Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Kitchen Tools That Actually Fixed My Sad Desk Lunch Salads
42
items Making salads at home should save money and time, but somehow every lunch I packed looked like a pile of uneven, sad vegetables drowning in dressing. If you're the person who keeps buying salads at work because your homemade ones look depressing, the...
Sections
7
Egg Slicers and Prep Tools That Make Perfect Salad Toppings
Salad Containers That Actually Keep Lunch Fresh Until Noon
Mandolines and Slicers for Paper Thin Vegetables
Salad Spinners and Greens Prep That Save Weeknight Time
Dressings and Seasoning Shakers That Replace Boring Bottled Stuff
Cutting Boards and Knife Sets That Speed Up Salad Assembly
Egg Slicers and Prep Tools That Make Perfect Salad Toppings
I used to hack at hard boiled eggs with a butter knife and end up with crumbly yolk shrapnel all over my cutting board. These changed everything about how I prep egg toppings.
Press a peeled egg through once and you get perfectly even slices every single time. For anyone who's been smashing eggs with a fork like a caveman, this feels like discovering electricity.
OXO Good Grips Egg Slicer with Non Slip Grip for Hard
Toss in six eggs, hit the button, walk away. My mornings used to involve hovering over a pot of boiling water and still getting inconsistent results. Now I meal prep a whole week of eggs on Sunday in twelve minutes.
Dash Rapid Egg Cooker - Walmart.ca
Swap this in when you want wedges instead of round slices. The wires are thinner than the OXO version so they cut through without dragging the yolk. Great if you're making Cobb salads regularly.
KitchenAid Classic Egg Slicer with Stainless Steel Wires
Use this for dicing eggs, onions, cucumbers, and peppers all in one shot. Before I got this I spent 20 minutes just chopping vegetables and talked myself out of making salad half the time.
Fullstar, Vegetable Chopper, 4 in 1, Food and Onion Prep
Toss a boiled egg in, shake it for ten seconds, and the shell slides right off. My coworker watched me peel six eggs in under a minute and immediately ordered one from her phone.
The Negg Boiled Egg Peeler Black
Get this if you want those thick restaurant-style wedges on your salad. Cuts into six even pieces without the yolk crumbling. Perfect for anyone who eats with their eyes first.
Progressive International Chopping & Slicing
Salad Containers That Actually Keep Lunch Fresh Until Noon
Nothing killed my motivation faster than opening a soggy salad at 12:30. The lettuce was wilted, the croutons were mush, and I'd end up buying a burrito instead.
Keep dressing on the bottom, toppings in the tray, greens on top. Everything stays separate until you're ready to eat. Brought the same salad setup for three weeks straight because it actually tasted fresh at lunch.
Customer reviews for Bentgo Salad Container
Grab this if you need something cheaper that still works. The removable tray keeps wet ingredients away from lettuce. For anyone packing lunch on a budget who's tired of sad, soggy greens.
(1 pack) Sistema To-Go 1.63L Salad & Sandwich Plastic
These seal so tight that I've thrown one in my bag sideways and nothing leaked. Clear sides let you see what's inside without opening five containers looking for Tuesday's lunch.
Rubbermaid Brilliance Plastic Food Storage Container
Tiny, leakproof, and fits right inside most lunch containers. I used to wrap dressing in plastic wrap like some kind of lunch goblin. This is so much more dignified.
W&P Porter Dressing Container w/Lid |Charcoal 1.5
Shake your salad to coat everything evenly instead of getting one bite that's all dressing and another that's dry lettuce. Sounds silly until you try it and realize you've been eating salad wrong.
Uutvmp Salad Shaker Cup with Lids and Fork Fresh
Stick the whole bag in the freezer overnight and it keeps your salad cold until lunch without an ice pack. For anyone without fridge access at work, this is the move.
Customer reviews for PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag Solid
Mandolines and Slicers for Paper Thin Vegetables
Thick cucumber slices were ruining the texture of every salad I made. Once I started slicing vegetables thin, my homemade salads finally started tasting like the ones I paid fourteen dollars for.
Switch between five blade settings depending on what you're slicing. Radishes come out paper thin, carrots get julienned perfectly. Bought this after cutting my finger trying to slice a cucumber thin with a chef's knife.
Mueller 5-in-1 Adjustable Mandoline Food Slicer with Steel
Smaller than a full mandoline so it fits in a drawer instead of taking up counter space. For anyone in a tiny apartment kitchen who can't justify another bulky gadget.
KitchenAid Adjustable Hand-Held V-Blade Mandoline
Use the dial to adjust thickness without swapping blades. Went from dreading vegetable prep to actually enjoying it because everything comes out uniform and professional looking.
Prepworks by Progressive Adjust-A-Slice Mandoline
Try spiralizing beets or carrots on top of a salad. The texture difference compared to chopped vegetables is wild. My partner went from picking around the carrots to actually eating them.
Brieftons 5-Blade Spiralizer (Model: Classic): A How-To
Grab this if you want something no-fuss that just works. One thickness, one blade, zero decision fatigue. I keep this one at the office for when I prep lunch there.
OXO Good Grips Simple Mandoline
Pair this with any mandoline unless you enjoy explaining bandaged fingers to your coworkers. Learned this lesson the hard way during a Super Bowl party prep session. Worth every penny.
Microplane Cut Resistant Kitchen Safe Adult Glove
Salad Spinners and Greens Prep That Save Weeknight Time
Wet lettuce was my nemesis. Dressing slid right off and pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Getting greens properly dry was the single biggest upgrade to my salad routine.
