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1. A veggie chopper so you can dice up an onion without fear of losing a digit. Yes, I've watched Gordon Ramsay YouTube explainers on how to do it with a knife, but there's a disconnect between my head and my hand, okay??
Fullstar is a small business established in 2017 that specializes in kitchen gadgets. Check out a TikTok of their veggie chopper in action.
Promising review: "This is the best of its kind. It cuts great and is very sturdy — I had been using a lesser model. I even cubed chicken breasts today plus cauliflower, onions, and more. I was a chef for 30 years and I love this so much I had to review straight away!" —david fasnacht
Get it from Amazon for $23.95 (available in three colors).
2. An air fryer if you manage to under or over cook your entree every dang time you use your oven. If you thought these things were only for French fries or chicken nuggies, think again. You can crisp up fresh asparagus, cook salmon to flaky perfection, and even bake a GD lemon Bundt cake if you so wish!
Promising review: "I'm a chef and I LOVE this thing! It's way better than the Ninja. It holds more food and also has different ways of cooking. It's basically an air fryer and mini convection oven in one. Everyone complaining about the smell or loudness are just being silly. Neither of these things are THAT bad. I live with my fiancee and since it's just the two of us, we don't make too much food at a time so the Instant Vortex Plus has mostly replaced our actual oven. I've used it almost every day since we got it. Works like a charm. Two thumbs up. 👍👍" —Cody B.
Get the 6-in-1 6-quart size from Amazon for $129.95 (available in three styles and two sizes)
3. And a set of magnetic air fryer cheat sheets you can affix to your fridge and then quickly crosscheck when you're in the middle of making chicken fingers. That way, you don't have to wash all the eggs and bread crumbs off your hands and fumble with your phone to pull up Google.
The set comes with two different-size magnets. See it in action on TikTok here.
Promising review: "I thought it over a few times, and then I bought these so I could have a quick reference handy for those times I wanted to make something in my air fryer, which is quite a bit. What surprised me is how often I refer to it. I just throw something in my air fryer, glance at the section that lists the item I’m cooking. Press a few buttons on my fryer, and I’m in business. No more having to search on my phone with wet fingers. A frivolous buy that turned out to be worthwhile." —PickyExtra
Get it from Amazon for $6.79+ (also in two colors and Spanish language).
4. A dishwasher-safe silicone soup cube tray because you're a Soup Person through and through but you also live alone and can't possibly eat it all at once.
Souper Cubes is a small business!
Promising review: "I'm extremely happy with my Souper Cubes! I cook chili and soup and always make too much, having the ability to freeze serving-size portions is perfect. Saves time and food quality by not having to thaw it all each time I want another serving. High quality and since it's silicone and not rigid plastic it won't crack in the freezer. Highly recommend!" —Alexander S. Waterman
Get it from Amazon for $19.95+ (available in sets of one or two and two color combinations).
5. Modular sheet pan dividers so you can make a one-pan meal without overcooking any of the elements. Sick of burning your summer squash while you wait for your Brussels sprouts to finish? Well now you can pull 'em out as soon as they're done without worrying about shuffling multiple hot pans.
Prep'd, the small biz that created these handy dividers, was founded in 2015 by two industrial engineers who believed cooking should be simple, easy, and ultimately fun.
Promising review: "These are great for so many reasons. We're in a mixed gluten household (one person has celiac and is diabetic, but we are not all doing a gluten-free diet). We can portion control for carb counting and separate out gluten-free vs. none on one pan. Plus, cleanup is just throwing in the dishwasher!" —J Fans
Get a set of four from Amazon for $23.99.
6. A nylon chopper perfect for breaking up ground meat, frozen veggies, eggs, and more. If you're a fan of tacos, Philly cheesesteaks, or smash burgers (~chef's kiss to Shake Shack~), this baby will come in clutch.
The tool is safe to use with nonstick cookware and you can throw it in the dishwasher for easy cleanup.
