Annie Collyer
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 small 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 14 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.
The best news is that nearly all of these have been tried and tested (and kept) by the Real Homes editorial team.
14 of the best kitchen gadgets you need to buy for your kitchen
The prices below were correct at the time of publishing this article.
Price: $8.99
Hands not made from asbestos? If you've ever burnt or blistered your hand from removing a cookie sheet from the oven, you'll know too well how much it hurts. Thankfully Beth, our staff writer, swears by these silicone mitts. "These oven mitts are an absolute godsend. For me, a pet hate of classic material oven gloves is how quickly they get dirty and how hard it can be to get them clean. So, these silicone mitts that can simply be hand washed in the sink or put through the dishwasher are a game-changer. They’re also ultra heat-proof and super durable, not to mention quick and easy to pull on." They're also heat resistant up to 446ºF.
Price: $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". Our staff writer Beth says "I love, love, love avocados but I used to detest cutting them up. But then a friend gifted me this tool and it changed everything No more sliced fingers or struggles to remove the peel from the flesh — this tool does it all."
Price: From $9.99
You can 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.
Price: $12.37
Being half Greek Cypriot, I always look forward to eating watermelon in the summertime. 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" 👋.
Price: $16.99
I swear by my microplane as this little kitchen helper goes a long way. From grating parmesan cheese all over pasta, grating garlic, and tag teaming with my milk frother to make a barista-style hot chocolate, this gourmet grater is super versatile and slim enough to fit into her kitchen drawer. Let's not forget that this lightweight tool can also zest citrus fruits or nutmeg which are the perfect garnishes if you have a sweet tooth.
Price: $18.99
If you're the type to look at the amount of garlic a recipe requires and multiply it by two (or three), I can totally relate. But chopping clove after clove can feel like a chore. So if you love adding too many crushed cloves to your food, but want to avoid a garlic mani in the process, our editor-in-chief Melissa swears by this ReneeChef Store garlic press that you can get on Amazon. "Garlic is my one true love and a press makes it so easy to cook with since I'm slow at chopping and mincing." With this garlic-crushing gadget, you don't even need to bother about pre-peeling or smelly hands. Plus, to clean all you need to do is run it under your faucet, or pop it in the dishwasher.
Our head ecommerce editor Annie's kitchen hero is a potato ricer. If you love mash, then make way for the smoothest and silkiest pomme puree you've ever prepared. Yes, "it's a bit of a diva to clean" she admits, but we can see past that. Alternatively, there are a few ricer hacks. You can squish avocados for guacamole, use the ricer to make homemade gnocchi, and even use it for hummus! Of course, there's also that TikTok trend of making aligot (because who doesn't like mashed potatoes that look and taste like string cheese?).
Price: $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. And the best news? It won't scratch your non-toxic cookware.
Price: $10.99
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 a manual juicer. This orange juicer also works with other citrus fruits and it's dishwasher-safe and it doesn't let the seeds out. Take it from Camryn who has tested seven OJ-squeezing appliances for us and thought this one was the best.
Price: From $31.95
"I will die on my Aeropress hill," says our editor Melissa. And, if you aren't quite ready to invest in one of the best coffee makers, but can't stand instant, you should consider joining her on this coffee-shaped mount too. All you need to do is add ground coffee and hot water and you can have perfectly-brewed java (without grit) in under a minute. This popular portable model makes one regular cup of coffee or one to three espresso-sized shots so you can have your usual homebrew on the go without having to gulp down substandard sludge. Want to know the difference between an Aeropress vs. French press? Girl, I've got all the deets.
Price: From $42.95
Look like you've watched The Notebook mid-way through chopping onions? You need this. I've tried all the tricks in the book. Holding a metal spoon in my mouth? Check. Running the sink — done that. While this food processor isn't guaranteed to be tear-free, it gets the job done so much quicker.
And, you'll end up with uniform pieces of onion. All I do is chop my red or brown bulb down to fit into the container, replace the lid, and tug at the ring-pull a few times. The blade will slice and dice your culinary kryptonite without the need to splash the cash.
Price: $79.99
If you're sick of salad veg shriveling up in the crisper drawer after only a few days, invest in this pick to keep food fresh for up to five times longer. While it might seem a little pricey initially, it keeps fruit and veg fresh for weeks so you can get your vitamins in before your produce goes a little furry.
Fresh food often comes at a premium. So this gadget essentially prevents it from spoiling by sucking out all of the air. There's even an app you can download which will tell you when your food might go bad. And, if you fancy cooking fork-tender meat, use the plastic bags to cook your cuts sous vide in a water bath. Yep, it's a residentially-friendly version of restaurant equipment and one of the most eco-friendly kitchen products you can buy. Read the Zwilling Fresh & Save review from Annie's POV.
Price: From $119.95
This milk frother is our editor-in-chief’s most used kitchen gadget. Anyone who isn’t a fan of black coffee needs a sturdy frother in their arsenal. The Aeroccino is one of two that I strongly recommend. After two years of near-daily use, this frother still looks and works like new. It can whip up hot or cold milk in under a minute (without scalding or burning it), which makes at-home lattes, matchas, and hot chocolates a breeze during any season. The nonstick inside takes seconds to clean — just a quick rinse and wipe-down with a sponge — and the small machine takes up hardly any counter space.
If your current blades aren't cutting it then you need a new set of knives. Ideally, when cutting meat or veg, your cutting tool should be doing the work, not you. And so, if you're finding yourself sawing at a steak, working up a sweat with sweet potatoes, or hacking away at a half-loaf of bread, you need to accept fate and invest in some new equipment. Rather than taking a stab in the dark and picking up a random collection, consider this Robert Welch six-piece knife set housed in a sustainable oak wooden block. Yes, they're a little pricey, but our head of reviews Millie swears that this is one of the best knife sets on the market — so what are you waiting for: chop, chop!
How I tested these kitchen gadgets
For the most part, many of our editors and staff writers already own these kitchen gadgets and are culinary evangelists when it comes to recommending them! In the majority of cases, these were bought, but sometimes I've called in samples to review.
When it came to curating this list of trendy tools, I've also included some products that TikTokers swear by. But, rather than trust just *one* person, I went onto Amazon to see what your average customer thought of it. So, in the name of transparency and finding the perfect products for your home, I'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.