Pump the button a few times and your greens go from dripping wet to perfectly dry. Dressing actually clings to the leaves now instead of sliding into a puddle at the bottom of my bowl.
OXO Good Grips Large Salad Spinner - 6.22 Qt., White
Smaller than the OXO so it works for single servings. For anyone who lives alone and doesn't need to spin a whole head of lettuce at once. Fits in the fridge easily too.
Prepworks by Progressive Salad Spinner with Handle
Keep a couple of these stashed for the nights you absolutely cannot be bothered to chop anything. No shame. Even my homemade salad toppings taste great thrown on top of these kits.
Dole Everything Caesar Chopped Salad Kit, 10.6 oz Bag
The pull cord mechanism on this one is faster than the pump style. Three pulls and you're done. My kid actually fights me to use it because it feels like starting a lawnmower.
Warranty
Toss this in when you need a backup or want one for the office. Lightweight, simple, gets the job done. Nothing fancy but it dries greens and that's literally all I need it to do.
Mainstays 4 qt Salad Spinner Vegetable Dryer, Green
Store washed greens in this and they stay crisp for almost a week. Before I had this, my lettuce turned into brown slime by Wednesday and I'd abandon salad plans entirely.
Progressive Furniture, Lettuce Keeper Food Storage
Dressings and Seasoning Shakers That Replace Boring Bottled Stuff
Store bought dressing was making every salad taste the same. Once I started making my own and keeping good seasoning nearby, lunch went from obligation to something I actually craved.
Pour oil, vinegar, and whatever seasonings you want, shake it up, and pour. Markings on the side give you ratios so you don't have to guess. Homemade vinaigrette in thirty seconds flat.
OXO Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker Clear Large
Grab this for the days you don't feel like making your own. Tastes closer to homemade than any bottled dressing I've tried. Made with avocado oil so it doesn't have that weird soybean oil aftertaste.
Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing & Marinade 8 fl oz No-Dairy
Sprinkle this on top of a salad with sliced eggs and avocado. Trust me. My coworker asked if I was eating something from a restaurant and I just pointed at this jar smugly.
Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning
Use a splash of this in homemade dressings for that tangy kick that makes salads actually interesting. Switched from red wine vinegar and never looked back. Lasts forever too.
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Keep this at your desk and grind it fresh over your salad right before eating. The smell alone makes sad desk lunch feel like a sidewalk cafe moment.
McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder, 0.77 oz Bottle
Mist this lightly over greens before adding other dressing. Helps everything stick to the leaves and adds a subtle richness. For anyone whose salads taste flat no matter what dressing they use.
Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil Spray 4.7 oz
Cutting Boards and Knife Sets That Speed Up Salad Assembly
Prepping salad on a tiny warped cutting board with a dull knife added fifteen minutes I didn't have. Better tools cut my prep time in half, literally.
Big enough to chop multiple vegetables without everything falling off the edges. My old board was so small I had to prep in batches. This one handles an entire salad's worth of ingredients at once.
GORILLA GRIP, Cutting Board, Oversized
These stay sharp because they sharpen themselves every time you put them back in the block. Stopped dreading tomato slicing because the knife actually cuts instead of smashing.
Farberware Edgekeeper 13-piece Pro Self-Sharpening
Dedicate one board to vegetables, one to proteins, one to fruit. Color coding your prep sounds fussy until you realize you're not washing the same board four times while making one salad.
Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Bamboo Cutting Board Set
Pair each colored knife with a specific task so you're not digging through a drawer mid-chop. The serrated one handles tomatoes without turning them into juice. Surprisingly sharp for the price.
Cuisinart, Kitchen Knife Set, 12-Piece
Fold it in half and slide chopped vegetables directly into your container. No more cupping handfuls of diced onion and dropping half of them on the counter during the transfer.
Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot Plus, Folding Chopping Board
Swap out whatever dull knife you're currently struggling with. This one is what culinary students use and it costs less than most people expect. Makes prep feel effortless instead of like a chore.
Mercer Culinary, Genesis Steel 8" Chef's Knife, Black
Protein Toppers That Turn a Side Salad Into an Actual Meal
A salad without protein left me starving by 2pm and reaching for vending machine chips. Adding real protein turned my lunch from a sad appetizer into something that actually kept me full until dinner.
Toss these on top of any salad for instant protein without cooking. Keep a bag in the freezer and grab a handful each morning. For anyone who wants chicken on their salad but refuses to grill at 7am.
Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, 22 oz (Frozen, Fully Cooked)
Tear open a pouch and dump it on greens. No can opener, no draining over the sink, no tuna water splashing on your shirt. Keep three in your desk drawer for emergency lunch protein.
Chunk Light Tuna in Water 25% Less Sodium (Can)
Use the cheese and nuts from these as salad toppings when you want variety without buying five separate ingredients. The portions are already measured so you don't accidentally dump half a block of cheese on your greens.
Sargento® Balanced Breaks® White Cheddar Cheese
Sprinkle a handful on any salad for crunch and protein. Way more interesting than croutons and they don't get soggy. Switched to these after realizing my crouton habit was basically just eating bread cubes.
Wonderful Pistachios, Roasted & Salted Nuts, 12 Ounce Bag
Grab these when you don't even want to boil your own eggs. Already peeled, ready to slice. For the mornings when you hit snooze three times and still want a decent lunch.
Great Value Cage-Free Hard Boiled Eggs, 9.31 oz, 6 Count
Toss a small handful on a salad with goat cheese and walnuts. The sweet-tart contrast makes a boring spinach salad taste like something you'd order at a brunch place. A little goes a long way.
Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries