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We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
A mess-free waffle maker with a built-in drip tray? Give your kitchen what it wants.
"My water boiler! Less embarrassing than being a basic American and microwaving your water, and quicker than a stove-top kettle. It was super cheap and will boil my water in two minutes! I use it for tea, instant mashed potatoes, mac 'n' cheese, etc." —jessieweickert
"Electric kettle. I am a tea snob so I have one that can heat to different temperatures, but even a simple one that can just boil a lot of water real fast. Immensely helpful." —liza49b085700
Get it from Amazon for $20.99.
"Foodi Ninja Grill. Great for living in an apartment!" —t4f5eaf74c
Promising review: "This is now my favorite thing in the kitchen. I literally cook here everyday. From my morning crispy bacon to homemade fried chicken for dinner. We also already tried fries and grilling burger. I still need to figure out few things on how to use it but I am definitely loving it so far." —Felicity
Get it from Amazon for $228.95.
"Le Creuset Dutch oven. I cook everything from soup, spaghetti, short ribs, to making my own chicken stock and broth. It’s versatile and will probably outlast you. Worth every penny." —emilyprestridgem
Get it on sale from Sur La Table for $249.96 (originally $379.95; available in nine colors).
"I love waffles but there’s so much more you can use a waffle iron for. I’ve made paninis, quesadillas, grilled cheese, cake, brownies, fritters. The best is cinnamon rolls. You can cook them in half the time and the indentations from the iron keep the icing from falling onto the plate. I use mine multiple times a week." —aestainback
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in three colors).
"My bamboo steamer. Such a cheap little thing to add to your kitchen collection that is so underrated. Homemade dumplings, bao buns, and perfectly steamed veggies!" —sophiascissorhands
Get it from Amazon for $25.50.
"Food processor, food processor, food processor. I had been putting off buying one since they are typically expensive and thought that since I hadn't needed one to date I obviously didn't need it now, but I was completely wrong. The thing is life changing, I´ve been using it non-stop. I also started baking since quarantine and it's been a BIG help, from finely chopping pecans, to making bread dough, home made almond flour, home made peanut butter, ice cream, purees, salsas, you name it. It has definitely helped cut down on prep time for many of my recipes. Also worth noting that food processor I bought was a Ninja Master Prep, and it was absolutely worth it." —pandapotatoe
Get it from Amazon for $78.99.
This baby steams, slow cooks, makes rice, sautes, and even make yogurt and cake. *Heavy breathing,* it's like having a sous chef on deck at all times.
"The Instant Pot! I hesitated buying one because I wasn’t sure I would like it, but I love it. I use it all the time. It is so easy and convenient." —t4c9918718
Promising review: "I love this thing. This is really versatile and easy to use. It comes with a little rack and really streamlines dinner. Meats that benefit from slow cooking really shine in this thing. The time savings is pretty ridiculous. I did a three-pound pork shoulder for a pozole last night. 30 minutes cooking and 15 minutes of natural pressure release, and it was fantastically moist, and filled with all the flavors I'd stuck in the cooking liquid." —Jennifer Guerrero
Get it from Amazon for $59.99+ (available in four sizes).
"I know everyone says Instant Pot, but if you are going to spend the money, spend a little more and get the Ninja Foodi. One appliance that pressure cooks, air fries, dehydrates, and more. You save in the long run not having to buy multiple appliances or accessories, and you save counter/cabinet space by only having that one appliance. I bought the Instant Pot first, and now only use the Foodi." —jenaer2
Get it from Amazon for $149.99+ (available in three sizes).
"The avocado tool from OXO. I was always so afraid I was going to slip and slice my hand trying to get the pit out, but this tools makes it so easy! The top part is a knife to cut the avocado and the bottom helps to scoop out the avocado into nice slices. Even my mom who is totally against kitchen gadgets with only one purpose loves this tool!" —kg73
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
"A microwaveable pasta maker. It even has serving sizes on the lid and comes with a handy cook guide. Fast meals, less dishes, and easy cooking. 10/10 would buy again." —amylynnm433301477
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
"George Foreman countertop grill — the perfect size to cook burgers for our small family, and it comes with a grease catcher for cooking greasier foods! We use it for anything from burgers, to quesadillas, to paninis." —gerrylunamaggie
Get it from Amazon for $24.96 (also available in silver).
