Kitchen Gadgets and Tools That Every Home Cook Should Have

There are millions of kitchen gadgets on the market right now, and today we are going to take a look at a few of my favorites.

Over the years as a chef, friends, and family have often gifted me random kitchen tools or gadgets intending to simplify my life in the kitchen. However, more often than not, I discovered that these "helpful" gadgets were either poorly constructed, didn't function as intended, or proved to be cumbersome and inefficient in actual use.

That's why today, I'm going to share with you the few kitchen gadgets I use, apart from knives, whisks, and spatulas. I'll break down how they function and explain why you should consider having them in your home kitchen.

1. Y Vegetable Peeler

The Y-shaped vegetable peeler, or potato peeler, is, in my opinion, the most comfortable and ergonomically friendly way to peel vegetables of all shapes and sizes, particularly potatoes.

This peeler design enables you to effortlessly remove the skin from fruits and vegetables with a flick of the wrist, as opposed to the conventional peeler that requires a caveman-style grip and rigid arm movements.

Once you get used to using this style of peeler, you may find it hard to go back to the standard peeler. If you haven't tried a Y Peeler yet, give it a shot, and let me know what you think!

Photo by Sandie Clarke on Unsplash

2. The Potato Ricer

When I first encountered the term "potato ricer," I was quite perplexed—potato, ricer? However, it turned out that the potato ricer would soon become one of my all-time favorite kitchen gadgets and an indispensable tool for creating velvety mashed potatoes.

The potato ricer is the secret to crafting the creamiest, lump-free mashed potatoes. Essentially, this kitchen tool is a perforated 1 or 2-cup measuring cup with a handle and a flat plunger with a lever. The plunger pushes the potatoes through the holes in the cup, creating a smooth potato puree. You can then whip or fold in ingredients like butter and sour cream, resulting in a silky smooth mashed potato texture.

Even if you only make mashed potatoes occasionally, investing in a ricer is well worth it, they are about twenty dollars on Amazon. You'll be amazed, just as I was at the difference it makes in achieving the perfect mashed potato.

3. Mortar and Pestle

For years, I came across images in cookbooks featuring a small stone bowl accompanied by a club-like stone object used for macerating ingredients within the bowl.

I wondered, "What is this?" It seemed incredibly authentic, like an ancient method for crafting delicious food. I saw ingredients for dishes like Molé or Thai Green Curry being pounded into a flavor-packed paste. The process involved combining aromatics such as garlic, ginger, and galangal with coconut milk to create that amazing curry, or a mix of chilies, seeds, and chocolate, resulting in the creation of a myriad of varieties of Molé.

I finally purchased a Mortar and Pestle, originally bought for my wife a couple of years ago. While I wouldn't claim it completely revolutionized my cooking, it has absolutely elevated my salsas and curry pastes to a whole new level.

If you enjoy crafting your own curry paste, I highly recommend investing in a mortar and pestle. Freshly toasted spices ground in a mortar and pestle unlock a unique depth of flavor, especially when it comes to aromatic spices.

4. Stainless Steel Mandoline

Exercise caution and mind your fingers when using this tool. The stainless steel mandoline has a notorious history in the culinary world for causing many a lost fingertip. However, this gadget does a whole lot more than just remove fingers.

No matter how skilled you are with a knife, attempting to swiftly slice through a couple of cases of zucchini doesn't guarantee uniform thickness for every slice. That's where a mandoline comes in handy.

Resembling a flat cheese grater, a stainless steel mandoline features a slicing surface with a movable plate to achieve the desired thickness. Just slide the vegetable across this surface until the task is complete. This process can be kind of hypnotic so pay attention.

Most modern mandolines come equipped with guards to protect your fingers from swift removal, but this hasn't always been the case. In the past, it was a risky encounter between an open blade and your hand. Today, mandolines are much safer. If you aren't comfortable with a knife, a mandoline could be a worthy alternative.

5. Silicone Baking Mats

Silicone baking mats have long been a staple in the pastry world, but it took me a while to fully appreciate this fantastic kitchen gadget. When I first encountered silicone kitchen tools, such as oven mitts and baking mats, I was skeptical. I couldn't fathom how they wouldn't melt under the heat, but to my surprise, they don't, and it all comes down to pure science.

For the longest time, I relied on parchment paper as my trusted companion in the kitchen for baking. Reluctant to change, I was gifted a silicone mat about a year ago, and since then, I've used it so extensively that I now need to purchase a new one.

Needless to say, my opinion has changed, and I've developed a newfound love for the silicone baking mat. With a cost of around thirteen dollars for two mats, it makes more economic sense than buying a six-dollar pack of parchment paper every two weeks when I only need a couple of silicone mats per year. And, like anything else, you can easily find it on Amazon.