Every tool in the kitchen has a purpose. But if you try to do everything with just one tool, you’ll either end up hurting yourself or butchering whatever meal you were trying to make. So it makes sense to invest a bit into your cooking inventory. It’s often only after we’ve used something that we realize just how much time and energy we can save.
One Reddit user, u/SuccessExtreme4373, recently shared what appliances have been making her life so much easier in the kitchen. She also asked the r/Cooking online community to share a bit about the kitchen tools they never thought they’d need but can’t live without anymore. We’ve collected some of the top posts that convince you to rethink your kitchen arsenal.
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the thread for a friendly chat, and she was kind enough to answer our questions and share her thoughts. You'll find our interview with u/SuccessExtreme4373, who is very enthusiastic about home cooking, as you read on.
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Hand (immersion) blender with chopping bowl
tretower424 replied:
I LOVE the immersion blender! Especially when I need to break down or puree a soup. That I can now do that in the pot and not dirty up a Cuisinart or blender is magic to me. I appreciate it every single time I use it.
"I'm an enthusiastic home cook who recently discovered some new 'tools' that I was previously skeptical about and have found very handy. I just wanted to share and see what others are finding surprisingly useful," the author of the thread told Bored Panda what had inspired her to start the discussion in the first place. "It was great to get a lot of feedback."
She said that, among the things listed in the thread, she already has some. Others, like the thermometer and mandoline, she already owns and needs to use more. Meanwhile, the OP learned about new uses for the immersion blender and told us that she still needs to get a knife sharpener and cookie scoop.
Bored Panda was very interested to learn more about the pros of owning an air fryer. Redditor u/SuccessExtreme4373 was happy to walk us through her own experience. "I have found an air fryer surprisingly useful. It is great for cooking small batches of food, everything from proteins to roast vegetables. My five-year-old son loves broccoli tossed in olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and air fried for a few minutes," she said.
I can’t believe I was 57 yo before I learned about pre cut flat parchment paper sheets…. I use them all the time. Just about anything that goes in the oven is sitting on parchment paper. Veggies, potatoes, cookies, macarons, melting cheese on sandwich. Total game changer. Makes clean up so much easier, non stick.
I can’t believe I went so many years forming cookies, falafel, meatballs, fillings for pierogis and other dumpling, etc without a cookie scoop.
citrus_sugar replied:
Restaurant secret for sure — I have them in all different sizes.
I bought one all excited to lift my cookie and meatball game but….no. I’m a left handed and apparently those things are made for right handers. Did not work for me at all - it was very sad.
Not only that, but air fryers are also great for reheating leftovers. According to the OP, it works with everything "from lasagna to muffins so that they have closer to a fresh baked texture instead of soggy microwave texture." In the meantime, the appliance is "good for quick homemade pizzas on frozen naan bread."
"You can toast odd-shaped pieces of bread. I sat on the fence for ages before getting one but now use it pretty much every day," the home cook said.
We were curious about what the OP thinks someone should keep in mind before purchasing any new kitchen appliances. She pointed out that a lot will depend on the size of your kitchen space, as well as how you cook.
(1) A digital scale, changed my baking game for the better! I now rarely use measuring cups, plus less dishes to wash.
(2) Sharpening stone has made my cheap knives razor sharp and much much more enjoyable to use.
My kitchen scale is my favorite kitchen tool. Everything feels precise, and lazy me has less dirty dishes.
A stand mixer. It took me years to shell out for a Kitchenaid mini but I’m so glad I did. It’s much more convenient than using beaters and the dough hook is a lifesaver.
I can’t believe I lived over 40 years without a knife sharpener. Truly, I was lost.
"Less is generally more if you're like most people and don't have a lot of space. You can do a lot with the basics. And if you can't see it and it's hard to access, you're not going to use it," she explained to Bored Panda that tools that aren't in an accessible space and are stowed away somewhere probably won't end up getting used.
"But I have been on a bit of a spree lately. In addition to the above mentioned, I bought a bread maker last week, after years of thinking that would be a no-no for me—and am currently baking my second loaf."
The OP shared in her original post that she bought an air fryer, a rice cooker, and a cherry pitter, and they were completely satisfied with their performance. Not only did the redditor gush about how convenient everything is, but she's also using the appliances often. So her investment is already paying off.
