kitchen gadgets

Kitchen Gadgets Worth Having: Essential Tools to Make Cooking Easier and More Enjoyable

In the fast-paced world of modern cooking, having the right tools can make a significant difference in both the efficiency and enjoyment of meal preparation. From simplifying complex tasks to enhancing culinary creativity, the right kitchen gadgets can transform your cooking experience. Here’s a roundup of essential kitchen gadgets that are worth having in your kitchen arsenal. Instant-Read Digital Thermometer Why It’s Essential: Precision is key in cooking, especially when it comes to meats and poultry. An instant-read digital thermometer ensures that your dishes are cooked to the perfect temperature, reducing the risk of undercooked or overcooked meals. Features to Look For: High-Quality Chef’s Knife Why It’s Essential: A sharp, versatile chef’s knife is a cornerstone of any well-equipped kitchen. It simplifies a wide range of tasks, from chopping vegetables to slicing meat, and enhances your overall cooking efficiency. Features to Look For: Food Processor Why It’s Essential: A food processor is a multipurpose gadget that can handle everything from chopping and slicing to mixing and pureeing. It speeds up prep time and can handle a variety of tasks, making it invaluable for both everyday cooking and special recipes. Features to Look For: Immersion Blender Why It’s Essential: An immersion blender, also known as a hand blender, is perfect for blending soups, sauces, and smoothies directly in the pot or bowl. It’s easy to use, clean, and saves time compared to transferring hot liquids to a blender. Features to Look For: Digital Kitchen Scale Why It’s Essential: Accuracy in measuring ingredients is crucial for baking and cooking. A digital kitchen scale provides precise measurements, ensuring your recipes turn out perfectly every time. Features to Look For: Mandoline Slicer Why It’s Essential: A mandoline slicer allows for uniform slicing of fruits and vegetables with ease, which is especially useful for recipes that require consistent cuts. It saves time and ensures even cooking. Features to Look For: Silicone Baking Mats Why It’s Essential: Silicone baking mats provide a non-stick surface for baking, eliminating the need for parchment paper and reducing cleanup. They’re durable, reusable, and perfect for even baking. Features to Look For: Electric Kettle Why It’s Essential: An electric kettle boils water quickly and efficiently, making it ideal for preparing tea, coffee, or instant meals. It’s faster than using a stovetop kettle and offers precise temperature control. Features to Look For: Spice Grinder Why It’s Essential: Freshly ground spices enhance the flavor of your dishes more than pre-ground spices. A spice grinder allows you to grind whole spices, providing a more robust and aromatic flavor. Features to Look For: Kitchen Timer Why It’s Essential: Timing is crucial in cooking, and a reliable kitchen timer ensures you don’t overcook or undercook your food. It’s especially helpful for managing multiple dishes simultaneously. Features to Look For: Investing in the right kitchen gadgets can significantly enhance your cooking experience, making meal preparation more efficient and enjoyable. These essential tools streamline tasks, improve accuracy, and elevate the quality of your dishes. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a home cook, having these gadgets on hand will help you create delicious meals with ease.

Four Worthwhile Kitchen Gadgets in 2020

With all the focus on Marie Kondo, it can be tempting to cut down on the number of non-essential items in your kitchen. While we agree that your spaces should spark joy, we’ve also got a few opinions on four kitchen gadgets that are worth the space you’ll spend to keep them.  Air Fryer From crisping frozen french fries to roasting a chicken, the air fryer is a trendy, but versatile addition to any kitchen. Choose one with the capacity to suit your needs, and enjoy delicious, crisply fried foods without the grease.  Food Processor The humble food processor is an amazing utility tool- from mincing mirepoix to blending a can of tomatoes down to an easy pizza sauce, having a food processor in your kitchen can really improve your life.  Did you know that a food processor isn’t just for vegetables? You can combine butter or lard with flour for a quick and easy pie crust, with very little mess. Kitchen Scale No, it’s not just for watching your waistline. The kitchen scale can also be used to help make more complex recipes with precision, and is a must for the home baker or pastry chef. Mandoline Slicer While it can seem a little scary at first, a good mandolin makes slicing, dicing and grating vegetables easy and quick, all while ensuring uniform cuts and slices, for pretty plating and presentation. For more great recipes, tips and appliance news, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

Mistakes You Might Be Making with Your Air Fryer

Have you been using your Air fryer a lot more lately? Then you know it’s an easy and more convenient way to get delicious meals on the table quickly.  Cooking with this miracle kitchen gadget is a game-changing experience. The possibilities are endless when you cook with an Air fryer – so to make the most of this amazingly versatile kitchen tool, we’ve put a list of common mistakes people make with their Airfryer.  Mistake # 1 Not Preheating the Air Fryer  Like your oven the air fryer needs to be hot in order to properly cook the food.  Placing food in the air fryer while it’s still cold might not yield the best results for your recipes. Even if the recipe doesn’t mention it, we recommend to turn the air fryer on 5-10 minutes before you add your food. It heats up pretty fast so it won’t take long for it to reach the perfect temperature.  Mistake # 2 Too Much Food in the Basket  It can be tempting to over crowd the basket since most air fryers are small but don’t. Your air fryer needs space for air to flow around it. There’s enough room to comfortably fit two- four servings of food depending on the size of the machine. Rather cook in smaller batches for faster, better results.  Mistake # 3 Not Using the Right Amount of Oil  The name air fryer might be misleading because you do actually need more than just air to cook in the air fryer. You don’t want too much or too little oil though. Using just enough oil will help your food crisp up.   1-2 teaspoons of oil is all you need for most items. Even if you’re avoiding added fats in your diet, you can spritz the food with some non-stick cooking spray to coat your food ( but don’t spray the basket directly). Check recipe instructions for more exact measurements.  Mistake # 4 Cutting vegetables too small Beware of small pieces of food falling through the basket holes and then burning. To avoid this from happening it’s best to cut ¼ inches wide to ensure they remain in the basket. Mistake # 5 Using wet batters A lot of deep-friend foods we love have a moist batter that don’t work well in the air fryer because there isn’t enough hot oil to set the batter like  in a vat of hot oil. To avoid a sloppy mess when wet batter sinks through the basket holes adapt your recipes or use recipes that require a thick coating instead. Mistake # 6 You don’t clean it often A number of problems can arise from not cleaning your air fryer after each use.  You’re risking food contamination, crumbs left behind or leftover oil residue can burn and cause smoke, posing a fire hazard.   Be diligent about hand washing the air fryer basket, bottom tray and drawer with warm soapy water after every use. Mistake # 7 You don’t flip your food You can’t set it and forget it- the air fryer does require some attending.  To make sure your food cooks to your desired perfection make sure to check on it. Flip your proteins halfway through while they’re still cooking to ensure the dish is evenly cooked. You will also want to move your veggies around periodically when cooking them in the air fryer.