Looking to treat yo'self to a cool new kitchen gadget? If you're the main cook in your household, dorm, or apartment, then listen up as these small but special buys will be sure to make following that recipe a whole bunch easier. Because not all of us have the budget (or space, quite frankly!) to keep on buying even the smallest of kitchen appliances — they might help make our lives easier in the kitchen, but so will these innovative kitchen gadgets! Take it from me, someone who reviews kitchen appliances from a living.
I've hunted down 12 useful kitchen gadgets you need in your cupboard or on display right on your countertop. These will make cooking (and cleaning, and prepping) a lot easier, without comprising too much of your precious kitchen cabinet space. Some of these gadgets will actually save space (in comparison to other versions of them out there on the market) while others economize on time — and then there are some that will simply serve to scratch that TikTok-made-me-buy-it itch.
12 of the best kitchen gadgets you need to buy for your kitchen
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The prices below were correct at the time of publishing this article.
$10.99
This handheld zester is here for when you've got a small job to tackle, or if you don't fancy having to wash up that four-sided grater again. Perfect for parmesan, garlic, limes, and more, it's a helping hand when cooking and baking. It also takes up less space in the dishwasher than a giant four-sided grater.
$12.37
Being half Greek Cypriot, I always look forward to choosing a ripe watermelon. Less, the sticky mess that comes with slicing it into wedges or cubes. Save yourself from any watermelon origami with this fruity gadget. Watermelon Sugar, "Hi" 👋.
$36.95
After a long, hard day of WFH, or commuting on the subway, no one wants to stand in their kitchen stirring their dinner in the pan for 20-plus minutes, right? With this automatic pan stirrer, you needn't worry. It has three speeds, it comes in three colors and it's dishwasher-safe. Simply pop it in your soup, risotto, or pasta sauce and put those feet up. No need to keep stopping and starting that Bridgerton episode.
$28.89
Whether you have a dishwasher or you prefer to hand wash your dishes — perhaps you do both? This extendable dish rack will prove handy when you have large items to wash every now and then — vases, roasting tins, and more. It can extend to twice its size, it comes with a cutlery basket and it has a plug for easy draining. No more stagnant water build-up...
$22.95
This food chopper will make your life ten times easier while in your kitchen, and you needn't get your knifes dirty. Simply add your ingredients, close the lid, and push down the handle. The more times you repeat this process, the finer your ingredients will come out. Simple.
$8.99
Avocado lover or not – this is a handy kitchen tool to own. And it can prevent a slippery avo seed accident with ease. Use one side of this tool to de-seed the avocado, and the other side to slice perfectly. So go on, smash the green stuff on toast, slide that Alligator Pear into salads and get "guaccing."
$14.99
A lot of recipes require fresh lemon or lime juice, and unless you fancy getting your hands sticky or losing half of the juice to your kitchen surface, you should probably buy one of these manual juicers. This citrus squeezer is dishwasher-safe and it doesn't let the seeds out. Take it from me, it's my favorite fruit.
$37.98
Reorganize your fridge so it's easy to navigate with help from these storage racks. They slip onto your shelves and can be used for storing everything from cheese to fruit and veg, eggs, and more. They also come in different colors if you want to color code your food types — one color for dairy items, another for meat, a certain color for fruit, and a different color for veg.
$29.68
Peeling fruit and veg is enough adulting as it is for one day. So having to carry scraps from your worktop to your bin without them dropping all over the floor might be a challenge. Buy a hanging trash can and pop it over your cupboard, and use it to scoop your peels inside as you cut. Then, take it to your kitchen trash can to empty and wash and collapse it ready for its next use. Sunday roast cleanup just got 100 times simpler.
$14.94
OK, so this kitchen accessory doesn't help make food, but it does stop it from going stale. Use it to reseal chip bags, cookies wrapped in foil packets, and plastic-dried pasta pouches where the peel-and-reseal label loses its stickiness. It's absolutely essential IMO for any pantry organization queen and means you can rely on fewer kitchen storage containers if you simply don't have the space.
$19.99
Don't ask how, but even with a traditional garlic press — my hands reek after touching this tasty allium. Being half Asian and half Mediterranean, garlic runs through my veins, so getting through a bulb at a time is easy. This USB-rechargeable mincer also chops chili hands-free too so I don't have to deal with any accidental sting if I touch my face.
From $9.99
Cook far more than waffles with this tiny but handy machine! On the menu lies hash browns, cookies, and even biscuit pizzas if you're up for the challenge. The Dash waffle bite maker got "battered" in favor of better models in our best waffle maker guide, but this is a better investment if you'd prefer a one-person portion instead of miniature mouthfuls. Comes in 16 colors/patterns and different molds too.
How we chose these kitchen gadgets
I'm quite the multitasker, so while I'm sipping coffee with my left hand, I'm scrolling through TikTok vids with my right. Time and time again, these kitchen gadgets popped up on the popular video-sharing app. I'm also quite the foodie, so if I'm not going to the latest restaurant launch, I'm critiquing contestants on MasterChef and recreating recipes in my small galley kitchen.
When it came to curating this list of trendy tools, some TikTokers swore by a particular brand (OXO and Joseph Joseph get multiple inclusions in this guide), but rather than trust just *one* person, I went onto Amazon to see what your Joe Bloggs customer thought of it.
IYDK already, (like us) some content creators get monetary commissions through retailers for items they help sell through their platform. But, in the name of transparency and finding the perfect products for your home, we've sifted through pages and pages of reviews to highlight the USPs including helpful features, colorways to match your kitchen scheme, and the price point. Because, no matter how easy refunds are these days, no one wants the inconvenience of sending stuff back (not to mention waiting for the funds to appear back in your bank account).
