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1. An itty bitty knife sharpener, because nothing says "IDK how to cook" like smushing your veggies and dangerously sawing through hard fruits and meat with a dull knife.
2. A Lodge cast-iron skillet for achieving a delicious sear and crust you won't get on a regular nonstick skillet...so stop trying. If you don't want to look like a total noob, don't cook all your food in the same pan; different ingredients and recipes call for different equipment and techniques.
3. A versatile Always Pan from Our Place that'll get the job done and look good while doing it. In the same way that you should use a cast-iron for certain foods, other recipes will call for a classic nonstick skillet — so make sure you have one. (This also has the added benefit of a steamer basket, a built-in easy-pour spout, and a nesting spatula.)
4. A meat tenderizer to make your $10 steak taste like it cost 10 times that. It's a simple step that can make your meat so much more satisfying, so you're really missing out if you don't own a tenderizer!
5. A 3-in-1 burger press if you're firing up the grill this summer with — gasp! — regular burger patties. Sure, you can make boring hamburgers or you could bite into a cheesy stuffed burger. Don't make your tastebuds miss out because you didn't know this existed. (Pssst! You can even use it to make sliders!)
6. A Yonanas fruit soft-serve maker so you can magically transform frozen fruit into the dreamiest dessert. Reviewers swear it has the texture of ice cream or sorbet. And it's great for folks who have dietary restrictions.
Promising review: "I saw one of these in action at a friends house like five years ago and thought it was just a made up memory, because making ice cream out of solely frozen fruit seems wild. But when I saw a TikTok about it I immediately went to Amazon and bought it. Literally this was the BEST decision of my life. I cannot believe still how amazing this thing is! It makes the creamiest, best tasting fruit ice cream ever. It’s easy to take apart and clean, and super easy to use." —DMCKAY
Get it from Amazon for $40.84+ (available in five colors).
7. An air fryer because it'll satisfy your love of crunchy, fried foods but do it without all the grease. You can make all your restaurant faves — like chicken wings, crispy breaded eggplant, charred veggies, and even donuts — with this magical appliance. It's even great for reheating foods that usually get soggy in the microwave, like pizza!
8. And a set of magnetic air fryer cheat sheets for ensuring your foods emerge perfectly cooked instead of still raw or burned to a crisp because you guesstimated the cook time.
9. A veggie dicer that'll uniformly chop your veggies so you don't ruin a recipe because you messily hand-chopped your onion and the smaller pieces burned while the larger pieces are undercooked.
10. Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Seasoning to sprinkle on everything, and I mean everything. It's great dusted on top of avocado toast, eggs, bagels, chicken, fish, veggies, and the list goes on.
11. And speaking of Trader Joe's, their Everything But The Elote Seasoning if you want to add the flavor of Mexican street corn to your favorite foods. This flavorful mixture of salt, chili pepper, cheese, chipotle, and cumin makes plain corn a treat, but it's also a tasty topping on popcorn, veggies, meat, eggs, and nuts — and that list barely scratches the surface.
12. A 7-in-1 Instant Pot so you can actually eat dinner in a timely manner. It tenderizes frozen meat in minutes and makes mouthwatering stews in under an hour so you don't have to subsist on pasta when you come home late and can't be bothered to cook a real meal.
13. The ~Guac-Lock~ because no one wants to top their tacos with brown, sad-looking guac! This container pushes out the air that causes your avos to oxidize so you can enjoy guac and mashed avocados for toast for days without browning.
14. And a dishwasher-safe OXO avocado slicer for anyone who believes avocados are an integral component of every meal — including desert. Cook safely with this handy tool and prevent avocado hand (a real thing, y'all!).
15. A jar of Za'atar, a deliciously complex Middle Eastern spice blend that'll probably be gone before you know it — that's how good it is. This specific mix is made with thyme, toasted sesame seeds, and sumac, and will make a mouthwatering addition to meats, bread, olive oil, yogurt, and more.
16. A perfect egg timer to ensure that every egg you make from here on out is your preferred level of "doneness." (No more rock hard yolks when you dream of a runny center.) The face on the timer will change colors to indicate how cooked your egg is, removing any guesswork. Medium-boiled egg of my dreams, I'm coming for ya!
17. A garlic press if the hassle of chopping garlic has put you off this tangy bulb vegetable. There aren't many dishes that won't benefit from the addition of garlic and this press removes all the inconveniences of mincing it so you really have no excuse to *not* toss some garlic into the pan. Your tastebuds will thank you!
18. A digital food thermometer because you've hacked that poor piece of chicken so many times trying to see if it's still pink inside that you basically now have chicken nuggets. This will also give you peace of mind that you're not accidentally serving your family undercooked meat that could make them sick.
Promising review: "This digital meat thermometer is the best I've ever had. I own others, but they are either too bulky to fit in the drawer or too hard to read. This one is small and lightweight; it's easy to pull out the probe and very easy to read the temperature. I purchased several as stocking stuffers for Christmas. They make a gift that will be appreciated for its size and ease of use, but most importantly, it will be a gift that gets used instead of put away in the closet." —Kat29
Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in three colors).
19. A Victorinox 8-inch chef's knife for the person who owns one knife. A properly stocked kitchen needs different kinds of knives for different kinds of cuts, just like you need different kinds of cookware. This classic blade will help slice and dice like a pro and can last you years with proper care.
20. A variety pack of microwaveable A Dozen Cousins ready-to-eat seasoned beans that'll prove once and for all that there's a better option than a sad frozen, flavorless burrito for dinner. Or, use them to zhuzh up leftovers so you can finally clear some fridge space.
21. A tangy garlic sauce from EssieSpice to breathe new life into your leftovers. It's also a delicious addition to poultry, fish, soups, eggs, and even pizza, and it requires zero prep.
22. An enameled cast-iron Dutch oven if one of your 2022 resolutions was to cook more. *slaps Dutch oven* This bad boy can cook you practically anything you want. Bread? Done. Stews? Done. An entire bird? Done. Braised meats and veggies? Done! Seriously, please stop asking.
23. A brown sugar bear so your baking plans aren't derailed by rock hard sugar. This will keep brown sugar moist for three to six months so you never have to put your cakes, pies, crumbles, muffins, or cobblers on hold.
Promising review: "After multiple containers for my brown sugar and continuously throwing my brown sugar away due to giant hard lumps... I began to wonder why our brown sugar never lumped as a child... And that's when I remembered a weird brown bear in our sugar... After a quick Google search I found this! I soaked it in water for 30 minutes and then added to my lumpy brown sugar... Two days later there is not a single lump in my sugar! Yay!" —Sneezeloaf
Get two from Amazon for $5.59.
24. A magnetic kitchen measurement chart because sometimes that recipe calls for 250 grams of flour and you're just like...speak American, please...
25. A pack of reusable toaster bags for anyone who dirties every pan in the kitchen when they crave a grilled cheese at midnight. Now you can make your ooey gooey sandwich in the toaster instead of creating a pile of dishes you know you won't get to until the morning...if then.
26. A set of magnetic measuring spoons that'll ensure you're really adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt instead of trying to fill half of the 1/2 teaspoon and hoping you got close enough.
You, a bona fide chef, after reading this post:
