Inspired by
this blog post - and realising I didn't
get why on earth those exact gadgets could be so essential... A pickle press?
I wondered what other people's (and my own) 5
essential kitchen gadgets are? What 5 gadgets makes your life easier in the kitchen?
BTW: I don't think stoves, fridges and standard microwave ovens count
I love to cook, but have only ever had access to small kitchens without a dishwasher, so I've had to scale down and cut away large and/or inessential things. The lack of dishwasher really have an impact on your gadget selection, because things need to be quick and easy to clean by hand.
Global vegetable knife
- My first really sharp knife, and still my preferred (even if it's slightly short)
Tefal Actifry
- Absolutely great for frying vegetables, chicken and making mixed fry-ups (and frying bacon!
). Fairly easy to clean too, so even if it takes up valuable counter-space, it's worth it.
Stick blender + mini chopper accesory
- SO much easier to clean than an ordinary blender and so much easier to use, especially for smaller quantities. The mini chopper is essential for grinding almonds (which I use a lot of) and is a decent replacement for a food processor.
Slow cooker
- I guess this could be replaced by a pot on the stove - but it's easier to keep the low temperature and cook smaller portions in my 1.5 litre slow cooker.
Microplane mandoline
- I like my food finely chopped and sliced. This gadget makes nicer saladds from raw cabbage and fennel than I'm able to with a knife.
Gadgets I might consider if I had the space:
- an electric slicer (those semi-professional things for slicing meat)
- a more advanced mandoline that can also slice julienne - but is still easy to clean!
- a medium-big solid food processor (all I have room for is a small, flimsy one that I hardly ever use and is put in the back on the top shelf in a cupboard)
- an programmable electric cooker that is both a slow cooker and able to boil things properly. Perhaps something like
this (it can even fry) or
this.