31 Gadgets And Recipes Everyone Who Loves To Cook Needs ASAP

Useful products, delicious recipes, and not a spiralizer in sight! Promise. The products in this post were updated in April 2018.

Zoë Burnett / BuzzFeed

1. Set and (almost) forget a fluffy cinnamon pancake in a rice cooker.

amazon.com, Tasty / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

This cinnamon roll-ish pancake perks up perfectly in this unassuming small appliance.

Promising Review: "The Aroma rice cooker is an excellent kitchen tool. Operation is fairly straightforward and provides excellent rice. One thing to watch out for is when steaming vegetables along with the rice will usually be done in about 12 minutes, however that is not the case if steaming vegetables by themselves. The rice will attenuate the steam and if you steam vegetables by themselves, the time required is less than half that time. Precise timing of the cooker is what will yield crispy vegetables and fluffy rice." —Joseph J. Cavazos

Get the recipe from Tasty and the rice cooker from Amazon for $29.92.

And if you're into making another worthwhile investment, check out our top picks for the best blenders on BuzzFeed Reviews.

2. Hate trying to fish out sherbet scoops from party punch?Portion out the perfect amount for each serving in cupcake liners and baking sheets and stick them in the freezer for big-batch raspberry party punch.

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed, natashaskitchen.com

You get a scoop of sherbet! And you get a scoop of sherbet! H/T to Alyse Whitney for this genius idea.

Promising Review: "These tins are deep, well separated, and (though I always use papers) nonstick. These clean very easily and, I expect, with good care, will last a long time." —Fly Boy

Get the recipe from Natasha's Kitchen, and 300 cupcake liners from Amazon for $7.57 and a 12-cup muffin tin for $8.38.

3. Make this life-changing beef stew in an Instant Pot once and you'll never go back.

amazon.com, pinchofyum.com

The Instant Pot is a total game changer in the kitchen, as one BuzzFeeder discovered. This recipe is no exception to that rule.

Promising Review: "All I can say is how DID I NOT buy one sooner?!?! It's like the TiVo or smart phone. Once you've tried them you wonder how you've lived without! I basically cooked a beef stew in 30 minutes! Can't beat that!" —Angie Amazon Addict

Get the recipe from Pinch of Yum and the Instant Pot from Amazon for $79.99+ (available in three sizes).

4. Make your body and kitchen sink happy by whipping up a one-skillet chicken pot pie in a preseasoned cast-iron skillet.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

One-pot dishes are the absolute best, and you'll never run out of uses for a cast-iron skillet.

Promising Review: "This pan is the bomb! I've acquired a lot of Lodge stuff (it's cheap, after all), but this is the one I use constantly. I live alone and cook mostly for myself, so it's a bit large for some of my cooking; and if I cooked for a family of four, it might be too small; but this is the one that lives on my stovetop. Get the GC12 glass lid, too. You'll need it." —NomDePlume

Get the recipe from Tasty and the cast-iron skillet from Amazon for $14.88.

And check out our top picks for the best cast iron skillets on BuzzFeed Reviews.

5. Prep noodles more efficiently for adorable ramen muffins with a BPA-free rapid ramen cooker.

buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

Pop this in the microwave to get evenly boiled noodles.

Promising Review: "This thing is not junk...very sturdy and probably will last a long time." —yophan89

Get the recipe from Tasty and the ramen cooker from Amazon for $8.51.

6. Impress your taste buds — without fishing out eggshells — by using an egg separator to make these tiramisu mille-crepes.

buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

Less time spent tediously cracking eggs and more time shoveling these crepes in your mouth.

Promising Review: "90% of the time, the egg whites strain through the three slits and the yolk stays cradled in the middle. That's as good as it's going to get for any egg separator. It's held in place on the rim of the bowl and has a nice edge to crack the egg on. It's the best one I've used. I bought three of them because I separate eggs every day and like having a clean one while I do the dishes with the other ones." —Dan

Get the recipe from Tasty and the egg separator from Amazon for $4.99.

7. Let this little garlic chopper do the smelly mincing for you so you're one step closer to this glorious cheesy garlic bread meatball ring.

buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

If your hands are going to smell like garlic, it should be from eating, not food prep.

Promising Review: "I bought a garlic press and the holes were too small. All it did was mash the garlic. In desperation I bought this thinking that at least it would amuse me. It is wonderful. It chops the garlic perfectly. If you want it coarse, just roll it a little. If you want it finer, just keep rolling a little more. It is easy to use and clean. Wish I had this years ago." —Yankee Lady

Get the recipe from Tasty and the garlic mincer from Amazon for $8.95.

