A sharp knife. If that doesn’t count, my knife sharpener then.
Sink with running water, not having to go pump water.
Garlic press. I love garlic
Me too! I use a helix garlic press because it’s easier to press and does a better job.
Like this one:
Also, if you don’t have one of these silicone garlic peeler tubes, get one! It makes peeling garlic super easy.
I’ve never seen that press before, but my other press did come with a silicone tube like those. I use it 50% of the time.
Toss up between the fine conical strainer and the microplane…
Toaster oven.
Gadget? My upright mandolin, I can cut stuff so perfectly and fast and zero risk of hurting myself. I’m great with a knife but it’s still a fantastic gadget. Appliance? My brevil toaster oven that does so much stuff and does it all well
This tiny rice cooker:
I live alone, so it easily makes exactly two meals worth of cooked rice (tonight’s and tomorrow’s)
Or I can just make one whole meal, with rice, frozen veg, satay sauce, and peanuts, or any other variant of a one-pot rice cooker dish. Super simple operation, just one button .
Easy to store away when I’m not using it, which is rare. Only cost $15.
It was a Technology connections video that convinced me to buy one. I then bought another one, a 12-cup rice cooker, for meal prep.
For me it’s our Tefal easy fry dual air fryer. It’s changed our lives. We barely use the oven anymore.
Dishwasher. I hate washing dishes by hand.
Maybe not the most glamorous thing—I mean, there are people out there who take their specific kitchen knife or stand mixer really seriously—but in terms of the actual improvement to my life, I have a hard time saying that anything else competes.
I am with you! Lets add the fridge to the list too haha I would say that one is even more important and also a lot more used.
But otherwise would I also pick dishwasher
They’re also a lot more efficient in water and (depending on how you heat your water) energy usage.
I like my bench scraper so much that when I moved house recently to a temporary place with minimal kitchen space, it was one of the things in my “kitchen bare essentials”.
I mostly use it for scooping up stuff from a chopping board to transfer into bowls or a pan. It’s also really good for baking, especially if you’re working with a high hydration dough.
Mostly though, it just makes me feel good. I feel powerful when using it, even if the efficiency gains from it are probably quite minor.
My hand made for me chef’s knife.
Same. It was absolutely worth the money.
Food processor. I have issues with my hands and the ability to slice, chop, and blend items with minimal hand use is just fantastic.
electric kettle
Kettle with a keep warm setting
Fridge. I’m always using it.
but the differences between fridges can be spectacular. i had a fridge where carrots go brown and become rubberlike within 2 days, and now they are kept fresh for a week and longer.
don’t be cheap on your fridge!
On the flip side some of the cheapest refrigerators have the most reliable compressors. LG freezer on top iirc where their more expensive french door models and what not are absolute trash.
