My 20 Favorite Kitchen Tools and Gadgets

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There are so many kitchen gadgets out there, and it can be so hard to decide if something is really worth the investment.  Then there is the daunting task of trying to choose which one to buy. Don’t worry, I have it all figured out for you. I have compiled a list of my favorite kitchen tools and gadgets.  

1. Strawberry Huller

I use this all the time.  We usually buy 4 pounds of strawberries every week. I wash and hull all the strawberries at one time. If they weren’t washed and ready to eat, no one would eat them and they would go to waste.

2. Cherry Pitter

Now, if you don’t like cherries, this gadget would not be worth the investment.  We love cherries, so this pitter gets used a lot. I have little kids and I don’t want to worry about them swallowing the pits.  This pitter is also a necessity when I am freezing a bunch of cherries. Watch this video. This thing is so slick.

3. Garlic Peeler

We seriously can’t get enough fresh garlic in this house.  You can buy minced garlic in the jar, which is definitely easier, but I feel like it has a weird taste.  There is nothing better than fresh garlic. I have tried so many ways to peel garlic and this is by far the easiest way.  Here is a video of my 6 year old peeling garlic for me. As you can see, it is so easy.

4. Garlic Press

Since we are talking about garlic, we need to talk about the garlic press. Mine gets used almost every day. I suppose you could just mince it with a knife but I like using a garlic press.  To me, it is easier. Funny garlic press story, I was making an Elmo birthday cake for my niece’s 2nd birthday (which was over 7 years ago.  I can’t believe it was that long ago) and I was trying to figure out how to make Elmo’s hair. I had made marshmallow fondant and had the great idea to press the fondant through my garlic press.  My husband is stronger than me so I had him do it. It worked perfectly, until it didn’t. The garlic press busted from my husband setting it on the counter and putting all of his weight on it.  Maybe I should have softened the fondant in the microwave first. To be clear, the garlic press that I recommend here is not the one that broke. I still think it’s probably best to use the garlic press for what it is designed to do. Below you can see how my Elmo turned out. He definitely turned out fatter than he is supposed to be. This was one of the first cakes that I made though, so I was pretty proud of it at the time.

5. Jar Opener

This tool is super handy.  There are so many times I can’t get a jar open and my husband isn’t around to help.  This also works well to get things open that have lids that are stuck shut like the corn syrup lid or even nail polish.  The kids use it when they sneak a gatorade and can’t ask mom to open it because they aren’t supposed to have the gatorade in the first place.

6. Digital Meat Thermometer

Everyone needs to have a digital meat thermometer.  Every meat thermometer has a chart that tells you what temperature your meat needs to reach before it is safe to eat.  Here is a good reference.

7. Candy Thermometer

These are not just for people who make candy.  Frankly, I have never been good at making candy.  I leave that up to my Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Jim. I probably should have them teach me sometime.  A candy thermometer is what I use to measure the temperature of my liquid when I am making yeast bread.  It needs to be hot enough to activate the yeast, but not too hot, otherwise you will kill the yeast off and your bread won’t rise.  You will need a candy thermometer when making my English muffin bread recipe.

8. Corn Stripper

We had a lot of sweet corn growing up.  It is one of my mom’s favorite foods. I never liked getting stuff stuck in my teeth when eating corn.  When I had braces, as a teenager, I couldn’t eat corn on the cob so we always cut the corn off. I have never been able to go back to eating corn right off the cob.  I have to cut it off. This corn stripper is awesome. It works so well. The best part is that it catches all the corn for you, so you don’t have corn going everywhere.

9. Panini Press

We probably have paninis once a week in our house.  This panini press is awesome to have. It does take up some room in your cupboards but I think it’s worth it.  It’s really nice to be able to make 3 or 4 sandwiches at one time.

10. Patty Maker

This patty maker is fantastic.  Two pounds of meat makes 8 patties. Just fill the patty maker, make sure the lid is on tight and then you can put it directly in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to make the patties..  It’s dishwasher safe too, top rack only, so that’s awesome. I use this every time I make my Parmesan and Cheddar Burger recipe. We like beef burgers, but I also use this patty maker to make sausage patties for breakfast sandwiches.

11. Baggie holder

If you plan on doing freezer meals at all, you need to get this baggie holder. I have four of them. When I have a freezer meal party (I will tell you all about freezer meal parties in a future blog post) these baggie holders make it so much easier to put all the meals together.

12. Pastry Blender

Obviously, this is used to make pastry, but I find that there are a few other uses too.  The pastry blender is a great when you need to mash avocados or bananas, or for chopping up hard boiled eggs.  You could also use it instead of a potato masher to mash up potatoes. I have a potato masher too, and honestly, I don’t use it.  The pastry blender works better.

13. Grater

A grater is not just for grating cheese.  You can use it to grate carrots for carrot cake, apples for apple bread, or zucchini for my Chocolate Avocado Zucchini Muffins.  You can use it to grate frozen butter, like I do in my delicious Lemon Blueberry Scone recipe. It works really well to zest lemons, limes and oranges too.  I had a freezer meal party last month, which I held at my parent’s house. I thought I brought everything I needed but realized when we were putting together the lemon herb chicken, that I forgot my zester.  Mom didn’t have a zester, but had a grater. Truthfully, the grater probably worked better.

14. Metal measuring cups and measuring spoons

I use my measuring spoons and measuring cups multiple times a day.  It is worth it to invest in some nice metal ones.  I have a former co-worker who moved away years ago and she was getting rid of stuff that she didn’t use.  She gave me, my now favorite, metal measuring cups and measuring spoons. She believes they are from William and Sonoma.  They are similar to these. They are totally worth the investment.

15. Pizza Cutter

Yes, I am sure everyone owns a pizza cutter, but make sure you have a decent one. I have a few pizza cutters, but my favorite is my pampered chef pizza cutter. I don’t have the exact version I recommend here, only because mine is older and they make it with the crust cutter on it now.

Pizza cutters have so many uses. You can use a pizza cutter to cut dough if you are making egg noodles or to cut off the excess pastry when making homemade pie crusts.  Pizza cutters are perfect for cutting up spaghetti for kids too. Obviously they can be used to cut pizza, but you can use a pizza cutter to cut up pancakes and quesadillas as well.  I have a story about pizza cutters. This was a couple years ago. I had a college friend whose daughter was sick and they were having a pancake feed fundraiser for her. I went to this fundraiser with a friend.  One of our other college friends was there with her three kids. She gets her kids situated with their plates and thens he pulls a pizza cutter out of her bag to cut up their pancakes. How ingenius is that? Not sure I will carry a pizza cutter in the diaper bag all the time, but I will if I know I am going to a pancake feed.

16. Stand mixer

I love to bake and I could not live without my Kitchenaid stand mixer.  The paddle attachment with rubber scraper attached is awesome to have. Someday I would love to get the pasta roller/cutter attachments and make my own pasta.

17. Food processor

A food processor is indispensable.  It can be used for so many things. I have a large one and a smaller one.  Pretty sure I got them both from my mom. She must have been trying to get rid of stuff when they moved.  She tried to give me her bread machine too, but I said no. That thing is a beast and it takes up way too much counter space.  I use my food processor to make pesto, black bean hummus, chunky monkey ice cream, and the list goes on. Check out Pinch of Yum’s 12 Magical Ways to Use a Food Processor.

18. Apple Corer

My kids absolutely love apples, and it is one of the only fruits my husband will eat. This is, by far, the best apple corer I have used. I do not like the ones that cut the slices too because it never gets all the way through the skin. There has definitely been a time or two that I have cut myself while trying to pop the slices out. This corer is just better.

19. Pie Crust Protector

Okay, so this would only be relevant if you make pies, but if you do, this pie crust protector is a must. It is adjustable so you can use it for pies 8 inches to 11.5 inches. The purpose of this tool is to ensure that your crust does not burn. I never bake a pie without it.

20. Pie Drip Catcher Pan

This is also only relevant if you make pies or if you use your pie pan as a casserole dish. This drip catcher pan is amazing. Have you ever made a pie and had it drip over the edge of the pan? This is the worst, because then the oven has to be cleaned. This pan solves that problem.