Favorite Kitchen Gadgets?

[Easychefboi]

Hello chefs! I just moved into a new apartment and am looking for some gadgets that make the kitchen life easier. What are some of your favorites? Im looking for gadgets that aren't extremely common but make the kitchen life easier.
Thanks!

 

[profnot]

Microplane - getting zest from citrus fruits and removing any burnt areas from baked cookie bottoms or toast.

Mini food processor - deviled egg filling, guacamole, mayonnaise, vinaigrette, herb butters, pesto, dip, olive tapenade, mincing shallots, chopping chocolate, more.

 

[taxlady]

One of my favourites, and it gets used a lot, is an immersion blender with a mini food processor and whisk attachments. I'm not sure it's this exact model, but it looks like mine. I had something similar in a different brand before, but this one seems to be holding up really well.

 

[dragnlaw]

Agree with both taxy and profnot...

but don't forget your cork wine opener.
Not all bottles are screw tops.

 

[taxlady]

Oh, and cut resistant gloves. They are useful with the mandolin. They are useful when using a grater or shredder. They are useful when you are feeling clumsy and going to use a chef's knife.

 

[Easychefboi]

Thanks!

Those are some great ideas! I really like the cut resistant gloves. I tend to go too fast when cutting veggies and avacados haha

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Egg poaching pan, with glass lid and removabe egg cups. Great for steam-poaced eggs, egg bites, deviled eggs., steamed pudings, even domplings.

Seeeeya; Chif Longwind of the North

 

[GotGarlic]

A set of bamboo utensils. They work with all kinds of pans - stainless steel, non-stick, ceramic, cast iron, etc. Speaking of which, a set of cast iron pans in three sizes is very useful, for both oven and stovetop cooking. They do require a bit of maintenance, but they're great pans and will last forever.

 

[dragnlaw]

Although technically speaking - Cast Iron cookware are not 'gadgets' but what the heck! those will be something you will hand down to your kids and/or grands. Highly, highly recommend GG's suggestion.

One thing I will recommend NOT to do is get pots or pans with handles/lids that have attachments that are not oven safe.
If you do (or already have ) hopefully they are/were relatively cheap.

 

[GotGarlic]

Although technically speaking - Cast Iron cookware are not 'gadgets' but what the heck! those will be something you will hand down to your kids and/or grands. Highly, highly recommend GG's suggestion.

One thing I will recommend NOT to do is get pots or pans with handles/lids that have attachments that are not oven safe.
If you do (or already have ) hopefully they are/were relatively cheap.

That's true, cast iron pans are not gadgets. But they sure are good to have [emoji2]

 

[Andy M.]

Don't want to start a discussion of what is a gadget vs. what is a tool. Most of the suggestions I see are tools rather than gadgets IMO. The Chief's suggestion I see as a gadget.

How about a cherry/olive pitter, strawberry huller, citrus peeler, multi-bladed scissors for cutting up herbs, hinged omelet pans that fold in the middle, etc.

 

[HeyItsSara]

i guess we have to define the word gadget.

 

[GotGarlic]

i guess we have to define the word gadget.

Ask and ye shall receive

 

[GotGarlic]

A channel knife is fun for making decorative pieces of fruit and curls for garnishing food and cocktails. Andy mentioned a citrus zester. I didn't know they made a gadget with both!

I made this bowl of flower pickles (our own K'girl's recipe) for a party with the channel knife and garnish for the stuffed grape leaves with the zester. You can also use the zester to make citrus shreds for a marinade.

 

[GotGarlic]

One of my favourites, and it gets used a lot, is an immersion blender with a mini food processor and whisk attachments. I'm not sure it's this exact model, but it looks like mine. I had something similar in a different brand before, but this one seems to be holding up really well.

I have a set similar to this, from the same manufacturer, and it's very useful.

 

[dragnlaw]

Gadgets to me are a novelty thing - something that is not really necessary to everyday cooking.

But a gadget can also be something that has been around so long that it has become a standard in a kitchen. A good example is a peeler. A knife can do the job just as well and did for years but now peelers have been around so long almost every kitchen has one.

 

[taxlady]

GG, I have a zester with a built in channel knife. Until I saw people here mentioning it, I had no idea what a channel knife was or what it was for. In fact it wasn't until someone posted a picture of a combo channel knife / zester that I even realized that I had one. I still haven't used the channel knife part, but will give it a try one of these days.

 

[Janet H]

These two things - an old school pastry cutter and a Foley fork.

The Foley Fork is fabulous for mixing batters, stirring sauces, mashing things like avocados and bananas, making lumpless gravy, and serving pasta. It does everything a whisk can do except whip cream and egg whites into peaks. It's a better tool than a whisk for almost every other function however. The weird beauty of this thing is that the tines are all at different angles - it's sort of snaggle toothed, but that irregularity makes it an awesome blending tool. Highly recommended. These haven't been made for years - this one was my moms, but you can find them at second hand shops and vintage stores with some regularity.

The Pastry cutter has hardened wire hoops instead of cut steel and has just the right amount of flex. The extra hard wires mean that they don't easily bend out of shape in use.

 

[Bakersdozen73]

These two things - an old school pastry cutter and a Foley fork.

The Foley Fork is fabulous for mixing batters, stirring sauces, mashing things like avocados and bananas, making lumpless gravy, and serving pasta. It does everything a whisk can do except whip cream and egg whites into peaks. It's a better tool than a whisk for almost every other function however. The weird beauty of this thing is that the tines are all at different angles - it's sort of snaggle toothed, but that irregularity makes it an awesome blending tool. Highly recommended. These haven't been made for years - this one was my moms, but you can find them at second hand shops and vintage stores with some regularity.

The Pastry cutter has hardened wire hoops instead of cut steel and has just the right amount of flex. The extra hard wires mean that they don't easily bend out of shape in use.

View attachment 42308

Hi Janet,
I'm a lover of old kitchen gadgets too, and have both of these. I call the Foley fork, my "Granny fork" and forbid anyone else to use it! [emoji4]

 

[dragnlaw]

Janet, I have one of those pastry cutters. Every new bride establishing her kitchen had to have one, back in the day.

I was using mine one day, diligently cutting in the lard to the flower.

Bazing! Thud! Dent in the wall.

Nut had come loose and flew off, the wires sprung. Thank goodness there was no one in the path of that flying nut.

Put it back together and kept on going.
I don't use it anymore, still sitting up there in my cupboard. Use the food processor now.

My mother's had a red handle with (if I remember correctly) white tips. Mine was/is very modern with unpainted wood.