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1. A ~beary~ adorable stainless-steel grater to add some amusement to the not-so-fun task of grating vegetables.
2. An ~axe-cellent~ pizza cutter if your idea of fun is pretending you're Jack Torrance while maniacally cutting pizza. Fun means many things to many different people, OK?
3. A sushi-making kit because you've always said you wanted to learn to roll it at home. This kit comes with everything you need (minus the rice, fish, and add-ins), and reviewers say it's easy to learn, even for first-time sushi chefs.
4. A variety pack of A Dozen Cousins ready-to-eat seasoned beans for those nights when you need a quick, easy meal. Having a delicious hot dinner in 60 seconds = fun. Having to dirty a cutting board, multiple pans, and a plate = not fun.
5. A crab spoon holder that'll keep you company and make you smile. Why? Because your sauce spoon is dripping into the pot and not all over your counter.
6. A vampire-shaped garlic press so your hands don't reek for the next three days. Just twist the Count's head to crush the garlic — easy peasy garlic squeezy. Be careful not to have too much fun with this or you'll end up crushing more garlic than you need...which is not a bad problem to have tbh.
7. A pair of glowing light saber chopsticks to ~force~ yourself to join the fun side. How can you not smile while waging an epic war between your chopsticks skills and the speed at which you can bring that soy sauce-drenched spicy tuna roll to your mouth before it breaks apart.
8. A tabletop barbecue if you miss the fun (and taste!) of grilling a big hunk of meat and veggies. Bring the flavors inside with this genius portable grill!
9. A mini waffle maker because heart-shaped waffles taste better than regular waffles. (It's a well-known fact!) Plus this lil' gadget weighs less than a pound, heats up in minutes, and also works with chaffles (low-carb cheese and egg waffles), paninis, hash browns, and even biscuit pizzas.
10. A ~rawr-some~ dinosaur-shaped silicone pancake mold for impressing the littlest ones in your home. If your kiddo isn't usually interested in your food, offering them the chance to scarf down an edible dinosaur might add some joy to their meals.
11. Or a pancake batter mixer that'll allow you to whip up hotcakes in whatever fun shape you desire (and your art skills allow for). Just add your wet and dry ingredients to the bottle and give it a good shake. There's a blender ball inside to ensure everything gets mixed.
12. A sampler of mixers from Avec so you can enhance the flavor of your favorite alcohol (or nonalcoholic alcohol!) with fancy fusions like hibiscus and pomegranate, and yuzu and lime. Not me happy dancing while I sip my delicious homemade cocktail while feeling like a licensed bartender and thinking about all the times I spent $20 on an overpriced cocktail at a bar and hated it.
13. Or a tequila-infusing kit to jazz up Taco Tuesday with a restaurant-quality cocktail. Each pouch contains dehydrated fruits, herbs, spices, and veggies that inject your alcohol with a delicious and spicy blend of flavor.
14. A Home Chef subscription if you used to enjoy cooking but hated having to pick out recipes and shop for ingredients. Well you're in luck! Select your favorite recipes for the week from Home Chef's menu and they'll send you everything you need (including pre-portioned ingredients) so you can actually enjoy the time you spend in the kitchen. They also offer ready-made meals in case you just don't have the time, energy, or inclination to cook.
15. An everything seasoning mix because sprinkling anything with a hefty pinch of salt, garlic, and onion is enough to get my tastebuds all excited.
16. A bubble tea kit for anyone who would voluntarily live on boba (it me!). Your milk tea will be ready in just one minute, and it's a heck of a lot more fun to drink than a boring tea without boba.
17. A very honest oven mitt that'll put a smile on your face as you insert a plate full of frozen pizza rolls into the microwave. On top of that, they'll do the very important task of preventing you from singeing your fingers when you remove said pizza rolls from the microwave (although the same can't be said about your tongue when hot cheese and sauce erupts in your mouth!).
18. An indoor s'mores maker so the whole family can enjoy this campfire treat without actually having to go outside in the cold and chop wood or burning the house down with an open flame.
19. A panini press to invite your tastebuds to the hot sandwich party. Achieve perfect grill marks and a delicious char on your sandwiches, burritos, and quesadillas. And the top plate locks so you can also toast your pizza, open-faced sammies, and even bruschetta.
20. A hilarious half-eaten cookie cutter if you enjoy baking *and* practical jokes.
21. A Nessie ladle because I'm having trouble ~finding~ a reason you don't need it. Cute kitchen tools will no doubt make cooking more fun.
22. A watermelon keg kit for anyone with a very loose definition of "cooking." Remove the fruit guts, chill 'em with your favorite alcohol (or nonalcoholic mixer), and pour the liquid back into the watermelon to enjoy an icy summery drink.
23. A miniature baking set that'll remind you of all the fun you had as a kid with your Easy-Bake Oven.
24. A pair of meat shredder claws so you can play with your food before you eat it.
25. A veggie spiralizer to make eating veggies *gasp* fun. In addition to zucchini, you can spiralize carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, turnips, celeriac, and more.
26. A breakfast sandwich maker if you're feeling a ~lil'~ brekkie for dinner or looking to save money on your daily BECs. You'll have fun figuring out all the delicious combinations you can add to your bagel. (Pro tip — I recently discovered the magicalness that is a BEC with a latke and I s2g it'll change your life.)
27. An infusion machine because it would be a blast to pretend to be an evil scientist while infusing butter, oil, honey, glycerin (for soap), and more with all sorts of goodies, like herbs, flowers, and maybe some THC for the adults.
28. A dishwasher-safe OXO avocado slicer for anyone who's experienced the frustration of trying to cleanly pit and slice an avocado and ending up with a pile of edible green mush when things don't go according to plan. This contraption slits, pits, and slices your avo so each sliver comes out smoothly. So satisfying!
Me forcing us all to have fun in the kitchen:
