5 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets from Amazon

Although I cook way more than I used to, I’m by no means an expert and I’ll take any help I can get around the kitchen.  I don’t have lots of extra space in my apartment so I can’t have needless gadgets around with the promise to help but don’t, or that I use like once a year. I’ve tried lots of tools that just took up precious space and didn’t make my life easier, but here are the top 5 must-have kitchen gadgets that you didn’t know you needed. 

These work, take up minimal space and are quite useful.  In fact, I used each one to make the salad in the above photo.

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Oxo Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer

Full transparency, my current avocado slicer is the second one I’ve owned.  The first one I received during a holiday party as part of a white elephant gift, and while I love avocado so I was appreciative, I never used the gadget.  I gave it away and never used it.

Fast forward to me receiving it as a gift again, and after a gentle suggestion from my husband to try it for his fear of me cutting my hand every time he watched me try to remove the pit with a chef’s knife, I finally succumbed. And I have never looked back.  It’s amazing and an avocado game changer.  I no longer find it annoying to make avocado toast, or add avocado to salads and bowls, or make guac.  

What’s cool about the gadget is you are using only one tool to cut the avocado open, scoop out the inside and remove the pit.  And the way the pitter is inset you aren’t in jeopardy of cutting yourself, phew.  Can you do all those things without a special tool?  Sure.  But is it as safe…IMO, nope.

Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety Opener for Cans

Is it just me or are can openers unnecessarily difficult to use?  For the longest time, I had a regular hand crank opener and it was so hard to turn that my hand hurt after using it.  And then the top metal piece, which is very sharp on the sides, would inevitably fall in the can, and all I could think about was I should have washed the can first because now there was probably rat feces inside the can since you know rats are crawling all over them in the stores…right?

Then I thought I would get all technologically savvy and get an electric can opener, which it’s not like I’ve got that much room for another appliance but that’s how annoying opening cans is to me.  Call it user error, but I could never get the teeth to latch on to the can.

After Amanda shared on her IG stories about this can opener I knew I had to have it.  And it is as amazing as I thought it was.  It’s different from a traditional can opener because you place it on top of the can (not the side), it’s super easy to turn, there are no sharp edges, and the best part, you lift the top off, no possible way for it to fall in.

Oxo Good Grips Corn Peeler

Grilled corn on the cob is so good.  The grilled flavor adds a lot to salads and bowls, but it’s also equally delicious just eating it straight off the cob.  I’ve always found it slightly annoying to bite into the cob, feeling like I get little bits in my teeth and that’s after being super careful not to get on my face.  But for salads and bowls, I would take a knife and cut it off the cob, always leaving an unnecessary amount behind.

Enter the corn peeler, which I didn’t even know existed until I stumbled across it and decided I needed it.  It is ergonomically shaped for corn so it slices right through the kernels and you don’t leave any of the delicious bits behind.  Such a little thing, such a big difference.

Meat Thermometer

The secret to eating restaurant-quality meat at home is to not overcook it.  I love that using a meat thermometer gives me the peace of mind of knowing that it’s not undercooked, I’m not going to get sick, and by making sure it’s just to the temperature recommended I can guarantee it’s not overcooked as well.  This is a must-have for me in making pork and chicken and I use it every time I make this Harvest Salad.

Do you need this exact meat thermometer?  No, I’m sure there are a ton of great ones out there.  I like this one because it’s digital, easy to read, comes with a little cover, is inexpensive, and has lasted for years. Amazon doesn’t carry this exact model anymore but this one is similar.  

Herb Scissors Set

A newer addition to my kitchen gadget arsenal, and not one I use every day, but it has made recipes and cooking easier, and less of an annoyance.  I love cilantro but hate chopping it for guac or other recipes so I found myself just leaving it out sometime.  First, you have to pick the leaves off the stem, then you have to roll them, and then my knife just seems to make it turn to mush instead of chopping through.  I thought it might be a knife problem (and still might be, I’m in the market for a new set) but I think it’s honestly just because I don’t have professional kitchen skills.

With the herb scissors, I can just take the herbs after washing them, hold them by the stem, and chop away directly into the dish.  So easy, and that’s what kitchen gadgets should really be about.  

What is excluded from the above are tools that are a little more specialized, like a nut milk bag.  Although it’s essential for things like making almond milk.  I’m completely aware that not everyone is making homemade nut milk…yet.

On Amazon? Check out these other posts!

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DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. I am very obsessed with FTC compliance so check out my full disclosure for details.

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