Making food for the family is not always easy. Preparing the ingredients alone is tedious and time-consuming. The kitchen is always hot, dirty, and in complete disarray. However, it’s always for the best. The meals you make will be your children’s standard for what good food should taste like.
You would also need the right tools to create the perfect kitchen. Get yourself a silicone strainer that you can easily attach to the pot. Maybe a spiralizer to make cutting vegetables faster. A magnetic knife holder will also help to keep all the sharp knives in place.
Whichever you choose, keep in mind that these will make your life in the kitchen fun and much easier. Don’t let cooking be a chore. Here are eight kitchen gadgets you need to be the best home cook!
1. Magnetic Knife Holder
Most people still don’t know how to properly keep their knives. Some put them in drawers a child could easily reach, where an accident might be waiting to happen. While others put theirs in the racks and hope no one accidentally picks the wrong knife. In these cases, the better choice would be a magnetic knife holder.
Magnetic knife holders are widely available. Whether it’s the wooden type you can stick to the wall or the stainless steel type with slots, this gadget is one step ahead when it comes to safety. Even the sharpest knife available won’t be easy to remove from this.
Knives indeed are one of the most useful items in the kitchen. The shape and function vary, but all are used to effectively cut ingredients. However, they are also the most dangerous. It’s best to protect your loved ones by safely keeping the knives in their magnetic holder.
2. Silicone Strainer
Never underestimate the strainer. After all, it is one of the handiest kitchen tools you will ever need. You can use it when you are washing vegetables or when you separate the broth from the meat.
Though you have to admit that it can get messy. The pot will be too hot, the strainer will fall sideways, and your pasta will be all over the sink. Instead of finishing quickly, you will have to clean up in between cooking.
Good thing the silicone strainer is inexpensive and easy to use! It also comes in different colors and sizes. Some are even adjustable, depending on the size of your pot. Just attach it to one side of the pot and drain.
3. Digital Measuring Cup
Baking bread and pastries is a precise art. Every ingredient has to be measured properly. Just one gram off and your cake would be ruined. So much time, effort, and ingredients would have gone to waste.
You can always use a measuring cup and a weighing scale, but it could be overwhelming with all the bowls and ingredients in place. The digital measuring cup is here to help. It combines two of the most important baking tools in one!
The digital measuring cup looks like an ordinary measuring cup, except it has a weighing scale at the bottom while the handle calculates. It’s easy, handy, and quite exciting to use.
4. Vegetable Spiralizer
Spiralizing vegetables became a trend in the early 2010s. Health nuts began swapping regular pasta with spiralized zucchini which they later called “zoodles.” Some even made salads with all the vegetables spiralized!
There are different versions of spiralizers out in the market. Some come with blades that can be replaced. Meanwhile, some models need to be plugged, while others just need good arm power. Some even look like mini food processors! Now, you wouldn’t have to worry whether or not you made regular cuts.
They may be big and come with parts that need assembling, but spiralizers are time savers. Like every good home cook, you will learn how to use this tool well to your advantage. Don’t let it intimidate you!
5. Cold Press Juicer
Move over smoothies, because here comes the juicer. Raw and cold became the theme for the early 2010s. Aside from zoodles and salads, cold-pressing produce for natural juices became a part of people’s meals after diets revealed their health benefits.
Though it’s only been a few years since the cold press juicer became popular, citrus juicers have been around for decades. There is also no need to peel and cut because the cold press juicer can fit whole fruits and vegetables. You can either drink the juice or add it to your recipes. You don’t have to worry about the waste either because you can use it for compost.
6. Immersion Blender
From preparing the stock to cutting the vegetables, making soup takes a lot of time. Some like their soup chunky, while others prefer them smooth. But both methods require blending. This is why it can be difficult to transfer half the soup to the blender because the pot will be too hot.
The best solution is an immersion blender. Just stick this handheld blender into the pot and your soup will be blended like a dream. Sometimes called a stick blender, it can also whip dairy and make mayonnaise.
Some immersion blender models come with attachable whisks and blades. It also sometimes acts as a mini food processor. With these many functions and more, it’s time you invested and got an immersion blender for your kitchen.
7. Electric Sandwich Maker
It is widely believed that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Americans prefer having a sweet and light breakfast by having cereal, while the English prefer greasy and meat-heavy. To most busy people, breakfast sandwiches are the best option.
You can make your own instead of buying through the drive-thru every day by getting yourself an electric sandwich maker. The usual model can toast two sandwiches at the same time. You will also spend less time making breakfast with the newer models because they will even assemble the sandwich for you! Other versions of the sandwich maker can even grill the meat and also act as a panini press.
This electric sandwich maker will save you a lot of time, especially if you are always rushing to the door and into the car. It’s the healthier option, too!
8. Instant Pot
Some people are just too busy to be minding the stove all the time. But there is one kitchen gadget you can leave on for hours: the instant pot. Though others refer to it as a “glorified rice cooker,” it can do so much more.
The instant pot is a rice cooker, turbo broiler, and pressure cooker in one. Most recipes that use the instant pot recommend putting all the ingredients together and leaving it on for hours. This will allow you to do work or household chores while your lunch is cooking!
Conclusion
Cooking and making meals can be intimidating. The ingredients list is long, each one requires a certain method, and yet things can still go wrong. But despite all this, being a home cook is a rewarding experience. You can experiment with recipes and make your family try them too! Others even find cooking to be therapeutic. There is no better way to spend time with the family than by making meals together. Don’t forget to visit Recipes.net for more kitchen tools you may need!
