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Kitchen tools, gadgets, and accessories. When you think of these, you may think of all the random kitchen items you’ve gathered that have ended up in your junk drawer, but that’s not the case with this list of useful kitchen items below!
Whether you are outfitting your first kitchen, looking for the perfect housewarming, wedding, or other occasion gift idea, or just looking for a handy kitchen gadget for yourself, this list is sure to give you plenty of ideas.
Brown Sugar Keeper
These actually work! My mom had one and told me how well it worked, so i eventually ended up getting one, too. You just follow the directions, plop it in your brown sugar, and voila, no more hard lumps of sugar! Some even come with cute little patterns on them, so it’s an additional little bonus on top of having no hard lumps of brown sugar. Plus, these ones are made in the USA!
Non-stick Baking Mat
These baking mats will save your baking pans, and save you a lot of scrubbing. Non-stick baking mats are simple to clean, easy to use, and save you a lot of clean up time.
Dough Whisk
My mom purchased a dough whisk for me for my birthday, and it is so handy. My favorite use for this is when I’m mixing berries into a recipe. I know it’s for bread making, but when adding a fragile ingredient like berries into a recipe, or when adding them into a mix (This blueberry muffin mix is my favorite!), it works so well, and doesn’t crush up the berries.
Silicon Spatula
All of the silicon kitchen tools, gadgets, and accessories I have tried in my kitchen have been so useful. Silicon spatulas are especially helpful since they’re so versatile and are used often. Plus, they can be easily washed in your dishwasher!
Scrub Daddy
These are worth the hype. I have a couple other great dish scrubbers, but needed something with a little more oomph for scrubbing baked on things (when I can’t use my silicon mat). This does the trick. They get stiffer in cold water for harder scrubbing, and softer in warm water for easier messes. It’s amazing! You can even wash these in your dishwasher. I got a four pack of double sided sponges for cleaning multiple areas in our home, but they have a variety of sponges to choose from.
Splatter Screen
Save yourself from those little grease burns and all the grease splatter that gets on everything with a splatter screen. We received one as a wedding gift and use it frequently. This one with the double mesh is very durable, and virtually no grease splashes through.
Pot and Pan Protectors
My husband and I got a set of Scanpan cookware for our wedding. It’s the best cookware I’ve used and we want to keep it in prime condition for as long as possible. The problem is, we have very little storage so all of our pots and pans are nestled precariously close together, which of course leads to scratching. The solution? Pan protectors! They are such a simple and inexpensive solution to effectively keep your stacked pots and pans pristine and relatively scratch free! These are the exact ones I have; I love the cutesy little pattern, too.
Cutting Board
I’m sure you rolled your eyes at this one because everyone knows how useful cutting boards are, but you don’t know how useful they are until you find the perfect one. With added grips to avoid sliding, grooves to catch spills and avoid mess, and American made, this cutting board beats the rest and is a must have.
Foldable Strainer
This handy strainer is great for small spaces. It has handles that can span across your sink, and collapses in for storage once you’re done.
Jar Opener
Nope, not a can opener, but a jar opener. These little grippy pads help grip those hard to open jars and open them easier without needing to call in reinforcements. They’d be very helpful for elderly people, or those with arthritis, too. Honestly, I got the one I use for free at a convention, so I’d check for them at conferences, conventions, and other events, but this one has good reviews if you can’t find a freebie.
BlendJet
I recently splurged and bought myself a BlendJet 2, and it was 100% worth it. The BlendJet is a compact, easy to clean, USB chargeable blender. It’s so simple and convenient to use. I’ve been using it to make smoothies and it blends them up with ease, just make sure any chucks of fruit, ice, or veggies aren’t too large or it may give you an error while attempting to blend those pieces.
Pan Scraper
The intended use for these pan scrapers is primarily for cleaning cast iron, but they work well for baking sheets and glass baking dishes, too. Just soak your dish, and this will scrape it right off. There is even a notched one for grill grates and pans as well.
Pan Handle Holder
Since I just mentioned using cast iron, I should also mention these useful silicon handle holders. These little accessories will save your hands from the heat of a cast iron pan by snugly covering the handle in protective silicon.
Apple Slicer
These dandy little tools make quick work of apple slicing and coring.
Hamburger Chopper
This is such a great kitchen tool. The hamburger chopper makes it even easier to chop up and cook burger to your liking for whatever recipe you are making. It just seems to make browning burger much quicker and easier; I love it!
Frother
Is this necessary? Probably not. Is it fun to have? Yes. You can use this little frother for making fancy coffee at home, or just use it to whip up some cream for topping hot chocolate!
Keurig
I’m not a coffee drinker, but to wean my husband off of energy drinks (or at least cut down on them a bit), years ago I bought him a Keurig. It’s so simple to use, and very convenient. It can be a huge money saver, too, in comparison to buying other drinks. The only problems I’ve encountered with it are lines in our display screen and a developing drip, which I’m not too worried about. Their customer service could use improvement, too, but overall I would still purchase one again and again.
Magnetic Bag Clips
I don’t know why it took so many stale chips and a spilled bag of crackers for me to get these, but it did. Bag clips are very inexpensive and get frequent use in our house. I really should have been using them years ago, but I’ve learned my lesson now. I purchased a whole set, with a couple regular large ones and some smaller magnetic ones. The magnetic ones are super convenient because we don’t have the drawer space to store a bunch of clips, so I just stick them on the fridge and they’re all set.
Fish Spatula
I received two of these from my father in law. Before that, I had never heard of a fish spatula, I just thought a spatula was a spatula. Turns out these things are dandy little tools. Have I used them for fish much? Not really, but they work great for quesadillas, grilled cheese, and many other things due to being thin enough to easily slide under anything.
Instant Pot
We were lucky enough to get an Instant Pot from friends as a Christmas gift. I had heard all the rave reviews about them, but was a little skeptical, and honestly a little scared to use it. Now that I’ve used it many, many times, I can say that it really is worthwhile having. Make sure you follow the instructions 100%, and watch a little YouTube on it if you need to. I mostly use mine for rice, steel cut oats, potatoes, and sometimes chicken, and it really helps you multitask while the Instant Pot does all the work. I’ve had some issues with things not being fully cooked or done how I want, but that has mostly worked itself out with time, and the trial and error process.
Meat Hammer
When recipes called for pounding meat thinner I use to just lay it down between plastic wrap, and hit it with my hand until it got slightly flatter and very uneven. Needless to say, this was not a very convenient or precise method. I ended up purchasing a meat hammer, and now my stuffed chicken marsala turns out just great!
Silicon Basting Brush
Like I said before, I love silicon kitchen tools, gadgets, and accessories, including basting brushes. Silicon basting brushes are simple to clean and leave no bristles coming loose onto your food!
Pyrex Glass Nesting Bowls
These glass bowls are one of the most used things in our kitchen. They’re good for mixing, food storage, and even look great as serving dishes. These bowls all have colorful and sturdy lids, they fit within one another, so it saves a ton of space, and they’re made in America.
Small Strainer
Having at least one smaller strainer is useful for macaroni and cheese, washing berries, or for other smaller meals and items.
Fruit Basket with a Hanger
This fruit basket keeps oranges, onions, and other fruits and veggies from going rogue and rolling off the counter. Plus, it has a convenient hook for bananas, and really looks nice, too.
I hope this list of kitchen tools, gadgets, and accessories has helped you find the perfect kitchen item for yourself or a gift for others. Happy cooking friends!