Promising review: "I am a semi-professional chef and do not go for 'gadgets' like this. My mother bought it and I thought it was another piece of junk to add to the junk drawer. Well, it's perfect for breaking up chopped meat in the frying pan for tacos or pasta sauce, you can break up Italian sausage while you cook it, I have mashed potatoes, turnips, and squash with it and even gotten biscuit dough almost completely ready to go using this little gem. I bought my brother in law one who uses it to make his chili! Love, love, love it!" —bette's daughter
Get it from Amazon for $8.81+ (available in three colors).
7. A snap-on silicone strainer that easily attaches to the side of your pot so you don't have to make room in your sink for a colander and then inevitably splash yourself with ~boiling~ hot water when you haphazardly dump your cavatappi.
Promising review: "This is a real convenient timesaver. Not only do I have one less thing to wash after dinner, but the convenience of being able to simply snap this on to any pot is great! The mounting clips are robust and hold like crazy. The product works exactly as described and has made my pasta nights a breeze. I am a chef, so I use this almost every day and I highly recommend this attachment. Great invention!" —Captain HC
Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in five colors).
8. A conveniently compact 8-in-1 spiralizer for spiralizing (duh), juicing, grating, shredding, and more. No need to search your kitchen for multiple gadgets when everything you need can be done with just one.
BuzzFeed writer Emma Lord loves this gadget:
"I recently purchased this because it was my cheapest option for making zoodles, and also because my apartment is the size of a shoebox and there was no room for anything bigger. I LOVE how easy it is to swap out the caps to do other things, too — I've started grating my own cheeses and feel very fancy. But mostly I just love that it's very safe to use (it comes with a finger guard!), super easy to figure out, very compact, and even has measurements on the inside of the cup if you're ever portioning things out for a recipe."
Promising review: "LOVE THIS. I absolutely love this. So far I've used the thicker spiralizer, two of the grater things, and then the juicer. I love how easy this makes keeping everything together. And it's sharp so it actually cuts through things without you needing to work super hard to do it. The only thing I don't love is that the spiralizers are a bit hard to clean, but I guess that's with all of them? Not sure because this is the first I've owned. But, overall I'd recommend it :)" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $14.39.
9. A versatile Our Place Dream Cooker that can slow cook, sear, saute, and pressure cook all of the hearty recipes you've been waiting for winter to whip up. Mac 'n' cheese ✅ Beef stew ✅ Loaded baked potato soup ✅ Try finding a dish it can't handle...I'll wait.
What's included: Dream Cooker, cooker base, locking lid, inner cooking pot, condensation collector, and detachable power cord.
Promising review: "The Dream Cooker is so easy to use, and I was able to try a recipe that I had never made before. It was delicious and came together very quickly. Amazing for a new mama! Cleaning up the Dream Cooker is also easy and it can easily be stored on the counter or down below! The multiple features are explained in detail and I was able utilize each one seamlessly. Wonderful!" —Missy P.
Get it from Our Place for $225 (originally $250; available in four colors).
10. A highly aesthetic Beast Blender if you're in your ~homemade pesto era~.
What's included: B10 Blender Base, B10 Blade Assembly, 1000mL Blending Vessel, Drinking Lid + Carry Cap, and Storage Lid.
Promising review: "[As I write this] we're only halfway through May and I have already declared this the best purchase of 2023! It's attractive, quiet, and a !beast! at blending drinks with ice. This is the blender I've been waiting for." —Sharon B.
Get it from our Goodful shop for $140 (originally $165; available in three colors)
11. An oil mister so you can perfectly spritz all of your one-pan meals. This way, you don't have to toss everything by hand and get covered in hard-to-clean (not to mention expensive...) EVOO.
