6 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets That Make Cooking Easier
If you love to spend time in the kitchen, then there are certain items that you should definitely have in your cupboard. While large appliances like food processors and stand mixers always grab all the attention, it is always the small, very specific gadgets for the kitchen that actually do the job for you in your everyday cooking routine. Some intelligent purchase of such utensils will turn cooking from a very laborious task into an interesting and effective pastime.
Peeler
An excellent quality peeler forms the very basis of successful meal preparations, as it becomes your reliable horse that you keep picking up from the kitchen drawer several times a day. More than just peeling the skins of potatoes and apples, an effective swivel and Y-peeler slides smoothly across all types of vegetables,s from fibrous sweet potatoes to tender carrots. With an ergonomic design, the handle never causes any strain or cramp in your hand, even when you peel a huge tray of vegetables to roast for the whole family on Sunday.
In addition to peeling skins, this versatile tool helps you prepare perfect garnishes and healthy food alternatives at home. You can make thin ribbons out of zucchini and cucumbers for summertime salads, or curl your hard Parmesan cheese to add it to your favourite pasta dish. Also, it is ideal for removing strips of zest from lemons and oranges for either drinking or cooking.
Can Opener
Having a quality can opener is an absolute necessity in the kitchen, one that effectively removes all the hassles, anger and dangerous sharp edges normally associated with the opening process of pantry items. Inexpensive traditional can openers can easily slip off the path or create dangerously sharp metallic rims that may result in an accident when trying to open up the tin during a busy period at dinner time. Opting for a high-quality, smooth-edge manual can opener or an electronic smooth can opener would guarantee that you will be able to easily open tin cans every time.
Can openers are designed in such a way that it opens up the lip from the side rather than cutting straight into the tin, hence creating no sharp edges on either the tin itself or the lid. This ensures that metal fragments cannot fall into the food contained in your diced tomatoes or coconut milk. It is a simple yet sturdy device that gives you great peace of mind and durability.
Potato Ricer
The potato ricer is one of those gadgets for the kitchen you absolutely must have if you want to make mashed potatoes which will be as light and fluffy as clouds with no trace of any lumps. The trouble with using a regular vertical masher is that the potatoes get too gummy because they are overworked, and their starch content is too high. This is solved perfectly by the ricer, which presses the potatoes through small holes into little grains.
Jar Opener
There's nothing like having a special jar opener that will keep your hands, wrists, and fingers from suffering from any pain during the opening of sealed jars. Everyone knows what it feels like when there is a problem trying to open a sealed jar with pasta sauce or pickled cucumbers right when one is making a meal. One would rather use something like a specialised rubber gripper or a jar opener that has loops.
Egg Slicer
The egg slicer is a great invention, which makes your everyday cooking easier and adds a geometrically perfect look to your casual dishes. If you try to cut a boiled egg using an ordinary kitchen knife, chances are high that you will end up having the yolk fall apart and stick to the edge of the blade. Using the egg slicer is really easy; all you need to do is put the egg in its cup and squeeze the wires down.
Mandoline Slicer
The mandoline slicer is the ideal secret weapon when it comes to cutting vegetables into perfect, even slices in no time, giving your home-cooked meals an extremely professional touch. From thin potato discs for a gratin to perfect onion rings for a burger or matchsticks of carrots for a slaw, you can cut them all perfectly and quickly using this tool, something which cannot be done using a regular knife.
Pasta Cutters
For pasta lovers who take great pleasure in making delicious pasta by hand, a selection of special pasta cutters is truly a delight to have in your kitchen work area. With fluted pastry cutters and brass roller cutters, it’s possible to make cuts on rolled out dough to achieve beautifully crinkled edges with total precision. This crinkling effect not only adds a decorative touch but also works well for allowing the sauce to stick to every piece of pasta.
With a rotary cutter, you can make your very own fettuccine, pappardelle, or lasagna sheets in no time at all, allowing for an interesting family experience during the weekend. Those who love to make their own pasta with a pocket of filling inside will find a dual-wheel cutter extremely useful for sealing the edge without any problem.
