We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed community to tell us what their absolute favorite kitchen gadgets are — the ones they can't imagine living without.
Here are 16 of their most popular recommendations:
1. An instant pot that pretty much does it all — from pressure cooking, to slow cooking, to steaming.
"Holy crap y’all. The instant pot. I got it as a wedding gift, and it sat in its box for months. I recently pulled it out to try a soup recipe and it cooked frozen chicken in 30 minutes! This thing does everything, and you only have to clean one pot. You can sauté, steam, cook rice, and even can fruits with it."
Get a six-quart instant pot on Amazon for 21 recipes you can make in it.
2. A handy silicone garlic peeler to make quick work of unpeeled garlic cloves.
"No joke, this thing is amazing. All you do is stick some unpeeled garlic cloves inside and roll it back and forth on the counter while pressing down with the palm of your hand. The cloves come out peeled and the skins stay inside the silicone tube. Total time saver — and your hands don't smell like garlic when you're done."
Get an OXO silicone garlic peeler on Amazon for $6.99.
"No joke, this thing is amazing. All you do is stick some unpeeled garlic cloves inside and roll it back and forth on the counter while pressing down with the palm of your hand. The cloves come out peeled and the skins stay inside the silicone tube. Total time saver — and your hands don't smell like garlic when you're done."
Get an OXO silicone garlic peeler on Amazon for $6.99.
3. A veggie spiralizer to make vegetable noodles that are perfect for people avoiding carbs — or for people who just really love veggies.
"Veggie noodles are a super-easy, cheap, and quick way to get more vegetables in your diet. I like mine because I can choose flat sheets, thin, or thick noodles."
Get a veggie spiralizer on Amazon for $24.97 and check out 21 recipes you can make with spiralized veggies.
"Veggie noodles are a super-easy, cheap, and quick way to get more vegetables in your diet. I like mine because I can choose flat sheets, thin, or thick noodles."
Get a veggie spiralizer on Amazon for $24.97 and check out 21 recipes you can make with spiralized veggies.
4. A convenient immersion blender so you don't have to transfer scolding soup from your pot to your blender.
"I couldn’t really make blended foods before (like milkshakes) because dragging the blender out of the cabinet and cleaning it was a lot of work. Along comes this little machine — easy to acquire and even easier to clean. Best purchase ever!"
Get a Cuisinart immersion blender on Amazon for $33.99.
"I couldn’t really make blended foods before (like milkshakes) because dragging the blender out of the cabinet and cleaning it was a lot of work. Along comes this little machine — easy to acquire and even easier to clean. Best purchase ever!"
Get a Cuisinart immersion blender on Amazon for $33.99.
5. An electric knife sharpener to keep your kitchen knives in tiptop shape.
"This restored the edges on the knives I inherited, which had been frequently used over the course of 20 years. I mostly use the honer — and it's really fast. I can hone all 25+ of my knives in about 10 minutes."
—Nikki Ourand Lambert, Facebook
Get a Chef'sChoice electric knife sharpener on Amazon for $39.99.
6. An egg cooker that makes perfectly hard-boiled eggs in no time at all — all without having to boil any water!
7. Two different types of thermometers. One for checking the temperature of your meats, and one for checking the temperature of your frying oil.
"I finally invested in a few thermometers which have been game changers. One to check the temperature of meat, and another to check the temperature of frying oil. I've always been able to use tricks to check for doneness, but knowing the precise temperature of things has made my cooking more consistent."
Get an instant read thermometer for $9.59 and a candy/fryer thermometer for $9.99.
"I finally invested in a few thermometers which have been game changers. One to check the temperature of meat, and another to check the temperature of frying oil. I've always been able to use tricks to check for doneness, but knowing the precise temperature of things has made my cooking more consistent."
Get an instant read thermometer for $9.59 and a candy/fryer thermometer for $9.99.