Promising review: "This is a great item for lightly spraying salads, roasting vegetables, or adding some oil to a prepared plate of pasta. Avoids using more oil than necessary so that’s a savings right there. I also use it to put a light coating of oil on all my cast iron cookware to prevent rust. Best of all, it looks great on the dinner table. Lots of uses which really makes it an asset in the kitchen. It seems that it should last a while so I think it is worth the few bucks spent." —Clancy
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
12. A versatile electric pasta maker if you watched Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and are now determined to recreate the regional cuisine all on your own.
Promising review: "This pasta machine is very user friendly. I was making delicious pasta 15 minutes after unpacking and washing the components. It comes with three dies to get you started, but I purchased extras just to increase variety. I gave the machine a 4 out of 5 stars for cleaning only because it's cumbersome to clean the dough out of the spaghetti/angel hair dies (any machine would be the same, though, and I'm impatient!). I would highly recommend this pasta machine. It is fully worth the investment — and the pasta tastes amazing!!" —Lisa Zehr
Get it from Amazon for $129.95+ (available in white and black).
13. An aluminized steel sheet pan you can use to bake or roast basically anything you can imagine. Chefs swear by them not just for how evenly they cook, but how exceptionally easy they are to clean.
Promising review: "This pan is a must-have. I'm a chef and when I cook at home cleanup is important. This pan is so easy to clean. You can cook so many items. A normal sheet pan is way thinner and very hard to clean. I've cooked bacon, vegetables, burgers, meatloaf and all came out excellent." —donald puopolo jr.
Get it from Amazon for $19.65+ (available individually or in a set of two).
14. A Carraway cookware set that not only comes with every pot and pan one could need, but storage solutions in the form of magnetic racks and a canvas lid holder — bc let's be real, locating the pan you need/being able to put it away once you're done is half the cooking-at-home battle.
What's included: A fry pan, sauce pan with lid, sauté pan with lid, Dutch oven with lid, modular pan rack, and three-slot canvas lid holder.
Promising review: "This cookware set checked every box for me. From the satisfying unboxing to the easy storage and easy cleanup this was worth every penny. I love the magnetic storage system that comes with it. The hanging lid storage is also a genius method of storing pot and pan lids. Cooking with this set is everything you'd expect. You can feel the quality of these pans just by holding them. A lot of products claim nonstick but this is the best nonstick pot or pan I've used. They heat up evenly and are clean after just a quick rinse under the sink. I highly recommend!" —AZ
Get the 12-piece set from Amazon for $355.50+ (available in six colors).
15. An automatic spice grinder so you can top off every dish with a bit of spice and in the most ✨extra✨ fashion imaginable.
BTW — this grinder is battery-operated, so make sure to get a few AA batteries, too!
Promising reviews: "I am a retired executive chef of over 40 years and I mentioned to my daughter that I wanted a new GOOD quality peppermill (that does not mean expensive). She did a great job picking one out for me. I do not write many reviews and never do until I have had the product and used it for several months. I am very pleased with it and love that I can have several different spices, peppers, and salts in their own pods with a very simple push of a button to change from one to another." —Bridgit Judson
Get it from Amazon for $44.99 (available in six colors; comes with grinder and two interchangeable pods).
16. An iconic Le Creuset Dutch oven which one reviewer calls "the Bentley of cookware" and I'm not about to dispute that...
Promising review: "I love this Dutch oven. I got the 7.25-quart size for four people, and it has been an irreplaceable pot for soups and stews and coconut chicken adobo. I have also used this to bake bread, too, and it worked well. I have had to stop myself from buying even more!" —Austin
Get it from Amazon for $249.95+ (available in seven sizes and 14 colors) or Le Creuset for $249.99+ (available in seven sizes and 27 colors).
17. A Lodge cast-iron skillet that'll help you achieve a delicious sear and crust you won't get from a regular nonstick skillet. It'll just get better the more you use it and is basically indestructible so you can even pass it on to your kids...and they can leave it to theirs.
Promising review: "As a professional chef in the industry for 20 years now, I have my own list of brands I seek out. When it comes to cast-iron, Lodge is a brand I know is going to be good. When it came to the price, I couldn't click 'buy' fast enough. This has become my go-to pan at home any time I am working with meat; be it a burger patty or a large piece of meat I am searing off for braising in the slow cooker. This is a pan I know i will have for the next 20–30 years." —Mike
Get it from Amazon for $7.59+ (available in seven sizes).
18. A Levo II herbal oil and butter infusion machine if one of your absolute FAVORITE parts of going out to eat is getting that pre-meal basket of bread and a tiny dish of artisan oil to dip it in.
P.S. you can even make soaps, bath bombs, and ~infused~ brownies or gummies with the Levo. All you have to do is fill the herb pod and set your dry or activation cycle, add oil or butter, set your infuse cycle, dispense, and enjoy
Levo is a woman-owned small business founded in 2016 by Chrissy Bellman and based in Denver, Colorado.
Promising review: "We love our Levo II! Can't imagine a better way to spend time than learning how to make my own infused oils that help our whole family, whatever the need. Want to add zest to a recipe? Make a concoction to help your loved one sleep? Try a new salad dressing without the mess? Whatever the need, LEVO II will help make an oil, a botanical, a new soap, tea or a lotion that is perfect. The app is abundant with recipes and ideas, so I feel supported with each and every step. East fast clean up. End to end customer experience is exceptional!" —Kendall E. Coleman
Get it from Amazon for $299 (available in four colors).
19. Or if that's too involved for you, an essentials kit from Brightland. It comes with two EVOOs and two fruit-forward vinegars so you can dip your breads and dress your salads with something that makes you feel Lisa Vanderpump-level fancyyyyy.
Brightland is a WOC–owned small biz, from Aishwarya Iyer, that sources its olives from a family-run farm in California.
What's included:
Awake — a bold and robust cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
Alive — a smooth and grassy cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
Rapture — a raw Balsamic vinegar that is double fermented with California zinfandel grapes and ripe Triple Crown blackberries.
Parasol — a raw Champagne vinegar that is double fermented with California chardonnay grapes and juicy Navel and Valencia oranges.
Promising review: "The oils taste so GOOD — really fresh and light. I love that they add so much flavor to every dish making me a chef at home!" —Barbiana L.
Get it from Brightland for $112 (originally $118).
20. A bench scraper that'll come in handy when you're prepping bread dough, gathering chopped onions to throw in a pan, or simply cleaning off your counter after trying your hand at a particularly messy recipe.
Promising review: “Makes you feel like a real chef! This is probably one of my most unnecessary-but-necessary purchases, and I’m so glad I made it after dropping and spilling so many things on the counter after chopping while trying to transfer to another surface. It does what it’s supposed to do, it’s sturdy, the top is grippy, and you can feel like a real chef who knows what they’re doing in the kitchen. The agave blue is a deep turquoise/green-blue color and matches the other agave blue items in the Rachael Ray collections.” —Caitlin
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in six colors)
21. A Dracula garlic mincer because garlic powder simply doesn't compare to freshly minced garlic when you're whipping up an Italian feast.
PS: You can also use it for ginger!
Promising review: "I purchased this as a gift for my friend who is a fantastic cook — she uses fresh ingredients almost exclusively — but pressing fresh garlic is a task usually delegated. No longer — Gracula is there for her. She uses him nearly every time she needs garlic (which is basically daily) and months later still makes a point of saying how much she enjoys the gift. I'm pretty sure she likes it better than other gifts I've gotten her which were more expensive/thought out, and I'm fairly certain it's what took me from "good friend" to "best friend," but it be that way sometimes. Anyway, definitely recommended for people who cook with garlic and have a sense of humor." —L
Get it from Amazon for $17.95.
22. A set of Anyday microwaveable cooking essentials if — you're being honest with yourself — you know the only way you're gonna make a home-cooked meal is if you can zap it into existence. As an added bonus, you can use the dishes to store leftovers and then reheat them again when you're ready for seconds!