"My salad spinner! I use it for store-bought lettuce, and for lettuce I pick from my garden. It's easy to use, and gets all the dirt and gunk off the leaves. Plus it leaves them nice and dry so whatever dressing I use actually sticks to it. I wanted one for years, and finally bought it and am so glad that I did!" —amandarst
"A salad spinner! I always thought they were a gimmicky uni-tasker, but I finally got sick enough of gritty spinach to order one. I have saved so much time and reduced waste. I don't have to use mounds of paper towel to dry off leafy greens, or throw them out in a couple of days because they are soggy and rotten. Best part is, it wasn't even a splurge at $20. Bonus, it is pretty fun to use...like a gravitron for lettuce! Totally recommend for anyone who hates soggy greens! —jlkellbach
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
"I love fresh garlic but I HATE chopping it! I got this little vampire garlic crushed to do the job for me and he looks super cute sitting on my stove when not in use!" —mandy_mercury33
Get it from Amazon for $17.20.
"A NY Times cooking subscription. It’s only $5 a month and there are so many good recipes! "—342daydream
I also use the NY Times cooking app, and it's 100% worth the $5 a month. Just last night I was looking for an easy dinner I could whip up, and the filters made it so stupidly simple to find what I was looking for. Thirty minutes later I had perfectly cooked salmon!
Get the NYT Cooking app on the Apple Store or Google Play for $5/month.
*Omeletting is not a word, at least to my knowledge, but yes! This thing can also help you make foolproof omelets. It can also boil up to six eggs and poach up to two.
"My Dash egg cooker. I love that I can put eggs in it and go do something else, and it turns itself off automatically. I also love that it perfectly cooks poached eggs and boiled eggs, two things I love but was terrible at making before. The other day I put diced sweet potatoes in my air fryer and eggs to poach in my Dash cooker and got ready for work. Then I had a healthy breakfast waiting for me that I didn't have to babysit while it cooked." —sarahs402d05f80
Get it from Amazon for 17.97+ (available in five colors).
"My air fryer; it's replaced so many things I use in my kitchen, from oven to toaster to microwave. Everything tastes better cooked in the air fryer! It's made reheated pizza a joy (possibly better than fresh)." —sarahs402d05f80
Promising review: "Great machine for busy family. It's easy to use and cooks fast. It only takes ~five minutes to pre-heat and another ~20 minutes to cook 2 pounds of meat. We stopped using the large oven just for small batches of fries, cheese sticks, veggies, and such. It also provides cooking book and recipe manual to help you set up the right temperature and cooking time. It's also easy to clean; the interior components can be easily taken apart to wash. Love it." —Li
Get it from Amazon for $89.99.
"This fun little food mincer/chopper from Amazon that works kinda like the Beyblade slingshot toys from years ago. You pull the green lever and the blades inside activate to chop/mince the food. —viamarier
"My boyfriend and I live in a condo, so needless to say our storage space is on the smaller side. One of the best kitchen devices I own is a hand pull food chopper from Amazon. This thing is awesome. It's the perfect size for our small space, as we don't need more than a two person serving. It's so fun to use and I never cry when I need to dice onions!" —crazycookie350
Get it from Amazon for $20.58.
"A pineapple corer. I love pineapple but cutting them up is a pain. I have MS and my hands have tremors so knife work is difficult. The corer manages to cut a pineapple up in a few seconds. Generally I'm against buying a kitchen utensil that only has one purpose but the pineapple corer is the exception. It cuts the pineapple into a giant spiral and you can easily slice into smaller pieces." —tuffylrue
Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in three colors).
"Fire extinguisher. Everyone should have at least one in their house, especially the kitchen." —kbozymow7
Promising review: "My son was cooking bacon in the oven and as he was removing the tray a large amount of grease spilled, a moment later the oven was in flames. We didn't panic, my daughter reached under the sink for the can and put out the flames in less than a minute. I honestly don't know what I would have done to put out a grease fire without it. Now I'm on a mission to make sure all my friends and neighbors have this in their kitchen. I feel like we could have lost everything in our home. I'm so grateful for this product." —Justine Grayson
Get it from Amazon for $12.77.