The Best Kitchen Utensils, Tools & Gadgets

I’ve rounded up a list of the best kitchen utensils, tools & gadgets that are a must have for every cook whether professional or newbie.

Whether you’re a seasoned chef or beginner, fancy cook or just an average mom trying to get dinner on the table, these kitchen tools are a must-have in your kitchen. 

I’m extremely frugal and quite the bargain shopper so for me to break down and buy something it’s got to be worth my penny and it’s got to be useful to me (I know some of you can relate).

And while I may make a small commission for the links listed below, I can promise you there is nothing on this list that I wouldn’t buy myself (or haven’t already!) and don’t find useful or worth buying.  These are all things I use frequently and definitely wouldn’t want to be without in my kitchen.

I hope to make your life a little easier and your cooking or baking more efficient :).

• Microplane/Zester
  This is my number one kitchen tool because it’s so convenient and so easy!  I use for grating garlic, ginger or zesting lemon/lime/oranges…it requires 0 effort and gives you finely grated ingredients.  Use it for grating ginger in Asian Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry or lemon zest in Creamy Lemon Summer Squash Risotto.

• Lemon juicer:
  This one’s pretty self-explanatory but for some reason I went years without one of these and when I finally got one, I couldn’t imagine life without it.  This one is made of durable metal so it doesn’t break easily like some of the cheaper plastic one’s I’ve seen.  It gets every bit of juice out of that lemon or lime and it keeps the seeds from falling into your recipe.

• Kitchen Thermometer: 
  When you want your steak cooked to the perfect medium-rare temperature or you want to be sure your turkey is cooked all the way through, a thermometer is essential in the kitchen.  Not only is it important for food safety, but it also helps with baking; for example, making sure your meringue is the right temperature when whipping up some Swiss meringue buttercream or lemon meringue pie.
  
  I really love this thermometer because it has a lifetime warranty and it’s waterproof.

• Meat tenderizer: 
  I’ve use a rolling pin, the bottom of a drinking glass, heck, even my fists to pound stuff, but a meat tenderizer trumps them all.  Useful for getting that pork thin and tender in my stuffed pork tenderloin recipe, or to even crush up corn flakes for my hot honey crispy chicken– it may seem obvious but it’s one of my useful kitchen gadgets and super inexpensive!

 

Some really handy tools and gadgets every kitchen should have:

• Immersion/Hand Blender: 
  This is a great tool if you love making soups and sauces. I especially love it for my creamy tomato bisque because it makes the soup velvety and smooth without having to transfer the liquid to a blender!  I also use it for a quick smoothie in the morning or milkshake at night J.  This immersion blender comes with a handy cup that you can simply add all your fruit (or ice cream) in and then blend it right up.

• Apple Corer:
  Not only is this little guy great for coring apples, it doubles as an easy cupcake tool for hollowing out the middle for filling.  Simply insert it into the middle of the cupcake and twist as you push down, then pull it back up and you have a perfect hole for filling with salted caramel or lemon curd (like this recipe)

• Mini food processor:
  As much as I love my regular size food processor, sometimes the mini one is much more convenient like when I have to chop just a handful of nuts or I’m only making a small batch of pesto.  Plus, it comes in a variety of awesome colors!

• Digital Kitchen Scale: 
  If you’re a baker like me a scale is an awesome tool to have!  Not until I started culinary school did I ever think to use one of these.  It makes measuring so much easier, especially with baking because the measurements have to be exact, like a science.  It makes life much easier when measuring our flour, sugar, etc. for all of your cupcake & cake recipes.

• Garlic Presser: 
  I really don’t know how I went so long without one of these.  I use A LOT of garlic, and sometimes it’s annoying having to mince up all those garlic cloves and having your hands smell like garlic the rest of the day.  This garlic presser is the best I’ve used and it’s so incredibly easy!  The best purchase I’ve made in a while

And lastly, my favorite cookware that makes delicious recipes really easy and amazing.

• Dutch oven pot: 
  The year I asked for a Dutch oven for Christmas was the year I officially realized I was an adult.  My Dutch oven is my favorite piece of cookware in my kitchen. 
  Yes, it’s heavy, but it’s great for soups, stews and all those cold-weather comfort foods.  The beauty of it is that you can cook your recipe on the stove, and then pop it right into the oven without having to transfer to an oven-safe pan.  Perfect example: beef short ribs-I like to pan sear them on the stovetop in my Dutch oven and then place the whole pot in the oven so it’s finished low and slow. 
  Dutch ovens are also amazing for homemade bread like my Irish soda bread recipe!  They’re awesome at conducting heat, which makes them perfect for those slow and low recipes.

• Cast Iron Pan:
  Just like the Dutch oven pan, a cast iron is an excellent conductor of heat.  You know grandma’s recipes that no matter how exact you follow the recipe, yours never tastes like hers?  Chances are she probably has a seasoned cast iron pan which gives those recipes that special something.  
  It gives those potatoes that perfectly crispy golden brown outside and that steak a beautiful sear.  Plus, it’s oven save so brown away on the stove top then pop in the oven to finish the job.

•  Pot with Strainer:
  I wouldn’t say this is necessary, but definitely convenient.  Simply boil your pasta in one pot and then strain out the liquid using the same pot!  No need to transfer to a strainer or colander and then back to the pot again.