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10 Kitchen Gadgets You Never Knew You Needed
Want to up your game in the kitchen? If the answer to this question is, “Yes!”, you may want to invest in some of these innovative kitchen tools. When you boost efficiency and ease with these kitchen implements, you’ll feel totally in control, like a celebrity chef. While you may not want to fork over hard-earned cash for every kitchen tool on the list, you may find at least a few of them deeply appealing. Most of us spend a lot of time in our home kitchens, unless we’re rich enough to hire personal chefs to do the hard work for us. Even the very wealthy sometimes enjoy cooking, just because it’s a pleasurable activity. Cooking is fun. At least, when we’re not tired from work or something like that. For tired days, there’s Uber Eats or trips to local eateries that are very close to home. For other days, playing around in the kitchen often becomes one of the highlights of our days and nights. It’s enjoyable to experiment with new recipes or whip up tried-and-true favorites. Now, it’s time to discover ten awesome and inventive food gadgets that you never knew you needed.
10. Try Out A Fork And Pizza Cutter
Want to shove pizza into your mouth as soon as you’re done slicing it? Sure you do! When you purchase a pizza cutter with a built-in fork, you can slice a pie and then eat a piece, without missing a beat. These unique food gadgets are fun and they usually aren’t too expensive, either. You’ll find them online, from a variety of manufacturers. One clever inventor, Daniel Morvec, posted his own version of the “fork and pizza cutter” to Kickstarter. His Kickstarter campaign didn’t hit the target, but he still succeeded, because his little kitchen tool is now available through a few online retailers. His fork and pizza cutter was made from plastic, but metal styles are also available. In general, you may expect to pay no more than several bucks to get one of these handy implements. Fork and pizza cutters save a little time. They are perfect for home chefs who prefer to make their own pizza pies, rather than ordering pizza. They’ll also work wonders when pizzas are delivered and just haven’t been sliced clean through, as they should be. Like most food gadgets, you can’t really call this kitchen tool a necessity, but that’s the fun of it. It’s something new that is innovative and different. It does save some time and it’s convenient. It’s a good gift idea for any pizza lover.
9. Treat Yourself To An Adjustable Rolling Pin
If you want to ensure that your dough is rolled out to the ideal thickness, you may want to treat yourself to an adjustable rolling pin. It’ll allow you to get precise results that make it easier to create perfect baked goods. Adjustable rolling pins come in different styles, but most offer a variety of settings for different dough thicknesses. You’ll find that changing the setting takes mere seconds, or a couple of minutes at the most. Some feature colored rings that fit on both ends. There are a selection of bright rings. Choose the right two rings for a particular dough thickness and add them to each end of the rolling pin. Then, get ready to enjoy accurate results that lead to delicious results. Others feature dials which may be adjusted for certain thicknesses. You don’t need to be an expert baker to benefit from one of these adjustable rolling pins. They are practical choices for amateurs, too, because they help them to build confidence in the kitchen. Baking is definitely an culinary art form that requires a high level of precision, in terms of following recipes carefully and in terms of rolling dough out to exact thicknesses. This handy tool is one of the easiest ways to improve baking results and it’s quite easy to use. Sure, you may not know that you needed it, but now that you know about it, you may find that it’s the perfect addition to your home kitchen.
8. Buy A Butter Knife With Built-in Grater
If you love real butter, rather than soft margarine, but find it hard to spread butter evenly, you may want to invest in a butter knife with a built-in grater. This handy food gadget will make it easy to break down butter for easy spreading. The built-in grater will facilitate the process of adding delicious butter to bread, muffins or whatever else you like to put it on. Butter will be grated into tiny ribbons that are very easy to spread with the knife. As you probably already know, butter can be very hard to work with. It’s often rock-solid when it comes out of the fridge. With a kitchen tool like this, you won’t need to waste a lot of time trying to soften butter before you use it. The grater will do all of the hard work for you. There are different butter knives with built-in graters available. One product to consider is the Butterup Knife, which is available online. It’s made from metal and it’s fairly pricey, but it comes from a Museum of Modern Art collection, so it’s an upscale kitchen gadget. If you want to spend less, look for a design made from plastic. It should work well, too.
7. Order A Collapsible Whisk Online
If you love using a whisk to make sauces, salad dressings or other recipes, but want a whisk that’s easier to store, be sure to consider purchasing a collapsible whisk. When you do, you’ll be able to make it smaller for storage in an instant. Usually, whisks of the collapsible type fold flat, so they’re really easy to store in home kitchens. It’s generally possible to twist the whisks in order to get them back to full-size. Since the “balloon” of the whisk will collapse whenever you want it to, you’ll find that it doesn’t take up much space in a kitchen drawer. If you want one of these handy food gadgets, be sure to look for one that’s free of BPA. Metal or BPA-free plastic designs are available. A rugged style should stand the test of time and also be dishwasher-safe. While owning a collapsible whisk probably won’t make a huge difference in your life, it will make kitchen clean-up and storage easier. You’ll probably find that the whisk is easier to hand-wash, if you do tend to do dishes the old-fashioned way sometimes, because you can wash it when it’s flat, rather than expanded. Plus, it’s simple to put in the same drawer that you store the rest of your cutlery in. You won’t need to store the whisk on top of a counter, in a jar or other container. You’ll be able to stash it away out of sight when it isn’t being used.