8. A veggie chopper to quickly chop onions, garlic, and a slew of other veggies.
"Never again will I spend 10 minutes chopping an onion and facing the tear-inducing fumes. I make a lot of Mexican food and can easily chop a mixture of garlic, onions, and jalapeños in less than a minute — and everything comes out nice and uniform!"
Get a Slap Chop vegetable chopper on Amazon for $17.95.
9. A futuristic precision cooker (aka an immersion circulator) to make sous vide cooking at home a breeze.
"Just seal your food in a Ziploc or vacuum-sealed bag, set the temperature, and toss it in! The water circulates at a consistent temperature and cooks your food to the perfect temperature. It's pricey, but so worth it!"
— perrip2
Get an Avalon Bay sous vide cooker on Amazon for $79.99 and check out 16 sous vide recipes you can make at home.
"Just seal your food in a Ziploc or vacuum-sealed bag, set the temperature, and toss it in! The water circulates at a consistent temperature and cooks your food to the perfect temperature. It's pricey, but so worth it!"
— perrip2
Get an Avalon Bay sous vide cooker on Amazon for $79.99 and check out 16 sous vide recipes you can make at home.
10. A food processor to make hummus, chop veggies, and even grate a block of cheese.
"It makes grating a block of cheese a thirty-second job."
Get a Hamilton Beach 12-cup food processor on Amazon for $49.99 and get a homemade hummus recipe you can make in it.
11. A salad spinner to make sure your greens are completely dry so your salads aren't a soggy mess.
"It's one of the cheapest gadgets you can buy but makes a huge difference. There's nothing worse then serving limp, wet salad leaves that make everything else on your plate soggy. Simply wash your leaves and spin. They will be dry, crisp, and look beautiful."
— jwlg
Get an OXO salad spinner on Amazon for $24.98.
"It's one of the cheapest gadgets you can buy but makes a huge difference. There's nothing worse then serving limp, wet salad leaves that make everything else on your plate soggy. Simply wash your leaves and spin. They will be dry, crisp, and look beautiful."
— jwlg
Get an OXO salad spinner on Amazon for $24.98.
12. A SodaStream so you can make your own DIY sodas at home.
"Like many others, I'm obsessed with sparkling water. My SodaStream makes it so easy to make and I don't have to haul loads of cans or bottles to my house."
Get a SodaStream on Amazon for $69.99.
"Like many others, I'm obsessed with sparkling water. My SodaStream makes it so easy to make and I don't have to haul loads of cans or bottles to my house."
Get a SodaStream on Amazon for $69.99.
13. A potato ricer to make the smoothest, fluffiest mashed potatoes ever.
"It makes amazing mashed potatoes every time and it's so much faster than using a traditional potato masher."
Get an OXO stainless steel potato ricer on Amazon for $24.95 and learn how to make the ultimate mashed potatoes at home.
"It makes amazing mashed potatoes every time and it's so much faster than using a traditional potato masher."
Get an OXO stainless steel potato ricer on Amazon for $24.95 and learn how to make the ultimate mashed potatoes at home.
14. A high-powered blender to make smoothies, nut butters, and the silkiest sauces ever.
"I love my Blendtec blender. I've had it for 10 years and I use it for smoothies, hummus, date dip, sauces, soups, etc."
Get a Blendtec blender on Amazon for $199 and check out 19 recipes you can make with it.
15. An air fryer to make impossibly crispy foods without having to use very much (or any!) oil.
"I can never go back to regular fried food. You know how when you have leftover fries, and when you reheat them they're gross? With the air fryer you pop those babies in and they taste better than when you first bought them."
Get an Ultrean Air Fryer on Amazon for $69.99 and check out 15 helpful tips for using it.
16. An apple slicer that is humble yet super practical — especially if you eat a ton of apples. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
"Ok, um — don't judge, but my apple slicer. I hate using a knife to cut my apples. Get a Pampered Chef apple slicer!! I love that thing SO much!!"
Get a Pampered Chef apple slicer on Amazon for $22.99.
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