I don’t know if this counts as a tool but I ended up getting a le creuset for free (I know, lucky duck) and I’ve been using it basically daily since
I dismissed air fryers for a long time because I have a perfectly good convection oven, and considered them a gimmick.
But for *reasons* I ended up buying one, and I love it. It is just a convection oven, but it heats super fast without making the kitchen hot, and yields really good vegetables. I use it almost every day and love it.
Years ago my husband bought me a Zojirushi and I almost returned it because it seemed extravagant, and because I had no problem with rice in a pot on the stovetop, but I love it too.
The strawberry stemmer is a nice little gadget also.
And IDGAF if Alton Brown hates a single purpose kitchen tool. They make me happy.
Whoever Alton Brown is, if he isn't the one cooking, it's none of his business how the food is cooked. If he doesn't like it, don't invite him.
high quality kitchen shears. great for cutting garnishes, flatbread/pizzas, meats, really anything. mainly i love not having to wash another cutting board
I bought my mom these scissors that have like 4 blades a few years ago for herbs, and they are super useful.
But before you go off and buy every single thing mentioned in this list, seriously think about your cooking and eating habits. No, you will not magically transform into a Masterchef contender just because you’ve got a few new toys. You need to focus on the tools that you’d actually use, not that some ideal version of you as a person would love to use. Trust us, that’ll stop you from making a lot of impulse purchases.
For instance, cherry pitters are great for someone who bakes a lot, grows cherries, or buys a lot of fresh berries at their local market. But for many of us, it would be money down the drain. The pitter would be used twice, then left to rot in some God-forsaken corner of the cupboard, with only rats and roaches to keep it company.
On the flip side, a rice cooker is a great investment if rice is an important part of your diet. If you’re constantly frustrated at having to ‘babysit’ the rice pot so it doesn’t burn or overcook, you may want to splurge a bit to save yourself a lot of future headaches. However, the cooker would be next to useless to someone who mostly eats pasta (a pasta machine might be a better fit) or bread (some utensils to make bread-baking easier may be the way to go there).
Mortar and pestle, low tech, can really up your spice game when you crush them on the spot
Yaniji1923 replied:
Mine never leaves my counter. I only buy whole spices and grind them. It takes seconds to do once you get the hang of it. It's WAY worth the effort to learn and use it.
A hand lemon juicer! I don't know what else to call it... It looks like a big garlic press. ZILLION TIMES more practical than a stupid lemon juicer with ten parts. I use fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice all the time now when before I couldn't be bothered. So on that front it's worth it ten times over.
Whatever new kitchen equipment you do end up buying, remember that you can tell a lot about someone from the way they take care of their tools. You do not want to be the chef who buys all the coolest gadgets and fanciest tools, only to let everything slowly deteriorate.
Clean them well and often after use, store them properly, and remember to maintain them. That can mean anything from regularly sharpening your knives to tightening the screws in whatever fab postmodern gadget you have in your drawer. Your tools will also last longer if you use them according to their purpose. So don’t go boiling rice in a frying pan or cutting steaks with spoons.
Thermapen. I thought it cost too much for a thermometer. My husband offered to buy it for me as a gift.
It’s paid me back a zillion times over. I use it to make yogurt, bread, candy, custard, ice cream, etc.
Stella Parks recipes state what temperature doughs/batters should be so I use it for them. Stella Parks recipes also have instructions for if your kitchen is over 74 degrees Fahrenheit. I use it to test the air temperature.
It’s also handy in deciding if it’s too hot to bring the dog with us.
Great for check food temperatures and making sure food is done. Use this all the time too.
Ooh also- my bread machine. I got it for $20 on Facebook marketplace and now I live a life of fresh naan, pizza dough, baguettes, sandwich loaves, cinnamon raisin bread… I know myself, I won’t spend time kneading these things, but I sure can toss them in the bread maker.
I had one for a little while, but didn't use it that much, so it was just another appliance taking up space on the bench. It was also annoying because you end up with a hole in the bread where the mixer attachment is, and just as easy to just use a mixer and the oven.
