14 Cool Kitchen Gadgets Everyone Should Own
With so many kitchen gadgets out there, it’s hard to determine which one you really need. Useful products are more than just cool looks. If you choose the right ones, your life will get much easier. This is especially true for newbie cooks who still don’t know their way around the kitchen.
We’ve gone through a bunch of kitchen gadgets and made an ultimate list of the ones everyone should have. The following gadgets are good-looking, practical, and modern. They’ll minimize the time you spend in the kitchen without compromising the deliciousness of your meals. In addition, they’ll reduce the mess and allow you to truly enjoy cooking!
1. Smoothie Blender
Smoothies have become a part of the everyday diet for foodies around the world. And what better way to combine the healthiest ingredients like vegetables, fruits, nuts, and yogurt in a single tasty meal?
If you want to make smoothies your daily staple too, you’ll need a smoothie blender. Besides for making perfect smoothies with incredible speed and ease, you can also use your blender for soups, homemade sauces, lemonades, whipped cream, cocktails, pancake batter, you name it. Speaking of pancakes…
2. Pancake Batter Dispenser
Everybody loves pancakes but their preparation almost always ends up with a huge mess in the kitchen. Newbie cooks will confirm that pouring the batter into the pan is impossible without splashes and spills. Not to mention that the pancakes are almost never uniform.
Investing in a batter dispenser will put an end to your pancake ordeals. You’ll be able to produce stacks of perfectly uniform griddle cakes with zero drips!
3. Kitchen Scale
Before you reach that Jamie Oliver pro-level of combining ingredients even with your eyes closed, you’ll need to follow the recipe accurately (unless you want to produce a strangely-tasting mess).
To make sure that every ingredient is measured to perfection, you’ll need a kitchen scale. This handy gadget will also help you weigh the portions if you’re counting calories (and who isn’t?).
4. Salad Spinner
After washing your greens, you need to get them dry. But oftentimes, removing the water from your lettuce seems like an impossible task. No matter how much you dry it and squeeze it, water seems to come out from a hidden source. The result? A soggy salad.
This is even more obvious with zucchini and eggplant. If you’re planning to cook these veggies, you need to make sure they’re very, very, very well drained. Same counts for apples that’ll go in your apple cakes, pies, and strudels. The solution? Toss them in the salad spinner for a quick whirl and you’re good to go.
5. Set of Quality Knives
Having quality, sharp knives will make you much more efficient in the kitchen. Seriously. Have you ever tried cutting something with a dull knife? In addition to taking ages to finish the job, this will also cost you your inner peace and tranquility!
A decent set of knives includes a multi-purpose chef’s knife, bread knife, paring knife, and carving knife and it’ll cost you from $60-200$
6. Garlic Press
Let’s face it – if you don’t own a garlic press, your fingers will always be smelly. Period. So, forget about mincing garlic with a knife and use this incredible kitchen gadget that presses the whole clove into tiny pieces.
7. Cocktail Shaker
Are you up for some perfectly prepared Piña Colada in the comfort of your home? Investing in a good cocktail shaker will allow you to impress your guests while working out!
Why settle for stirring your drinks with a plain spoon, when you can enjoy a real cocktail after work? The shaker will make sure all the components and flavors are well blended, and keep the cocktail cold without dilution. Perfection!
8. Mortar and Pestle
Are you a fan of freshly-ground spices? Then you must own a mortar and pestle.
While you can buy most spice blends already ground, grinding them fresh ensures extra flavor and aroma. You can use this amazing set to make blends such as garam masala, baharat, and za’atar.
But wait, that’s not all. Mortar and pestle can be used for a lot more than you think. Don’t believe us? Here are nine things to start: pesto, guacamole, hummus, curry, Caesar dressing, aioli, chimichurri, gremolata, flavored salts.
9. Wooden Cutting Board
Nobody wants a chopping board that slips around. That’s why you’ll need a good wooden one.
Wooden chopping boards provide a safe and sturdy surface for preping food. They’re perfect for cutting a wide array of foods including fruits and veggies, meat, fish, cheese, and bread. In addition, wooden cutting boards are resistant to scratching and prevent your knives from dulling quickly. Speaking of chopping…
10. Multi-Chopper
If cutting boards sound too old school for you, we suggest using a multi chopper. This cool kitchen gadget has three interchangeable blades that allow you to easily prep carrots, onions, potatoes, and other firm produce. In addition, it comes with a measuring container that allows you to control how much you have already cut and is easily removed so that you can use the multi-chopper directly over the pan!
11. Clip-on Strainer
You know how colanders make you strain a good portion of precious pasta along with the excess water? Let’s not forget about splashing hot water that represents a real hazard and has a huge potential of making a mess in your kitchen. If you get yourself a clip-on strainer, such accidents will become history.
Cool strainers have a universal design which makes them suitable for any pot, bowl, and pan. They’re also small and compact (a quarter of a size of a standard colander, to be more precise) so they won’t take up too much space in your kitchen.
You can use the clip-on strainer for more than just pasta; you can strain potatoes, fat from cooked meat, soups, etc.
12. Bottle Stopper
People in their twenties have the capacity to empty whole bottles of wine at one sitting, but the rest of us usually decide to save half of the bottle for later. And for that, you need a wine stopper. No, not a dull cork, but a cool colorful stopper or one that comes shaped like your favorite animal.
In addition to preventing your wine from breathing and keeping it fresh, a wine stopper will also add a level of elegance and refinement to your parties. Or your Saturday night movie marathon. Talking about finishing wine leftovers in style.
13. French Press
This one is for all the coffee lovers out there! If you’re tired of your usual morning latte, this is definitely going to shake up your morning routine. A French press is a simple way of brewing coffee that preserves the oils and, as a result, gives your cup of joe a deeper flavor. Not a coffee person? No worries, you can also use this cool gadget for brewing tea.
14. Electric Can Opener
When I was a kid, I was afraid to use a can opener. I was even terrified to watch my dad use it. I always expected him to cut off his finger or something.
Luckily, manual openers are part of the past and the modern era brings us electric ones that make can opening as easy as ABC.