and the sticks are reusable, which my wallet appreciates.
Star Pop Molds, Star Shaped Popsicle Molds for Kids
Perfect for anyone with a tiny freezer. These stack vertically so you can make 4 pops without sacrificing shelf space. I live in an apartment with a mini fridge and these are the only molds that actually fit.
Lekue Large Stackable Ice Lollipop Molds, Set of 4
Grab the 10-pack if you're making pops for a crowd. Birthday parties, pool days, post-soccer snacks. I fill half with pureed fruit and half with juice, label them with tape, and the kids serve themselves.
Thyme & Table Silicone Popsicle Mold with Wooden Sticks
Kid-Friendly Utensils for Outdoor Eating
Regular forks and plates at a BBQ meant food on the ground within seconds. Switching to kid-sized outdoor utensils cut the mess and the meltdowns in half.
Use these for the under-five crowd who can't handle adult silverware yet. The soft grip keeps tiny hands from dropping fruit every two seconds. We keep a set in the diaper bag permanently for any outdoor eating situation.
Munchkin Toddler Flatware Set with Fork, Knife
Swap flimsy paper plates for these and watch the difference. Fruit stays on the plate instead of sliding off onto the lawn. They're made from recycled milk jugs, survive the dishwasher, and come in colors my toddler actually picks out herself.
Re-Play Recycled Plastic 3 Pack Plastic Divided Plates
Ditch the plastic cups that blow off the picnic table. These have silicone sleeves so little hands can grip them, and they don't crack when they inevitably get knocked over. We've had ours for two years and they still look new.
Elk and Friends Stainless Steel Cups Home
For the baby who wants to feed themselves fruit puree at the cookout. These scoop up mashed fruit without the mess of a regular spoon. Saved us from at least three outfit changes per outdoor event last summer.
NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils Self Feeding Baby
Stick this to the picnic table and watch your toddler fail to throw it. The suction actually holds, which felt like a miracle after our old plates went flying. Three sections keep fruit separate from everything else, because apparently touching food ...
Customer reviews for WeeSprout Suction Plates with Lids
Coolers and Storage That Keep Fruit Fresh Outside All Day
Nothing kills a fruit platter faster than sitting in 90-degree heat for two hours. I ruined enough fruit bowls to finally invest in proper outdoor storage. Now everything stays cold until the last guest leaves.
Toss your prepped fruit containers in here and zip it shut until serving time. Keeps things cold for about five hours, which covers most cookouts. Small enough to carry with one hand while wrangling a toddler with the other.
CHILLER™ 9-Can Soft-Sided Portable Cooler
Prep your fruit sticks the night before, snap these shut, and stack them in the fridge. The seal is genuinely airtight, so strawberries still taste fresh 24 hours later. Clear sides let kids see what's inside, which somehow makes them more interested...
Rubbermaid, Food Storage Container, 9.6 Cup
Bring this as your dedicated fruit cooler so it doesn't get buried under soda cans. The swing-up handle makes it easy for older kids to carry to the table themselves. Fits a surprising amount of cut fruit plus a few ice packs.
Igloo, 11 QT Tag-A-Long Too Hard Side Cooler
Pack individual fruit portions for each kid so there's no fighting over the last piece of watermelon. The compartments keep different fruits from touching, which matters deeply to my five-year-old for reasons I will never understand.
Bentgo® Kids Lunch Box | Bento Box For Kids
Slide these thin ice packs under your fruit trays on the table. They're flat enough to fit under a serving plate without it wobbling. Bought a four-pack last June and rotated them all summer. Fruit stayed cold, nobody got warm cantaloupe, everyone wa...
Cool Coolers by Fit & Fresh XL Slim Reusable Ice Packs