Potato ricer. I don't use it often, but you can make a big batch of mashed potatoes with the perfect texture in very little time.
Meat thermometer. Why did I spend years and years trying to guess when meat was done and then beating myself up when I was wrong? I dunno
See my above comment about a gadget called "Meater." Can cost from $50 to $125 US (some have a 40 ft range and some a 160 ft range... bluetooth) but I have 3 and totally worth it if you don't want to stand right by the oven!
It’s so simple but one of those dough cutters and I use it to scoop chopped veggies , clean my cutting board, and obvs cut dough. I don’t know how I lived without it.
We have countertops that you can knead on, and I use it to scrape the counter clean, too. The best!
Mandoline (with cut proof glove) I make a fair amount of pickles and that makes it easy!
A slotted fish spatula. Was never even on my radar for the first 20 years I lived/cooked alone. A few years ago a close friend (and chef) got me one and insisted that it’s life changing. Mf’er was right.
Blueprinty replied:
Yes!! I have about every kitchen tool known to man and this is my ‘desert island’ spatula. It's not just for fish. It’s thin enough and wide enough and flexible enough to scoop up anything like cookies, roasted veggies, eggs, burgers — whatever.
These are more common than not in British/Kiwi/Aussie kitchens. They've been around for donkeys.
My kitchen blow torch - I use it to toast marshmallows for hot chocolate, and to do an easy lemon curd and toasted meringue dessert. I've also used it for lighting candles when I can't find a lighter/matches.
Microplane. I even have 2 of them now because I use them so often and I repaired the first one after it broke.
Tofu press. Yes, I could waste a ton of paper towel and make the Leaning Tower of Pisa of heavy things on top, but once I got the press, I’ll never go back!
I freeze the tofu block and once thawed you can squeeze all water out by hand. Texture changes a bit but I'm going to fry or bake it anyway
Instant pot - mainly for chicken stock. I’ll never waste a chicken carcass again!
In the realm of “technically unnecessary but super useful” - my pineapple corer/slicer and my Danish dough whisk.
I love fresh pineapple but hated dealing with the peel and core. Not anymore. Just chop off the top, and use the corer. I basically get a spiralized pineapple that I just cut into individual chunks.
And the dough whisk makes mixing thick batters/sticky doughs so much easier. Stuff doesn’t get stuck in it like it would in a balloon whisk and there’s practically no drag compared to using a wooden spoon or something.
Pizza cutter. Little did I know how much we would eat some frozen pizza on busy nights..lol 🤣
I prefer a rocker pizza cutter to the wheel style cutter. Much simpler and doesn't move the ingredients around.
An olive oil dispenser I randomly picked up at kohl’s. It’s one of those little things that feels good to use.
Almost all the bottles of olive oil now in Australia have an attached nozzle so you can pour it easily
Cherry pitter is also an olive pitter...
But one of the most basic tools is one of the most useful. A bench knife. Yes, useful when baking but also a great way to pick up diced food and slide it into the pan.
Legit pepper grinder
I just bought a battery powered one, because my hands hurt if I grind it by hand, but I haven't been able to use it yet because I can't unscrew the top to fill it!
Pliers.
Ever bite into a chicken leg and get a mouth full of tendons? They aren't easy to grab onto with your fingers but a nice set of pliers or needle nose pliers can make quick work of those.
Deboning fish such as a salmon steak gets easier when you use pliers.
Have you had a peach that was a little bit too ripe so that you couldn't cut it in half and twist it? Going through the top of the peach, grab the pit with your needle nose pliers and pull it up and out.
A thermal gun or infrared thermometer is something I know I need in the kitchen because I bake and cook a lot and have a bakerstone Pizza oven outside. A thermal gun is so much more specific than setting my stove to medium or medium high or 7 out of 10. Takes the guess work out of cooking and baking as far as temperature control is concerned.
"Ever bite into a chicken leg and get a mouth full of tendons?" Yeah, I'm Hungarian, Slovakian and Polish so there's nothing left but the bone because I ate it. Knuckles/cartridge are good for you! Also, when I eat chicken wings I get my monies worth!
Canning funnel and Mason jars. Yup.
