Hey everyone! Today I want to take some time to discuss my absolute favorite kitchen appliances, gadgets, gizmos and more. Specifically, I like having kitchen equipment that makes my life easier with minimal clutter. I think you all are the same. So, these are my top ten kitchen gadgets that I don’t think I could live without.
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#10 – OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer
I really like this avocado tool because it’s way safer than using an actual knife. Additionally, it doesn’t take up much space and has three functions: cutting open the avocado, removing the pit, and slicing it. A couple years ago, my sister actually cut her finger open and had to go to the hospital. What was she doing? Trying to get the pit out of an avocado.
#9 – OXO Good Grips Etched Zester and Grater
OXO makes some of my favorite kitchen supplies. This zester is no different. It’s sharp and perfect for zesting citrus fruits for recipes. I also like that it’s easy to hold and feels sturdy when I’m holding it against my cutting board.
#8 – Collapsible Measuring Cups
If you’re tired of your kitchen drawers getting stuck because of your bulky measuring cups, these will be perfect for you. We’ve had this exact set of measuring cups for almost 3 years and it is one of our FAVORITE gifts we’ve received. The measuring cups fold flat so that you can easily open and close drawers.
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#7 – ThermoPro Wireless Meat Thermometer
This wireless meat thermometer is SO useful, especially if you’re smoking meat on a smoker, or if you’re roasting it in the oven for a special meal like Christmas dinner. You can stick the probe in the meat and leave the thermometer in the kitchen while being able to monitor the meat’s temperature from another room using the wireless receiver. You can even set an alarm to go off once your meat reaches a certain temp. One Christmas, I badly overcooked our Prime Rib roast. That was when we bought this thermometer to ensure that wouldn’t happen again.
#6 – OXO Good Grips Garlic Press
Many of you have seen me rave about this garlic press on my recipe posts. This has been one of my absolute favorite kitchen gadgets for a while. I received it as a gift from my mother-in-law a few years ago, and I use it nearly every single day. What I really like about this one is that the handles flip around so that you can push out remaining garlic that gets stuck in the grates of the press.
#5 – Rachael Ray EVOO Olive Oil Dispenser
A couple years ago, a friend of mine bought me this olive oil dispenser as a gift. I seriously use this almost every day. We use a lot of olive oil in our house for roasting vegetables, sauteing, etc. This EVOO bottle ensures a nice even drizzle of oil over your food rather than having oil come flooding out all over the place. These dispensers come in every color under the sun, so there is one to match nearly any kitchen theme.
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#4 – Ninja Foodi Power Blender and Processor
This blender was an absolute lifesaver during my recovery from my wisdom tooth surgery. I made smoothies, soups and more in this blender. The cool thing about this blender is that it has pre-set settings for kneading dough (including cookie dough), chopping veggies, making smoothies, etc. If you have young kids at home or even if you just like baking or making smoothies, this blender is awesome. It’s also great for if you’re trying to make a big batch of dip for a party, like a big batch of guacamole. I highly, highly recommend it.
#3 – Secura Rotating Waffle Maker with Removable Plates
Now I know some of you may think a waffle maker is one of those things you’ll never use. However, we use ours quite a bit. I use them to make cinnamon roll waffles with the Pillsbury canned cinnamon rolls. I also use it for my recipe for Waffle Tot Breakfast Stacks. And additionally, I just use it for regular waffles too! I really like this waffle maker though because the removable plates make it SO much easier to clean.
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#2 – Hamilton Beach 10 Cup Food Processor
Now, I know that I posted the Ninja Foodi Blender and Processor above, BUT, there are a couple features it doesn’t have. One of them is that this food processor grates a block of cheese in about 15 seconds with the grater attachment. I don’t think I’ve grated a block of cheese by hand since 2018. Another way that I’ve used this food processor is to quickly shred potatoes for hashbrowns, or I’ve used the slicer attachment to quickly cut paper thin potatoes for my Crispy Ham and Scalloped Potato Casserole. This food processor is incredibly useful and is one of my favorite wedding presents that we received.
#1 – Ninja Foodi 8 Qt Deluxe 12-in-1 Cooker
This is it. My absolute FAVORITE kitchen gadget. My husband bought this Ninja Foodi for me back in 2019 and I swear I use it SO much. My favorite functions are the air fryer, pressure cooker, slow cook, and sear. I’ve used this for SO many recipes here at Growing Up Garlicky. But it’s amazing to be able to sear a roast and pressure cook it in the same pot and have it taste like it’s been simmering all day when really it only took an hour. If you don’t have one, I HIGHLY recommend you get one.
Honorable Mentions:
These kitchen gadgets didn’t quite make the cut for my top favorite, but they are still super handy and came close.
- Lodge Cast Iron Skillet – The only reason this wasn’t included is because I see my cast iron pans as being more traditional cookware and not a “gadget.” But, I almost always use my cast iron pans now. I’ve even thought about getting rid of my Calphalon stainless steel pans (which are HIGHLY overrated IMO).
- Keurig Coffee Maker – I feel like coffee is somewhat of a given. However, I personally don’t drink coffee frequently. My favorite drinks are lotus drinks. Specifically, my favorite right now is a skinny red lotus with sugar free strawberry, sugar free vanilla, and almond milk with cold foam. So freaking good. However, my husband uses our Keurig like 72 times per day, haha!
- OXO Good Grips 8 Inch Fine Mesh Strainer – I use this strainer VERY frequently. I use it to pre-soak and rinse quinoa, for rinsing canned beans, rinsing rice, etc.
- Ecolution Microwave Popcorn Maker – The main reason this wasn’t included in my list is that this is actually one of my husband’s favorites. I love popcorn, but I don’t eat it often because the kernels get stuck in my teeth. Hubby, on the other hand, eats it all the time! This microwave popper has always given him great results and is one of his favorite gadgets.
- Wilton Cake Turntable – While I love cake and cookie decorating, I don’t do it super often. So, while this turntable is SUPER handy while decorating baked goods, it’s not in my top 10 because it’s not something I need on a daily basis.
My Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets: In Conclusion
Well, there you have it! These are my top 10 kitchen gadgets that I absolutely cannot live without. These are items I use very frequently, if not every day. These appliances and gizmos make my life exponentially easier, reduce clutter, and are simply fun to use. I hope I was able to point out something new that you didn’t know you needed!
What’s YOUR favorite kitchen gadget? Comment down below to let me know! If you enjoyed this post and want to see more like it, make sure you subscribe, check out my fun and more page, or take a look at any of the links below. Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!
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