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When it comes to kitchen creations, I can honestly say that I am not generally your go to gal on the topic.
I don’t enjoy cooking so I only do it when I have to and when that happens, it better be easy.
Enter kitchen gadgets.
Not all of them are created equal in terms of usefulness for the reluctant cook, a category I believe also includes pretty much every busy, time starved, mom including those of you who think cooking is fun. Because, let’s just keep it real here, nothing is fun, particularly not cooking, when you have to do it while you rush, do twenty other things at the same time, ask your kids to get ready to go, beg them to get ready to go, and eventually yell that they better get ready to go or so help me, and then eat it in the car while you drive them somewhere half ready and crying.
That’s just facts.
So, when it comes to being a useful kitchen gadgets that I actually use, it has to meet some pretty clear qualifications for me:
- Easy to use
- Easy to store or not a countertop hog
- Have a variety of uses (ie the ice cream maker is fun, but it does one thing: ice cream, and that tastes better at the store anyway) or have one use that I will want to use a variety of times (I’m talking about the waffle maker here.)
- Easy to clean
- Less messy and/or time consuming than using a traditional stove/oven situation
- Be relatively affordable because I am both broke and cheap
That’s my research criteria for finding the best kitchen gadgets in a nutshell and, no, it’s not super scientific, because DudeMom doesn’t do science, DudeMom writes a blog designed to make you chuckle while also being mildly informative -it’s a unique niche, someone has to fill it.
10 Must Have Kitchen Gadgets for Every Family
Waffle Maker
Because you can’t actually make waffles without one.
Ninja Cooker
We aren’t huge fans of the slow cooker meal. They tend to be a little watery for my family and we like our meats and such browned. Which is why this slow cooker is actually kind of amazing. It is a stove too so it allows you to brown your food, right there in the pot, without even dirtying another dish. I just throw whatever I am planning to brown in the cooker with a little oil, turn it to stove, and brown it. Then, when I’m finished, I flip it over to slow cooker mode, add whatever I need to the pot for that, and go!
Buy Ninja Multi-Cooker.
Air Fryer
There is not a single kitchen gadget that I own that I use more often or with more success than this air fryer. It may even be one of the most useful kitchen gadgets I have ever owned. I use it several times a week, I can easily multitask while it cooks, it’s super easy to clean (basically just wipe it out), it shaves time of off your meal prep, and it’s healthier for you.
And, don’t get hung up on the fry part of this. Even if you don’t eat fried foods, there are countless items you can cook inside of this thing that don’t come out fried, but still come out delicious.
Buy Power Air Fryer XL.
Apple Cutter
Of course you can use a knife, but also you can use an apple cutter and slice (see what I did there?!) your time on task in half!
Buy apple cutter.
Silicone Cutting Mats
They are easier to clean, store, and use quickly than a massive and heavy cutting board.
Snap on Strainer
Anything that reduces my dirty dishes situation is a win for me.
Buy: Snap-On Strainer
Grater Bowl
The top has a grater built into it and it snaps right onto a bowl. Don’t have to worry at all about the stupid grater slipping and tipping all of your cheese all over the place.
Buy: Grater Bowl.
Divided Pan
This isn’t one I actually own, but it is 100% on my wish list because HOW COOL IS THIS PAN! It has tons of good reviews and I would love to be able to cook sausage and eggs at the exact same time.
Buy: Divided Pan.
Ninja Blender
For smoothies and milkshakes and other drinkable goodies. I love mine because you can make a big serving or you can use the smaller cups to make individual ones.
Buy: Ninja Blender
Vegetable Spiralizer
This is another one on the DudeMom gift list because I despite chopping things up (probably a little PTSD from the knife injury that required 8 stitches to reattach my finger tip) and all of the pretty veggies would come out tasty in my air fryer!
Buy vegetable spiralizer.