What's included: Large deep dish, large shallow dish, medium deep dish, medium shallow dish, and two small dishes.
Anyday is a small, modern cookware brand from Steph Chen. If you need some inspiration, check out Anyday's dish ideas which include recipes from the likes of David Chang and Joshua McFadden!
Promising review: "Giving 5 stars does not do this dish justice; it needs five billion stars! This has to be the BEST product I have every purchased in my life. Since I do not have access to a stove or oven, these dishes have allowed me to 'cook' chicken, salmon, tilapia, shrimp, pork chops, and vegetables with just a microwave! Freaking genius!! Thank you Anyday for this beautiful ray of sunshine you have bestowed upon my life." —SR
Get it from Anyday for $170 (originally $200; available in three colors).
23. Some FryAway — a magical substance you sprinkle on used oil to turn it into a solid so you can safely dispose of it. No clogging your whole neighborhood's pipes after chicken cutlet night!
Promising review: "This magic powder worked so much better than I expected! I was doing some deep frying in my enamel cast-iron pot one night, and when I was done, I poured the powder in the hot oil just as instructed. I ended up putting the lid on and forgetting about it overnight. The next morning it was a solid gel mass. I took a spatula and barely applied pressure to one side to loosen it and the whole entire thing separated in one clean piece without any stray chunks of oil sticking to the pot. Couldn't have been easier!" —Sahara
Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in three variations).
24. An all-in-one measuring cup that not only frees up space in your cupboard, but saves you from having to do any tricky fraction or decimal conversions. Look, for a long time, I only had a 2/3-cup measuring cup and my English major self was in a *world* of hurt.
It's dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Measurements include: 1 cup, ½ cup, 1/3 cup, ¼ cup, 2 tbsp, 1 tbsp, ½ tbp, 1 tsp, ½ tsp, ¼ tsp, 120 ml, 80 ml, 60 ml, 30 ml, 15 ml, 7.5 ml, 5 ml, 2.5 ml, 1.25 ml.
Promising review: "First of all, I gotta say I don’t cook much and if there’s something I hate after cooking is having to wash all the bunch of utensils I have to use once I use them. This cube has been amazing, I don’t have to wash a million utensils over and over, it’s very easy to use, easy to clean and it’s very handy to use for when I’m meal prepping for the week. I bought this out of curiosity and ended up enjoying it a lot. If a regular guy like me is enjoying it, I’m sure it would be a great tool for people who cooks or bakes in a regular basis." —Daniel Matajira
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
25. A microwave potato cooker because sometimes, you crave a loaded baked potato but simply don't have the patience to preheat your oven and then let it cook for 45 darn minutes! With this, you just pop it in the microwave, set it for three minutes, and — BOOM — finished potato.
The nifty tool can also be used to cook corn on the cob or revive old tortillas and bread.
Promising review: "Works great! At first I was skeptical, but after 6 minutes I had four small, perfectly baked potatoes. I would definitely encourage others to buy." —Darlene Sonnier
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
26. A pack of slow cooker liners if you love yourself a one-pot meal but don't love having to scrape away baked-on food when you're finished.
PS: They also come in handy with dishes going into a water bath (think: cheesecakes, custards, and puddings).
Promising review: "These bags are so wonderful. They are thick enough to deal with a few scrapings with spoon while stirring. And the cleanup takes seconds instead of an hour of soaking and five more minutes of cleaning. Very impressed with this project." —Taoswaan
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $4.99 or a pack of eight from Walmart for $4.64
Check out BuzzFeeder Elizabeth Lilly's Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners review here.
27. An Anova sous vide cooker to help you make restaurant-worthy meals with minimal effort. Like so minimal that you don't even have to be in the kitchen while your food is cooking!
