10 Useful Kitchen Gadgets You Never Knew You Needed
Whether you love cooking or you’re more of a take-out kind of person, it’s likely you have felt frustration in the kitchen. Whether it is tedious chopping, spills when transferring your dinner, or simply struggling to get your portions right every time, mundane or difficult tasks are made worse when they add irritation to your cooking experience.
Nowadays, new gadgets and smart devices seem to be appearing fast. Those that have the biggest marketing budget will grab headlines, but what about those genuinely useful items which don’t get any press? One of them could hold the key to all your kitchen woes. That’s why we have taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of 10 useful kitchen gadgets you never knew existed. Read on to see if the answer to your cooking prayers has already been invented.
Looking to reduce the calories in your salad dressings? Perhaps you like citrus juice on your fish dishes, but hate having to pick out the seeds which inevitably fall in when squeezing? If this sounds familiar, this citrus mist sprayer might be great for you.
Consisting of a hollow plastic ‘corkscrew’ and a pump spray head, this clever little gadget twists right into the soft flesh of lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit and even watermelons. Once inside, simply press the pump to release fresh citrus mist that is perfect for adding delicious flavor to meats, marinades, salads, and drinks.
Using chopsticks might be second nature to some, but for many people chopsticks are nothing more than a pair of frustrating implements that can cause struggles throughout a meal. If you find yourself regularly ditching the chopsticks and reaching for a fork instead, the ‘Chork’ could be the answer to your noodle night prayers.
This multi-functional utensil combines plastic chopsticks at one end with a fork at the other, making it the perfect solution if you are challenged by the dreaded sticks. The Chork offers you a way to practice your chopstick skills but with an easy out should you simply run out of patience and need to chow down more effectively.
Cereal is a perennial favorite at breakfast time, but it often becomes an unappealing, soggy mess if left sitting in the milk too long. What if there was a solution to this morning misery? Enter OBOL the ‘Never Soggy Cereal Bowl’.
The name speaks for itself: this cleverly designed bowl keeps your favorite cereal completely separate from the milk so you can answer the phone, put on your makeup, or make a coffee without compromising on crunch. Great for children, the spiral design includes a built-in grip to limit spillage so you and your little ones can enjoy cereal in bed on the weekends. The Never Soggy Cereal Bowl is also perfect for fries and ketchup, chips and dips or even ice cream and sprinkles.
All of us have struggled to cook the right amount of spaghetti, right? You place what you think is a reasonable amount into the pan, but when it comes to serving time you seem to have cooked enough to feed a small army. Thankfully, there are geniuses out there which are working to help us mere pasta mortals get things right for once with the Joseph Joseph Spaghetti Measure.
It sounds too good to be true, but this little contraption will ensure you finally get your portion control under control. Simply slide the lever to the number of people you are cooking for to open the aperture to the right size. The amount of spaghetti which fits through this inner hole is exactly the correct amount to put in the pan.
If you often find yourself carrying your strainer backwards and forwards between the sink and your chopping board, this handy gadget will save you the mileage. A hybrid between a chopping board and a strainer, this Over-the-Sink Strainer Board saves you both space and time when prepping your meal.
The board is 22 ½ inches across and is specially designed to fit snugly over your sink without slipping inside. The built-in collapsible 2 ½ quart silicone strainer pops out as required, so you can simply push your chopped veggies in and rinse as you go. Cleaning up afterwards is easy, too. The entire gadget is dishwasher safe, so you won’t have to scrub up when you’re finished.
Accurately pouring from a measuring jug is much harder than expected. Such a simple action should be a walk in the park, but very often it leads to the contents spilling over the sides or missing their mark altogether. This is especially true when attempting to pour pancake batter or cake mix into a cute little muffin dish.
Luckily, flexible silicone measuring cups are here to save the day. Not only do these cups allow you to regain control over your batter and mixes, they also feature handy measurement markers on the side, so you can mix and pour all-in-one. Simply squeeze the sides to temper the flow from each cup.
Julienned vegetables taste great and look beautiful too. If you like to impress your dinner party guests, this fancy way of slicing is a sure-fire way to make them think you’ve been to chef school. To achieve such a veggie-impact requires tedious knife work unless you have one of these Swissmar Peeler Julienne Blades in your drawer.
This super-sleek utensil works just like a potato peeler but yields glorious julienne veggies with a single swipe of the stainless steel blade. Zucchini, carrots, cucumbers and potatoes are effortlessly transformed into perfectly thin slices in no time.
There’s no denying that pineapple is one of the tastiest tropical fruits you can buy. It’s also one of the most cumbersome to prepare. Opening up a can of ready prepared slices is certainly one way of avoiding this, but it won’t taste as good as freshly peeled pineapple.
Thankfully, this kitchen gadget means you’ll never have to reach for the can again. The ChefLand Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer makes short work of frustrating pineapples, leaving you with perfectly cored and sliced results. All you need to do is chop off the top, push the device into the pineapple and twist. Within 30 seconds, you will have a plate of deliciously sweet and beautifully shaped pineapple rings to enjoy.
If you love to discover new recipes, or even give a twist to a favorite, herbs are the best way to add flavors to your culinary masterpieces. The only downside to using herbs is the preparation. Sure, you can chop away with a knife or snip them up with scissors, but this takes up time and effort better spent elsewhere.
If you feel like you’ve aged by the time you have prepared your fresh herbs, this Herb Mill from Microplane will revolutionize your cooking. Containing incredibly sharp blades, this Herb Mill will leave fresh herbs finely chopped with just a twist of the wrist. Simply remove the handle, pack the herbs inside, replace the handle and twist. Perfect for cilantro, dill, basil, and parsley, this herb mill makes short work of your cooking prep, so you can get on with the more enjoyable tasks.
Draining pasta can be a perennial challenge: every time, a few pieces manage to escape, tumbling down into the sink, mocking us silently. With this pasta pot from Bialetti, though, your pasta drainage game will change forever.
Available in a variety of stylish colors, this pasta pot features a specially designed strainer lid so you can simply tip the pot over the sink to drain the contents fully. There’s no need to worry about boiling water suddenly gushing out if the lid comes loose. The lid locks tight with a twisting action, thus keeping you safe from any nasty accidents. The handles are also heat-resistant and ergonomically designed for a comfortable and secure grip. With this pot, pasta will never be able to play it’s escape game with you again.
Final Thoughts
Cooking and food preparation should be fun, not frustrating. If you’ve fallen victim to any of these common kitchen conundrums, take advantage of our list of the 10 most useful kitchen gadgets you never knew existed to make your next culinary encounter all the more pleasant.
Will you be rushing out to buy any of these? Let us know in the comments below!