8. Slice up some spuds for garlic Parmesan potato stackers with this handy vegetable slicer.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

This mandoline slicer comes with six interchangeable blades that'll come in handy for prepping basically any dish.

Promising Review: "One swift press and you get chopped onions, carrots, whatever you want. Plus, there is a blade for cutting potato fries. Trust me, these blades are sharp! When I first got it, I went to wash it and cut myself. But I just love it. Just rinse it out real quick and put away and it is ready next time you want to cut something quickly. This is one item you WILL use, not just store away in the cupboard!" —Amazon Customer

Get the recipe from Tasty and the 7-in-1 slicing set from Amazon for $16.99.

9. Devein shrimp for a one-pot tomato garlic shrimp pasta with this tiny shrimp cleaner.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

You'll want to start putting shrimp in everything after you've mastered deveining with this.

Promising Review: "I used to work at Red Lobster and peeled and deveined LOTS of shrimp, and this style is the best I’ve used. After using a lot of other deveiners, this is the only one I found that cuts through the shell, cleans out the vein, works quickly, and doesn’t create any waste. I had one of these for years and somehow lost it. I had to look hard to find this style of peeler/deveiner but wouldn’t settle for any other kind." —MerryDJ

Get the recipe from Tasty and the shrimp cleaner from Amazon for $6.99.

10. Scape the bowl with these silicone spatulas so every last drop of the batter for this chocolate fudge ice cream cake gets used...in your mouth.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

They're good for things that aren't dessert, too.

Promising Review: "Long-lasting, unless you accidentally melt the handle (like I did). Silicone doesn't chip along the edges the way the rubber spatulas can. The small spatula reaches into cans and jars, the middle one is flexible for cleaning batter from the sides of mixing bowls, and the large one is firm enough for combining ingredients. I use at least a couple of them every day, and they go from stovetop to dishwasher without a problem. Indispensable." —LadyGregory

Get the recipe from Tasty and the spatula set from Amazon for $10.87.

11. Make quick work of guacamole deviled eggs with a rapid egg cooker.

buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

Avoid minding your eggs at the stove with this multifunctional egg cooker you'll use over and over and over again.

Promising Review: "I LOVE THIS EGG COOKER for lots of reasons. I set it up for the eggs I want, add the level of the water for soft, medium, or hard eggs — now get this — turn on the machine and WALK AWAY. I can go get ready for work and my eggs are ready for me in seven minutes or less. There is no worry about the cooker causing a problem overheating, because it turns off by itself." —Julie Wolfe

Get the recipe from Tasty and the egg cooker from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four colors).

12. Thaw out the main attraction of French pepper steak (steak au poivre) with a defrosting tray.

Jordan Kenna / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

Stick to your dinner plans — even if you're forgetful AF — with this simple little tray.

Promising Review: "I don't like using the microwave to thaw my food as it sometimes starts to cook the edges. This product defrosts the food in about 2 hours and it's ready to cook. I have used it many times and gave one to my friend who also likes it." —maryg

Get the recipe from Tasty and the steak defroster from Amazon for $13.99.

13. Squirt out the right dose of batter for pancake cups with this batter mixer/dispenser.

Tasty / BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

The squeezable dispenser means that no drop of batter goes to waste.

Promising Review: "Does great job of mixing batter and is mess free when pouring batter into pan. Rate of batter deposited into pan is easy to control, which also allows you to make exactly the desired size of pancake. Really like ease of cleaning. Being able to store any excess batter in fridge is definite plus." —Amazon Customer

Get the recipe from Tasty and the batter mixer from Amazon for $13.47.

14. Cut the perfect slices of chicken Alfredo pizza with this handsome pizza cutter.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

Half — OK maybe like a tenth — of the fun will be cutting the pizza before you even eat it.

Promising Review: "I used to use scissors to cut my freezer pizzas when they came out of the toaster oven and I felt like a total loser in the kitchen. But thanks to this bad-ass pizza cutter, I'm now a classy chef." —Al

Get the recipe from Tasty and the pizza cutter from Amazon for $6.99+.

15. One-up your next Netflix binge with this hot-air popcorn maker and a scrumptious sour cream and onion popcorn recipe.

shutterbean.com, amazon.com

This nostalgic popcorn maker minds your snack while you argue with your S.O. about what you're going to watch.

Promising Review: "Best popcorn maker I ever had. The first few times I had no un-popped kernels. It does depend on how much you want, though. If I want a small batch of popcorn then I will have many un-popped kernels. I think it has something to do with the weight, but if you pop a lot it works great." —volleyx91

Get the recipe from Shutter Bean and the popcorn maker from Amazon for $14.87.

