Essential Kitchen Gadgets That Will Save You Time
Those of you who work in the kitchen know just how important it is to invest in utensils that save time – whether you’re cooking at home or work in the hospitality business. When vegetable and fruit cutters were introduced, people flocked to buy them because they did all the work when making a simple fruit salad or a plate of fries. The time taken to make these dishes went down from half an hour to mere minutes.
Here is a list of some of the most essential kitchen gadgets that will save you precious time in the kitchen and ensure great taste in your dishes.
- Silicone Baking Mats
If you’re a baker, you know the struggle of cutting butter paper exactly to your pan size each time. Luckily, silicone baking mats are reusable so not only do they save time, but they also reduce waste and are very light on the pocket!
- Food Processor
A food processor is a cook’s best friend. This is needed in every kitchen because manually crushing food doesn’t produce the smoothest results. A versatile food processor can save hours in the kitchen and perform several functions.
- Kitchen Scissors
Kitchen scissors are a good alternative to knives when cutting up pizza or cutting up a chicken because they get the job done faster and more accurately.
- Mason Jars
Since the ban on plastic in many countries, brands have shifted to eco-friendly materials like glass. Air-tight mason jars are perfect for storing both sauces and dry ingredients. This way, your food lasts longer, saving you hours of having to prepare fresh food each time you eat.
- Rapid egg cooker
For those of you who prefer the perfect, sunny-side-up eggs and don’t have the time to make breakfast every morning, this is the perfect alternative and you can get it in under $20.
- Slow-cooker
Yes, it cooks slowly, but it saves time! As opposed to roasting your ingredients in the oven and then creating a dish, the slow cooker only requires you to add your ingredients and it creates a complete dish all on its own.
- Immersion Blender
This is one of the most useful gadgets you can get your hands on. The immersion blender is a smaller version of a food processor and acts as a great alternative to a whisker or small chopper.
- Knife Set
Surprised why this made the list? According to professionals, every food item requires a specific knife to produce the best results. Also, using the wrong knife will not only result in more effort to cut, but it will also damage the blade and can result in injuries.
- Garlic Press
This is another absolutely essential gadget that is not to be bought as a luxury. Garlic has a very pungent smell, so if you do not own an immersion blender or small chopper, buy this instead of manually crushing garlic. Not only is the manual process longer, but it leaves that strong smell lingering in your kitchen.
- Rubber Spatula
If you are the kind who leaves zero waste then spatulas are an essential gadget for you. Rubber Spatulas scrape off every last particle from a food bowl. Get multiple spatulas in different sizes to make the process quicker so that you do not have to wash the same one each time.
- Lemon squeezer
Another classic is the Lemon Squeezer. This gadget is a must-have for every kitchen space because it separates the unwanted seeds and pulp from the juice – something that is almost impossible to do manually. It also helps to squeeze out more juice and save you muscle.
- Micro-plane
If you don’t prefer a grater (some people feel that it can be dangerous with its sharp edges) you can invest in a Microplane; a knife-like gadget that grates cheese and vegetables in minutes.
- Sifter and Colander
Sifters are great for dry ingredients while colanders are extremely useful for draining water from pasta and rice. These are must-haves in every kitchen.
- Mandolin
If your work involves slicing fruits and vegetables frequently, this is the perfect tool for you. However, it is a very sharp tool so you must be careful with your fingers.
- Adjustable rolling pin
Creating the perfect pie crust can be a daunting task, especially for amateurs. An adjustable pin will roll out the perfect crust and different-sized rings will allow you to roll it out to the right size without having to re-roll it.
These kitchen gadgets are absolutely necessary for every chef and baker. There are thousands of other tools out there, but it is important to differentiate between those that just use up space in your kitchen because they’ll only be used once in a blue moon and those that are actually required daily.