10 Inexpensive Kitchen Gadgets That Make Cooking Easier
Anyone who knows me, know that I am a gadget person! I believe in having the right tool for the job…and to me cooking gadgets are no different.
Over the years I have tried many different cooking accessories to try to make things easier…some of them have worked and some haven’t…so I decided to come up with “my top 10” list of kitchen gadgets. I would be truly unhappy if someone took any of these accessories out of my kitchen!
Click next to see my list of 10 inexpensive kitchen gadgets that make cooking easier.
Lemon/Cheese Grater
This post may contain affiliate links. We make a small commission if you buy the products from these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But we only recommend products we would use ourselves. For more information, click here to see our disclosures.
I do a lot of cooking with lemons so having a good grater* is definitely a must…and the graters that are shaped like a hand tool work better than any other kind.
The lemon peel grates really easily…it works so much better than the old school graters. And it also works well for grating cheese, citrus or garlic.
Ginger Grater
These ceramic ginger graters* let you grate ginger all the way down to the bottom without hurting your fingers.
Just scrape the ginger over the bumps on the dish and the ginger comes right off. As an added benefit, it’s also really easy to clean…just rinse under water.
A Good Garlic Press
I have owned a few garlic presses in my life and my biggest issue with most of them is having to peel the garlic before you mince it.
I finally splurged (and “splurge” is a relative term here) for a more expensive garlic press*, and guess what? Now there’s no peeling involved!
Just put the garlic into the garlic press.
Push the garlic through the press.
Use a knife to scrape off the garlic. And it is all ready to use!
Garlic Peeler
If you do need to peel garlic, a garlic peeler* is a must have gadget!
Put the garlic in the tube and roll it around on the counter.
Pull the garlic out and it is peeled! Almost like magic…and so much easier than doing it manually.
Potato Ricer
If you ever have to mash potatoes, then a potato ricer* is the gadget for you!
Boil your potatoes as usual…then load them into the ricer.
Squeeze the handles and you will end up with perfectly “mashed” potatoes with so much less effort than using a masher…also perfect for making gnocchi or perogies.
Apple Peeler
I love to make apple crisp (click here to see my recipe), but I hate peeling apples. With this apple peeler*, that is no longer a problem!
Just place the apple on the spikes of the apple peeler, making sure that the blade is at the bottom of the apple.
Rotate the handle to start the peeling. When the blade gets to the top, the peeling is done.
Remove the apple and you are done!
Apple Corer and Slicer
If you used the apple peeler (or some other means) to peel an apple and now need it to be sliced…then the apple corer/slicer* is the gadget to use.
This is so much easier than trying to core and slice the apple with a knife!
Position the corer/slicer over the stem of the apple.
Press down to cut through the apple and you will end up with perfect slices.
Pineapple Corer and Slicer
I have to say that I was skeptical about this pineapple corer and slicer* gadget when I first saw it…but now that I have tried it, I am a believer!
I love to make my own fruit salad, and fresh pineapple is a great addition…but once again, I hate the coring and slicing process. Thankfully, this pineapple corer and slicer really does work!
Slice the top off the pineapple.
Position the gadget over the core of the pineapple. Then just turn the handle so that the blade cuts into the pineapple.
When you get to the bottom of the pineapple (you can tell because it gets tougher to turn), simply pull the corer along with the sliced pineapple out.
Remove the handle from the corer by pressing on the buttons at the side.
Turn the corer upside down and remove the pineapple. Make one cut from top to bottom of the pineapple to end up with slices.
Or cut through the slices in multiple places to create pineapple pieces…which is what I do for my fruit salad.
Strawberry Huller
The strawberry huller* is another gadget that is great for making fruit salad (or anytime you need hulled strawberries).
Push the green button at the top of the huller so that the blades open. Then push them into the top of the strawberry.
Turn the huller so that it cuts a perfect circle around the hull…then pull it out. You will end up with perfect strawberries!
Food Ties
These food ties* are another one of those gadgets that eliminates frustration. I don’t cook turkey that often (once or twice a year at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas) but it seems like every time I do, I’m hunting for some string to truss it with.
These food ties completely eliminate that problem. It’s so easy to tie up the legs…and to remove the ties when the turkey is done.
And you can use them for any kind of food that you are stuffing and want to keep together while it cooks.
Mini Food Processor / Chopper
Finally, if you don’t have a mini food processor*, you definitely need to get one of these! I use mine almost exclusively for chopping onions, and it is completely worth it.
Remove the onion skin and chop it into chunks.
Load the chunks into the mini food processor (don’t fill it more than half full or it won’t process them evenly).
Press the Chop button a few times until the onions are chopped to the size that you want them. If you want vegetables that are not pureed, don’t hold the button down…you will end up with onion mush!
I have never actually used the Grind button…so if you have a good use for it, I would love to hear about it in the comments!
Have comments or questions about Inexpensive Kitchen Gadgets That Make Cooking Easier? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on April 28, 2016 but was updated with new content on July 7, 2023.