The temperature range is 32–197 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooker can be controlled right from your phone, so you don't even have to stay in the kitchen while cooking. It also provides cooking notifications, and stays connected through Bluetooth from up to 30 feet away. Plus, you get access to over 1,000 recipes, so you'll have inspiration for yummy meals! Get the Anova app here.
Promising review: "Since I started cooking sous vide, my family says my cooking has gone to a new level. I started with the original Anova, and just recently picked up this Nano. The Nano is awesome because it's much smaller vs. the first Anova, making it easier to store in a drawer or something. It sounds trivial but by making it easier to grab. Set-up is so much quicker, and I can cook a beef roast for 30 hours without adding ANY water. If you're just starting out in sous vide, I recommend this cooker." —Jeff Nichols
Get it from Amazon for $89.98+ (available in two styles).
28. A set of three dough presses that make easy work of hand pies, dumplings, ravioli, calzones, empanadas, and more. This way, you can get over the absolute chokehold that Trader Joe's frozen gyozas have had on your life for the past six months.
Promising review: "This was a great purchase for the price. I was making empanadas and folding them by hand, which didn’t look too good. This set helps me cut them easily into circles and then easily presses them close. Consistent look each time! I like that there are three sizes in the set so I can make them according to my mood. Easy to wash and use. Would highly recommend for the price and functionality!" —Sox
Get a set of three from Amazon for $14.69.
29. A handy herb stripper if you're looking for a quick and easy way to strip fresh cilantro and rosemary while cooking. Slide them through and leave behind that bitter stem!
Collin Garrity is the St. Louis-based woodworker behind these lovely tools.
Promising review: "Just exactly what I was looking for. The wood is smooth and comfortable to use and just pretty to look at. Quickly becoming a staple utensil for my kitchen." —David and Amy Emler
Get it from Shop Collin Garrity on Etsy for $18 (available in three types of wood).
30. An adjustable thickness cheese slicer so you can take your charcuterie boards to the next level. (Or just feel a smidge fancier when making a midnight cheese run to your fridge.)
This slicer comes with an extra wire in case the first one wears out!
Promising review: "I am a retired chef but I still constantly cook and throw dinner parties/BBQs 5–6 times per week and am involved in some volunteer projects as well. I am always looking for top-quality tools that make my craft easier and so far this is one of them. This is truly a quality slicer and while I haven’t owned it that long, I have already made thousands of cuts on Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Gouda, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Gruyère, SarVecchio, etc. I highly recommend this product and this company!!!" —Rick Rocker
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in three finishes).
31. A lightweight, two-button kitchen scale if you take your baking seriously. Reviewers — chefs and at-home cooks alike — love its no-nonsense operation and auto shut-off feature which conserves battery.
Promising review: "Easy to use. Small for easy storage, doesn’t use a lot of counter space. Brightly colored so it’s quick to find if stored in a cupboard or drawer! I’m a semi-retired chef, so us cooks need a reliable scale that’s cost-effective and rugged. This scale covers all of those bases." —HeadHitter
Get it from Amazon for $25.26+ (available in nine colors).
32. And a measuring cup made specifically for semi-solid ingredients like peanut butter, honey, shortening, and brown sugar. This way, you'll get every last bit into your bowl instead of all over your fingers.
I have one of these and I love it SO much. It makes measuring PB particularly easy and once it's all in there, you just push the bottom up and everything comes out. This way, I don't have to use three spoons and a spatula to measure a single ingredient. It can measure regular wet and dry ingredients, too, but it really comes in clutch for the sticky stuff.
Promising review: "Saw Alton Brown using one of these to make peanut butter cookies and I had to have one. I've used it for PB, coconut oil, and sour cream so far, and it's great. Pop it apart and throw it in the dishwasher. No more scooping gooey ingredients into a measuring cup and then scooping them back out; just scoop them in and pop them out, scape with your spatula and it's done. Love it." —Laura Marks
Get it from Amazon for $14.32.
Reviews in this post have been edited for length and/or clarity.