There are literally thousands of kitchen gadgets available, from the humble to the gourmet. The right tools in the kitchen can really save you time and money. Here are some must-haves.
* A Good Set of Measuring Cups
These are essential if you want your recipes to turn out right, especially when baking.
* A Set of Measuring Spoons
These are also essential, for the same reason.
* A Kitchen Scale
This is ideal for measuring ingredients by weight. It can also help with portion control if you are on a diet. Don’t guess at how much three ounces of meat is — measure it accurately.
* A Good Set of Mixing Bowls
Buy them in various sizes from small to large.
* Hand Mixer
This makes mixing everything from eggs to muffins a breeze.
* Salad Spinner
Wash your lettuce, give it a spin, and the centrifugal force will remove the water so the salad will be ready to put in a bowl. Tip out, add dressing, and toss to serve. You can also use it to drain pasta.
* Hand Chopper with a Plunger
This is perfect for you and your children to dice fruits, vegetables, cheese and so on without having to worry about cutting your fingers. Just push down on the plunger several times until you have the right-sized pieces for your recipe.
* A Mandoline Slicer
This will allow you to slice vegetables quickly according to your desired thickness. Put the handle on the thing you wish to slice so there is no risk of harming your fingers. Set the thickness and start to slice. It’s ideal for making sliced potato dishes, apple pie and more.
* A Food Processor
A food processor will slice, dice, chop, grate, pulverize, and more, depending on what blades you have as attachments. The blender attachment can also help make smoothies, meringues and more.
* An Immersion Blender
An immersion blender is perfect for soups, stews and sauces. Instead of running the risk of burning yourself and splattering food everywhere in order to make your soup smooth (such as cream of mushroom soup), you just place the blender in the pot and start to liquidize all of the ingredients. Many of them have a measuring cup as part of the set. You can use it to whip up a smoothie in the morning, make scrambled eggs, and more.
* A Crock Pot
A crock pot, or slow cooker, will take some practice to master, but it is a great way to have a hot meal waiting at home for you and the family every night. Just follow the recipe and set the timer. It is also a great option in the summer. You won’t want to turn on the oven or cook on the stove top when the temperatures soar. A slow cooker allows you to have a hot meal every night without heating up the kitchen and the whole house.
* A Foldable Colander
This sits flat in your cabinet so it does not take up a lot of space, and opens when you need to strain pasta, vegetables and so on.
* A 3-in-1 Cutting Board
Cut your items on the board and store them in the inserts until ready to use. One insert is a colander, the other a serving tray.
* An Egg Separator
This is ideal for all the times you need to separate your egg into yolks and white. Little chips of shell will be a thing of the past with the help of this useful gadget.
* A Cast Iron Frying Pan
It will take some time to break it in and learn how to cook with it, but it can last you years and never be thrown away because its non-stick surface is ruined, which is what happens all too often with modern frying pans. It goes from stove top to oven to grill and to table as well, making it very versatile.