Check out 17 more popcorn recipes for your next Netflix marathon.

16. Indulge and get your veggie servings in by dismantling a head with this cauliflower prep tool and transforming it into some mouthwatering cauliflower tots.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

This tool easily gets into the nooks and crannies that a regular kitchen knife safely can't.

Promising Review: "This is so worth your money. I love cauliflower but hate the mess I always make when I fix it. This stops all of that. Fast, easy, and no mess. Amazing!" —ron.smith

Get the recipe from Tasty and the cauliflower prep tool from Amazon for $5.97.

17. Slay Lawrence Page's mac 'n' cheese with a top-quality cheese grater.

buzzfeed.com, walmart.com

Sure, you can find most cheeses pre-shredded in a bag, but you'll most likely have to transform a hunk of smoked Gouda with a grater.

Promising Review: "Works a lot better than I had expected. I previously had a KitchenAid zester that didn't work at all so I purchased this one. I'm very impressed with the quality and sharpness of it...watch out for your fingers though! Washes very easily and comes with a convenient cover. Tested it out with zesting a lime and grating Parmesan cheese. Passed with flying colors." —Kyle & Rachael

Get the recipe from Tasty and the cheese grater from Tasty's collection at Walmart for $8.97 (available in four colors).

18. Whip up some delish Italian pasta salad even faster with this microwave pasta cooker.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

Prep the rest of your recipe while you get perfect al dente pasta in the microwave...without having to worry about the water boiling over.

Promising Review: "I use less salt than I normally would when I cook pasta in the Fasta Pasta. Don't get me wrong, I salt my pasta like the sea when I cook it in a bunch of boiling water, but because there's less water to work with in the Fasta Pasta, I have to use less salt." —Kate Slater

Get the recipe from Tasty and the pasta cooker from Amazon for $14.99.

19. Win your own private version of Chopped by using this handy herb stripper to cook a garlic and herb-marinated rack of lamb.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

Tackle this bragworthy recipe in record time thanks to this tiny tool.

Promising Review: "It's so useful if you love using fresh herbs. I use a ton of rosemary from my garden and usually I would have to pick the tiny leaves off bit by bit. It's so easy and I could not believe how clean the stem was after I pulled it through. This a big time saver for me!" —April Gant

Get the recipe from Tasty and the herb stripper from Amazon for $7.95.

20. Treat yo' self to an apple slab pie with considerably less work thanks to this apple slicer.

buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

Make chopping up the perfect-size pieces of apple more manageable by slicing and coring it first.

Promising Review: "It makes baking apples so easy because I can get the core cleared for all the seasoning. And the slices, they're perfect. The blades are sharp and do the work easily." —SarahD

Get the recipe from Tasty and the apple slicer from Amazon for $10.95.

21. Mix up the sweet garlic lime sauce for these spring roll bowls with a salad dressing shaker that also stores and pours.

pinchofyum.com, amazon.com

Now you don't have to whisk dressings in a bowl and risk sloshing them all over the place.

Get the recipe from Pinch of Yum and the salad dressing shaker from Amazon for $14.95.

22. Juice the lemon for some garlic Parmesan-stuffed artichokes with this 2-in-1 juicer/container.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

It even stores the juice so you won't have to squeeze over a bowl.

Promising Review: "This has to be the best lemon juicer ever. The build quality is excellent given the price. It usually needs to be washed or poured after one lemon. The measuring cover and base are also very useful if you use lemon to cook something." —Harry

Get the recipe from Tasty and the juicer from Amazon for $6.75.

23. Toss together some avocado chickpea salad with ease thanks to this 3-in-1 avocado slicer.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

It's always a struggle with a regular old knife and an avocado, anyway.

Promising Review: "This is the best kitchen gizmo I've bought in a long time. We eat a lot of avocados in my house. (We get them by the bag at Costco.)" —M.B.

Get the recipe from Tasty and the slicer from Amazon for $9.99.

24. Get decadent with a waffle maker and this clever cookie waffle recipe.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

You're using your waffle maker wrong. Put it to work on all these yummy recipes, too.

Promising Review: "When I realized that I could buy this little waffle maker for the cost of three boxes of Eggo waffles, I ordered it. It makes great waffles, even if you do have to wait a bit. I had no problem getting my waffles crispy on the outside and tender on the inside." —WSDareMe

Get our recipe here and the waffle maker from Amazon for $17.88.