Teeny non-stick saucepans and frypans. Like, would hold under a cup of liquid. Bought some from an Asian mart when my kid started solids- so quick to make that ‘1 pureed carrot’ or reheat little portions. Still use them 15 years later, more than I ever dreamed I would. Make a handful of croutons to use up that last 2 slices of bread, toast seeds and nuts for a salad sprinkle, warm garlic in oil, melt a lil cheese for a boiled potato, defrost stock cubes, shallow fry hard herbs, and many more uses. Wish the better brands made them too!
Just bought an induction cooktop for the summer. If you don't want to heat up the kitchen or your whole place when its already hot I highly recommend. Easy to clean, has 2 modes that are super simple to navigate and even a timer.
I've just bought Bev an induction cooker and a new pan set for it. She loves it. I can buy the upgrades to my mobility scooter at a later date. I love to see her smile
A vegetable peeler. Used to peel potatoes and carrots with a knife and I hated it a lot. Now it's so easy and I eat them more often
Rice cooker. My husband insisted on one and I really did not think it was necessary. Damn it I was wrong. It makes way better rice than me.
Fully stocked spice rack. Swing by your local Asian market and get bags of chilies, cumin and so to properly season your food
Not Costco sized bags though. Don't want them to get stale before you use them.
A microplane grater.
Didn't have one.
Bought one.
Use it ALL THE TIME
for garlic, ginger, etc
Life hack: freeze your ginger root! Tightly double wrap it in plastic wrap and toss it in yhr freezer. It lasts forever and makes it easier to grate. The frozen ginger does come out fluffier when microplaned so you need to grate a bit more than you think, but totally worth it
Long before I went to culinary school, and even long before I started baking (that eventually LEAD me to culinary school), it was a bench scraper.
The one I have is just a single piece of six-inch wide steel and the "handle" is just the flat metal curled to maybe 270 degrees (i.e. not a closed circle).
It's kinda nice cuz if you have small items or even flour/grains, you can scoop them up and that opening lets them funnel together to pour off. I don't like the wood or plastic handled ones, but this thing is like a best friend you can always count on.
Baking, regular cooking, cleaning up after cooking, I love that simple fixed tool.
I went to culinary school for a semester before deciding it wasn't for me, but this was the one tool that I kept before selling my school kit. So utile.
Kitchen aid mixer with attachments. I use to think they were over priced electronics for things you can do by hand. But man was I wrong. It’s my most used electronic next to to my air fryer. Now we usually have fresh bread and pasta at hand. And it makes cooking so much faster.
A good vacuum sealer. I currently have a chamber vac, so I can include liquids, but a basic one will work fine until you need to upgrade. A somewhat investment up front, but being able to buy bulk and shop sales (vac and freeze immediately), it has paid for itself. I do have an immersion circulator as well, and while I don't necessarily do steaks and such, I buy pork shoulder and cheap beef and spice them up (southwest) in smaller packs. I sous vide them, cool and freeze. Pull out one here, one there. I can do beef and pork (separate bags) together in a session. Toss in a pot of boiling water to warm up.
A box grater. The slicing side is amazing and it's the most solid way to grate cheese
Get a high quality one though. Dollar store ones are thin and flex when you apply pressure, so the blades can't cut properly, so look out for that.
Meat masher.
Hate mashing up ground beef with a spatula or rubber spoon. Never heard of a meat masher (and I've cooked for years.) I felt really dumb when I saw one on YouTube and I was like, "WOW how come I never thought of that and looked for a meat mashing tool???"
Got one now! LOVE love LoVe it! Just FYI to others out there like me who never had one before - if you get one - don't use it on potatoes. Huge mess, they stick all over it and it's too hard to get them out. Just don't.
The melon baller is great for taking scoops out of cupcakes for putting curd or jam in
Also great for taking the center core out of apples or pits out of small stone fruits.
A salt pig and squeeze bottles for my cooking oils.
Oil and plastic worries me. I guess since so much oil comes bottled in plastic it might not matter?
Cherry pitter for sure! Kids got us one that does 5 or 6 at a time. We both thought it was ridiculous, but they said we thought it was silly, but it's fun to use. And it is.
KitchenAid mixer-- I discovered I enjoy making homemade pizzas and the dough hook makes it possible (arthritis). Also shredding hot meat is fast and easy.