6. Splurge On A Chopstick-and-Fork In One
Some of us aren’t exactly pros with chopsticks, but we like to try and use them anyway. Occasionally, we may have trouble getting food, such as noodles or sushi, up to our mouths. When this happens, we may want a fork instead, if only for a little while. When we use chopstick-and-forks-in-one tools, we have the power to switch from chopsticks to a fork whenever we want to. We can practice with chopsticks and then use a fork when we’ve had enough practice. While chopstick-and-fork food gadgets may not become the gold standard in restaurants that serve traditional or modern Asian fare, they are definitely smart options for take-out. People who use them are able to enjoy a bit of fun, picking up Ramen noodles or other goodies with chopsticks, and then use their forks to eat when they want feeding themselves to be a little easier and faster. This fun kitchen tool is amusing and functional. It’s a cute thing to own and it’s actually very practical. Maybe some purists might reject this hybrid, but it’s perfect for those who aren’t too traditional. Is the chopstick-and-fork-in-one right for you?
5. Prep for Avocado Toast With An Avocado Slicer
Millennials are crazy for avocado toast. A survey showed that Millennials spend quite a bit of time worrying about whether avocados are ripe or not. This is probably because they want to make avocado toast out of them as soon as they possibly can. Since avocados are all the rage, why not make the process of slicing them easier? With an avocado slicer, you’ll be able to get uniform slices of creamy green avocado every single time. Just be careful when you remove the stones from avocados. The avocado slicer food gadget is meant to be used after the pits of the avocados are removed. Unfortunately, people do get hurt trying to take the pits out of juicy avocados. One of the safest ways to take the “seed” out of an avocado, and seed is another term for “pit” or “stone”, is to slice an avocado in two, lengthwise, and then twist it to pull it apart and reveal the pit. Then, hit the top of the pit with the knife blade. The knife should stick right in the pit. While the knife is stuck in the pit, you’ll be able to pull it out safely. This is a better method than putting the tip of a sharp knife under the pit and trying to get it out that way. Putting a knife under the pit can lead to disaster. According to Bustle.com, people end up in hospital emergency rooms because they try to get pits out of avocados using the tips of knives, which are placed underneath the pits. If you injure your hand trying to remove the pit from an avocado, it’s called avocado hand. That’s why doctors call it. Anyway, back to the gadget. The avocado slicer will not cause avocado hand. It will help you to slice an avocado with ease. After you use it, you may mash up the slices for avocado toast, or lay them gently across your toast, or use them in other ways.
4. Make Life Easier With An Herb Stripper
Fresh herbs tend to taste much better than dried herbs. They add so much flavor to recipes. They also look amazing in recipes. If you’re a fresh herb lover, with a taste for Thyme and other popular herbs, we highly recommend investing in an herb stripper. When you buy this cute little food gadget, you’ll find that getting every leaf off of the stem is fast and easy. Fresh herbs tend to be pricey, so an herb stripper will allow you to get all of the herbs off of the stem, without any waste. It’ll also mean less work in the kitchen. Anyone who has an herb garden in his or her own home kitchen or backyard will love trying out this cute little kitchen implement. Just pull the stem of the herb through a hole in the plastic to strip all of its leaves off. It’ll be that simple to get results. It’s also a great gadget for people who buy fresh herbs at the grocery store. Sometimes, herbs at the grocery store are packaged with their stems. You’ll feel like a total gourmet as you strip your fresh herbs before using them in salads, soups, stews and other savory recipes. Your new herb stripper may just inspire you to get more creative in the kitchen.
3. Enjoy Berries Faster With A Strawberry Huller
Add some summery taste to your daily diet by choosing ripe, fresh strawberries from the grocery store, or growing your own. When they’re ready to eat, use a handy strawberry huller to take out the hulls. It’s much easier than trying to remove the hulls with a small paring knife or other kitchen tool. Strawberry hullers are efficient little kitchen gadgets that make it simpler to enjoy fresh berries anytime. They’re particularly useful for smoothie fans, who love adding cups of fresh strawberries to their blenders. When you choose this small tool, you’ll find that it’s big on convenience. Like most of the kitchen gadgets on today’s list, the strawberry huller won’t take a big bite out of your budget. Different styles are out there and you’ll find many of them online. If you prefer to shop local, look for a strawberry huller at a local kitchen goods store or large chain department store. Spending several bucks on one of these gadgets will make sense if you’re really into berries.
2. Enjoy Major Convenience With A Hands-Free Baggy Holder
If you’re one of those organized people who has plastic baggies full of ingredients ready for meal prep at all times, why not take organization one step further by investing in a baggie holder that offers hands-free performance? Just prop the open baggie on the kitchen gadget. Then, scoop out what you need from the upright baggie with a spoon or small measuring cup. You’ll never need to worry about holding a baggie upright with one hand while you try to scoop out contents with the other. You also won’t need to worry about the baggie tipping over while you’re doing meal prep. This is a kitchen gadget that most people have never heard of, but it’s very practical. It’ll help to keep your kitchen clean, by preventing spills from baggies that tip over. It’ll also give you two hands for your kitchen meal prep tasks.
1. Indulge With Your Own Dunking Tool
The last food gadget on our list is a handy dunker for cookies, such as a certain classic black-and-white cookie…the OREO. If you love the taste sensation that dunking OREOs or other cookies in milk provides, but want to make the dunking process cleaner and easier, buy your own DIPR tool, or another gadget that serves the same purpose. We’re not promoting the DIPR or any other food gadget. We’re just showing you fun stuff that’s out there. With the DIPR, which is made of plastic, there is a hook which wraps right around an OREO or other OREO-sized cookie. It holds the cookie firmly in place while it’s being dipped in a tall, cool glass of milk. Once the cookie has been dipped, you can pull it right out and shove it into your mouth. No more digging around for cookies which have fallen into the bottom of the glass, or gotten broken while being dipped. This tool and a box of OREOS, plus a liter of milk, will be a gift that many cookies-and-milk fans are grateful for! Is it a tool that’s worth your money? That’s for you to decide…