25. Gloat about fixing this healthy shrimp and asparagus stir fry on Instagram ~and~ make a Boomerang of the awesome food chopper you used to make it happen.

buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

Ditch the cutting board (and an extra dirty thing to wash) in favor of this handheld chopper.

Promising Review: "I absolutely love this new kitchen tool. I was able to cut 5 lbs. of carrots in less than two minutes without any mess! Such a smart idea!" —Mary Elizabeth S 115

Get the recipe from Goodful and the chopper from Amazon for $9.55.

And check out our top picks for the best chef's knives on BuzzFeed Reviews.

26. Make room for lots of steak fajita quesadilla fillings with this George Foreman quesadilla maker.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

No time wasted on perfecting the quesadilla flip or press with a spatula.

Promising Review: "It is way more versatile than just quesadillas. I also use it to create pocket snacks for breakfast with my coffee. One recipe is to put a 1/4-inch slice of cream cheese in each pocket area. Thinly slice an apple and distribute over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cook. I try to eat low sugar, but you might want to sprinkle some brown sugar, too.” —V. Brown

Get the recipe from Tasty and the quesadilla maker from Amazon for $23.99.

27. Create your own brick-oven-style pizza at home with this pizza stone that has a bajillion other uses.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

Anything that helps you make pizza is well worth the investment.

Promising Review: "If you're serious about making pizza, this is the only pan you'll ever need, regardless of technique. You can slap the dough down on a cold pan, top, bake, and you'll have a great soft pizza with a crispy crust. About the only pie it doesn't do is deep dish, but that's what your Lodge Frying Pan is for, and if you don't have one of those, you really need to take a long hard look at yourself and figure out what went wrong with your life." —monkeyrotica

Get the recipe from Tasty and the pizza stone from Amazon for $39.90.

28. Serve up brunch in bed by whipping up this Southwestern omelet in a microwavable omelet maker.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

We both know your microwave is basically your assistant anyway.

Promising Review: "I've made several egg white/egg substitute omelets, bulking it up with veggies. It worked perfectly! The entire piece is plastic. However, it is sturdier than I thought it would be. Cleanup is amazingly easy — even stuck-on eggs come off easily with soap and water." —CraftyReader

Get the recipe from Tasty and the omelet maker from Amazon for $7.19.

29. Style the perfect food photo shoot with this ravioli press and our homemade ricotta ravioli recipe.

buzzfeed.com, amazon.com

Use this with the rolling pin you already own instead of a specialty pasta roller. Each press makes a dozen 1.5”/4cm raviolis.

Promising Review: "All ravioli makers require practice and experimentation (and patience!) but I am very pleased with the manufacturing quality and the results I get. It produces wonderfully uniform ravioli and saves time, although no tool makes handmade ravioli a speedy endeavor, exactly." —Eric H.

Get the recipe from Tasty and the ravioli press from Amazon for $17.12.

30. Tear into some slow-cooker BBQ chicken with these handy meat-shredding claws.

amazon.com, buzzfeed.com

Yes, like a bear. But it's sooo much more efficient than doing the same with a fork and huge knife.

Promising Review: "We had a big BBQ party yesterday and used these for the first time to lift and shift the butt in the smoker and to manuver it in the carving pan. We used the Bear Claws to pull it and they also worked GREAT!" —Averie Nash

Get the recipe from Tasty and the shredder claws set (with a pair of cooking gloves and silicone baster) from Amazon for $17.95.

31. Transform your toaster into the hardest-working appliance in your kitchen with these toaster bags that make it easy to cook a gooey tomato-jam grilled cheese.

amazon.com, thekitchykitchen.com

They're also great for avoiding cross-contamination if someone in your household has food allergies.

Promising Review: "We had a small piece of leftover steak. I sliced it thin, took two slices of American rye bread (had to cut a half of an inch off so that it would fit in the toaster), put cilantro salad dressing and Norwegian cheese on each slice. Then I put the steak and fried onions on one slice, covered it with the other slice and put it in the toaster bag. Set the toaster to 5 (mid-setting on our toaster), put the bag in the ‘Single Slice’ slot and pushed down the lever. A few minutes later the bag popped up. I was surprised the bag could be handled without any gloves. The sandwich was nicely toasted and the cheese was melted. Some of the melted cheese was at the bottom of the bag. I reached in to see how messy it was going to clean up, but the melted cheese came out in one piece." —Tom in Pittsburgh

Get the recipe from The Kitchy Kitchen and a six-pack of toaster bags from Amazon for $10.99.

Time to eat!

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Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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