The time has finally come to revamp your kitchen tool collection. Perhaps you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to cook at home more and eat healthier food. Maybe your budget has gotten tight from eating out too much. Or it could be your knives have gotten so dull they couldn’t cut through snow, never mind a pork chop.
Whatever the reason, you’ll want the best kitchen gadgets and tools at your disposal. The folks at Miles Kimball have put together the list of our 10 favorite kitchen tools for food prep that are practical, affordable and easy to use. Cooking a meal in your own home doesn’t have to be a hassle — and with these useful kitchen tools at your disposal, it might even be fun! These unique finds and many others can be ordered through our online store, so start your journey towards high-quality home cooking today.
1. Rubber Spatulas
A rubber spatula is one of the best kitchen tools for food prep you can own. They can be used for scooping batter from a mixing bowl, flipping a burger on the stove, spreading mayonnaise on bread and so much more. We recommend having three different sizes in your drawer or stoneware crock to fit various containers or foods
2. Kitchen Shears
Scissors aren’t just for arts and crafts. Shears are another kitchen gadget you need. Uses include opening food packages, removing fat chucks from meat, cutting herbs and trimming aluminum foil or parchment paper to fit a pan. These heavy-duty kitchen scissors are safer than knives for these tasks to prevent injury.
3. A Good Knife Set
You don’t need your kitchen to look like a butcher shop. However, you’ll at need at least a few good ones. A 6-piece knife block set will have all the essentials for carving, slicing and pairing, and a steak knife set is perfect for the table. You’ll want a knife sharpener as well to keep them working their best. We also recommend a large plastic knife for slicing through brownies, lasagna and other softer foods without scratching the pan.
4. Food Grater
Try it and see: home-grated cheese tastes way better than bagged store-grated cheese. A grater is also a must for shredding vegetables and will help you add that “zest” of citrus you thought only existed in high-end restaurant. Whether it’s a simple one-side microplane grater or a four-sided stainless steel grater, they’ll save you plenty of time and elbow grease.
5. Electric Mini Food Chopper
Tired of manually cutting every single piece of food? An electric mini chopper does the hard work for you. Add meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts and anything else you can think of, then chop them as large or fine as you want for a salad, stew or stir-fry. These gadgets mix and dice as well, so you can make salsa, guacamole and other dips in your kitchen.
6. Bamboo Cutting Boards
Whether your beautiful kitchen counters are made of hardwood, marble or granite, you’ll want to protect them from scratches. While cutting boards can be made of many different materials, we like the bamboo cutting board the most. They’re heavy enough to stay balanced on a table, light enough to move and clean with ease and strong enough to withstand constant pounding and slicing. These renewable resource boards look amazing, too!
7. Burger Press
Anyone who loves a good burger can create their own with a burger press or hamburger maker set. Both of these useful kitchen tools allow grill-masters to make perfectly-shaped hamburgers, turkey burgers and sausage patties at any thickness. You can then toss them on the grill, store them in the refrigerator/freezer or put them in the cooler for a camping trip. They’re not just for meat-eaters, either — vegetarians can make black bean burgers or tofu burgers just as easily.
8. Large Colander
A colander is another useful kitchen gadget that you can use practically every day. Set your stainless steel mesh colander or plastic colander in the sink to rinse vegetables, fruits and meats. They’re also a safe way to drain pasta and other boiled foods after cooking to reduce the risk of burns or water spills.
9. A Spiral Slicer or Spiralizer
A spiralizer set might seem like one of those weird made-for-TV gadgets that doesn’t have much use in a real kitchen. But as soon as you use one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t sooner! Among other things, this cool kitchen tool can be used to easily make homemade pasta noodles, veggie pasta, French fries and salads. You can spiralizer many other fruits and vegetables as well for dipping, party snack plates or to make them easier for kids to eat.
10. Juicer
If you own a citrus juicer, you can enjoy fresh-squeezed juice in your own home with almost no effort. Make a glass of orange juice that tastes great and doesn’t have the added sugar and preservatives of store-bought juice. Add fresh lemon and lime juice to recipes or make your own lemonade and limeade instead of using powdered mixes. An electric juicer can also be used for vegetables, letting you create unique summertime drinks!
