9 Kitchen Gadgets to Change Your Life

Ok, so our title might be a little dramatic. But making life in the kitchen easier can have a big impact on your daily routine, whether you’re preparing a big evening meal or simply making breakfast, with the following 9 gadgets ideal solutions to some of the most common problems you’ll encounter.

 

1) The Potato Ricer

This gadget makes dealing with those pesky potatoes significantly easier. No longer do you need to hammer away at a pile of potatoes with a manual masher, simply put a potato or two into the ricer and squeeze it shut, leaving you with perfectly mulched potato that you can stir together with some milk and butter to create smooth & creamy mash potato.

 

2) The Electric Timer

This one is a real life saver, if you’re cooking anything particularly sensitive or prone to burning then you absolutely need an accurate electric timer. When you have a couple of different dishes on the go or you’re entertaining while you cook it’s easy to forget about something cooking in the oven, with a good electric timer you’ll never burn a roast again.

 

3) The Flour Sifter

Often you’ll use your sieve for a wide variety of different tasks, rice, sugar etc., so using the same sieve for your flour can lead to contamination. With a dedicated flour sifter this isn’t a worry, it helps that they’re also very handy; you can pre measure the amount of flour you need, drop it in the cup and then pull the trigger to sift the flour to perfection, an absolute must for the keen bakers among you.

 

4) The Self-Pull Corkscrew

Whether you’re serving wine with your meal, adding it to sauces or you’ve corked some other liquids, the odds are that you’ll need a corkscrew at some point when cooking. While the traditional corkscrew often functions sufficiently, it can be a lot of effort and can lead to corks being damaged and even breaking off into the wine. A clever gadget that solves all these problems is the self-pull corkscrew. All you need to do is insert it and pull the lever or push a button depending on the particular corkscrew, and the device will smoothly and safely pop the cork out of the bottle with a minimum of fuss.

 

5) The Food Processor

There are very few kitchen gadgets more versatile than a good food processor. It can chop, blend, juice and perform pretty much any function relating to fruit or veg that you can think of. If you’re making soups, sauces or smoothies then a food processor is essential, they’re also pretty handy if you’re no good with a knife.

 

6) The Hand Mixer

Another must have for prolific bakers, whisking and mixing things by hand can be exhausting but it can also be messy and stressful if you’re pressed for time or are preparing multiple dishes. A powerful electric hand mixer can take the pressure off and allow you to mix ingredients in half the time it would take to do so by hand.

 

7) The Slow Cooker

If you’re making a dish with lamb, beef, pork or other meats that can be tough or chewy then a slow cooker can turn these meats into little buttery chunks of heaven. Simply put your stew or other combination of ingredients into the slow cooker with a little water, turn it on and walk away. You can then get on with your day and come back a few hours later to a perfectly cooked, melt in the mouth meal. As an added bonus it’ll also save you money on your gas bill, the energy used by the electric slow cooker will be much less than having your oven on for hours to cook a slow bubbling stew or other dishes that take a long time to make.

 

 

8) The Food Thermometer

Featured heavily on the ever popular Great British Bake Off, electronic food thermometers are a quick and easy way to check your dishes are cooked. You can use this on pretty much anything, with the steel proboscis insertable into all food types, giving an accurate reading in the temperature measurement of your choice.

 

9) The Coffee Machine

Once you’re all done with cooking for the day it’s time to relax, and what better way to do that than with a freshly ground latte. With a wide variety of styles available, including those that provide shots of espresso that you can use to create a variety of barista style drinks.