SignalHub-Food Network Judge Catherine McCord Shares Her Kitchen Essentials for Parenting, Hosting & More

We interviewed Catherine McCord because we think you'll like her picks. Weelicious is SignalHubCatherine's brand. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. Prices are accurate as of publish time.

There are few better candidates to take kitchen, meal prepping and cooking advice from than a Food Network judge, especially when that Food Network judge is Catherine McCord. We turned to Catherine for some functional kitchen product recommendations, and the TV host, cookbook author, meal prep connoisseur and founder of Weelicious certainly delivered.

"My kitchen is the hub of action in our home," Catherine shares. "We generally cook 20 out of 21 meals a week, so our kitchen needs to be organized and efficient to save time."

As a busy CEO and mom of three, Catherine's kitchen is always bustling, whether she's working, hosting friends, making "mushroom bacon" or cooking with her family. 

"My kids love cooking and involving them in the process brings me endless joy as it's also made them great eaters," she continues. "We have a large kitchen table so the kids can do their homework, where friends come over to make guacamole and margaritas on the weekend, dance parties while prepping for dinner and for me to work during the day. Our kitchen is truly the happiest room in our house."

Among her top kitchen contenders are an air fryer, slow cooker, food dehydrator and so much more. Not only can you shop Catherine's product recommendations, but you can also preorder her cookbook, Meal Prep Magic, for the easiest, stress-free cooking advice and recipes.

Continue below for Catherine's top kitchen essentials so that you can make your kitchen the "happiest room" in your home, too.

Releasing on April 4th, you can preorder Catherine's cookbook, Meal Prep Magic, from Amazon as a hardcover or on Kindle. It has all the recipes you need to make cooking easy, straight from a meal prepping connoisseur. 

"I use my Philips's XXL air fryer every single day," Catherine shares. "From making the perfect whole roast chicken or homemade crispy French fries to rewarming pizza or frozen mozzarella sticks, it's easily the most used small kitchen appliance in my kitchen."

"I make smoothies for breakfast almost every morning," Catherine says. "I think of my blender like a car. If it's got a strong motor to go fast, it's going to whiz up the smoothest, creamiest smoothie possible and my Vitamix is a true workhorse in the kitchen."

"The trick to meal prepping is having fast meals that are simple to whip up and basically cook by themselves," Catherine explains. "I've had my All-Clad Slow Cooker for years and not only is it beautiful to look at, but I can feed a crowd and still have leftovers every time I use it."

"I try not to waste food, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables," Catherine says. "I use my Excalibur Dehydrator all the time to make fruit leather, "mushroom bacon" and more. Every bite turns out with concentrated flavor and super healthy too."

"I use my Lodge cast iron skillet for most sautéing," Catherine says. "It's naturally non stick and affordable making it an amazing gift too."

"When I discovered silicone Stasher Bags my world changed!" Catherine exclaims. "I use them for storing soups, freezing muffins and sending my kids to school using their bags for snacks."

"We make a lot of pasta in our house and the Bialetti Pasta Pot is like a two in one for cooking pasta and then draining it," Catherine shares. "It also comes in a few fun colors too."

"Whenever I have friends over, for school events or birthday parties, I make huge charcuterie boards on my Crate & Barrel party board," Catherine explains. "From fruits, to nuts, vegetables and dips, everything always looks fun and appetizing!"

Shop more functional home finds with Drew Barrymore's Beautiful kitchen line available at Walmart.

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