Salad spinner with large and small bowl. Even if I only use the baskets to rinse and I dry with a towel it gets used every day.
Tschitokatoka replied:
I used to look at cherry season with the pitting process in mind and it held me back. Such a small price to pay for the freedom and ease it provides to the menu.
Apple corer/slicer we eat alot of apples lol excellent with tajin
Anyone got an apple peeler, corer and curler? My kids used to love curly apples
I bought an electric smoker. Holy c**p is it good. No messing about with coal. Set it up and let it run. Just have to replace the chips every hour or so. Got a WiFi thermometer to go with it. Now I can set alarms that tell me when I need to flip/move/baste/uncover/cover things based on inner temp. It lets me cook perfect smoked brisket every time. Incredibly low effort. Incredibly good food.
Bought a Ninja Woodfire. Roast and smoke a whole chicken with hickory chips and you will be looking for other stuff to put in it too
A 30-inch Boos block cutting board. It’s like moving from a dinky 13” laptop to a giant and powerful desktop computer.
Plastic razor blade scraper. It’s like the regular razor blade scraper but doesn’t harm things like a wooden cutting board. Have something stuck anywhere and scrape it right off. Counters, sink, cutting board. Stuck stuff comes right off
Silicone tube to remove garlic skins with
Even easier, get an old, clean towel, roll up however many garlic cloves you want to peel in it, fold the ends over to make a seal (like a big doughnut) then gently smack the whole thing with a rolling pin ; the skins fall off, you can easily retrieve the garlic - unless you've been a bit over enthusiastic, in which case it's a tad messy - and then all you need to do is gather up the corners of the tea towel and chuck the skins / odd bits into the compost or your food waste.
The only regret i have about buying my rice cooker is that I didn't get a bigger one, doesn't leave alot for leftovers when we're done with dinner
I'm married to a Japanese man, we have 2 - a small for our everyday use and a large one for when we have company or family meals. These are essential small appliances in our house.
Instant Pot. An electric pressure cooker. I don't use it for anything else and it's incredible at making broths, beans, and probably a binch of other things I don't do with them.
It's AWESOME at making hard boiled eggs. Add a cup of water and set the pressure timer for 5 minutes. As soon as it's done, release the presssure and put cold water in with the hot to almost full. It' won't chill the eggs, but get them just cool enough to handle. Peel immediately and the shells just fall off!
My most recent purchase was 8th sheet pans. They're so multi-functional.
I also purchased a dutch oven, but in hindsight I think I should have gotten the braiser.
Sizzle trays and kitchen tweezers. I find tweezers so much easier than tongs in most of my home applications, and reheating leftovers on a sizzle tray in the oven. Perfect.
Avocado slicer. I bought it purely out of curiosity but it works really nicely.
Just don't put the avocado on your toast, or you'll never be able to buy a house.
Butter curler. I used it exclusively for taking out the seeds of squash, but now I can't find it 😔
One of my game-changers was an oven thermometer that hangs from the rack. Now I know that when my elderly oven claims it's at 400°F, it's actually at 430°F.
That's how I found out I wasn't a horrid baker, it was the oven that was overheating!
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As we've got a lot of kitchen-y people here, anyone else do the double-click tongs thing before using them? As if the tongs would stop working.
You HAVE to click the tongs twice before using. It's in the rules!
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My ninja Creami ice cream maker. Life changing. I love ice cream but I am lactose intolerant. With the Creami, I can make dairy free, low calorie ( using sugar substitutes) ice creams that are quick with very little mess.
One of my game-changers was an oven thermometer that hangs from the rack. Now I know that when my elderly oven claims it's at 400°F, it's actually at 430°F.
That's how I found out I wasn't a horrid baker, it was the oven that was overheating!
Load More Replies... As we've got a lot of kitchen-y people here, anyone else do the double-click tongs thing before using them? As if the tongs would stop working.
You HAVE to click the tongs twice before using. It's in the rules!
Load More Replies... My ninja Creami ice cream maker. Life changing. I love ice cream but I am lactose intolerant. With the Creami, I can make dairy free, low calorie ( using sugar substitutes) ice creams that are quick with very little mess.
