8 Gadgets That Will Change the Way You Cook
Lesley Stockton
The International Home + Housewares Show, a.k.a. the home appliance industry equivalent of Fashion Week, recently hit Chicago. We got a special advance preview of the show and handpicked the most game-changing pieces—the ones that will save you time, energy, space, or perhaps all three. Best of all: Each one is less than $100. These are the eight items you absolutely must have in your kitchen—they’ll certainly be in our cabinets and drawers. Most of these gadgets and gizmos won’t hit the market for another couple of months, but here is an exclusive preview of the very best of the best, the eight new tools that will change your kitchen.
OXO Grape and Small Tomato Slicing Guide ($11.99)
Cut prep time in half with this handy countertop gadget that lets you slice up to 1 cup of grapes or cherry tomatoes in one easy action. The OXO Grape and Small Tomato Slicing Guide’s innovative design also works on pitted cherries and olives, kumquats, and other small, soft fruit. The clear plastic walls flex to accommodate ingredients in slightly different sizes, and feature measurement markings to eliminate any guesswork. Plus: The whole thing comes apart for convenient cleaning, and is dishwasher-safe. Those summertime fruit salads and panzanellas just got a whole lot less time-consuming. Available in July.
OXO Grape and Tomato Cutter ($9.99)
Prefer to have your small fruit quartered? OXO has you covered with their brand-new Grape and Tomato Cutter. Simply load the chamber and press the plunger to push small, sharp serrated blades through the soft fruit, creating clean quarters without the fuss of a cutting board and knife. With this handheld gadget, you can quickly and easily add grapes directly to a bowl of chicken salad or a pitcher of sangria, and whipping up a fresh tomato salsa takes almost no effort at all. The cutter, which can also be used to quarter pitted cherries and olives, comes with a snap-on cover and is top-rack dishwasher safe. Available in July.
Bodum Bistro Rolling Pin ($19.95)
We hardly need an excuse to feed our pie-making desires, but this ingenious rolling pin sure does help. Featuring a BPA-free plastic chamber that detaches from the handle to be loaded up with ice, the Bodum Bistro Rolling Pin is specifically designed to keep pie dough cold, thus preventing sticking and bringing you that much closer to flaky tender pie crust every time. With comfortable, slip-resistant ergonomic handles, this rolling pin is dishwasher-safe, and comes in four vivid color choices—red, green, black, and white. Looks like we’ll be taking advantage of summer’s bounty of fruit a bit more often this year. Available in June.
Urban Trend Measuring Cup ($14.95)
When it comes to measuring cups, there are two types of people: The ones who crouch down to see if they have an accurate measure and the ones who hold the cup up to their faces for a closer inspection, all the while hoping their hand is steady enough to get an accurate reading. With the Urban Trend measuring cup, you don’t have to succumb to either one of these annoying practices. The conical design allows you to read the markings from all angles while standing upright like a normal human being. It’s also two cups in one. One side has a 4-cup capacity, while the other is a 1-cup measure for greater precision with smaller amounts. Available in May.
iDevice Dual Probe Kitchen Thermometer ($79.99)
Serious chefs know that a thermometer is essential to perfectly cooked roasts and the ultimate holiday ham, but the launch of iDevice’s Dual Probe Kitchen Thermometer is about to make major waves in the kitchen. In addition to featuring two probes that make it easy to multi-task, this professional-quality tool connects to your smartphone, which monitors dinner while you make the salad, read a bedtime story, catch up on emails, or simply sip a glass of wine. The iDevices Connected App comes loaded with dozens of presets for various types of meat, or you can make custom presets for your own special recipes. The App also allows you to set up additional timers and it can track the progress of both probes, making it easy to cook tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s lunch simultaneously. Magnetic mounting, dual viewing angles, and an illuminated display add to this gadget’s overall ease of use.
Reo 4-in-1 Bottle and Can Opener ($14.99)
As our gadget drawers become increasingly jam-packed with tools, it’s nice to see a traditionally single-tasking instrument get an upgrade, and that’s exactly what Reo did with their 4-in-1 bottle and can opener. It not only opens cans, but also helps with stubborn caps on soda, juice, and beer bottles, as well as those pesky milk bottle screw tops, and with a comfortable soft-grip handle to boot. You’ll never struggle to find that bottle opener in the bottom of the drawer again. Available this summer or fall.
Chef’n Sweet Spot Ice Cream Maker ($49.99)
When you want homemade ice cream in a flash, the Chef’n Sweet Spot delivers. This utterly simple ice cream maker features a wide surface area that, when frozen, instantly freezes any ice cream base—10 recipes are included with each purchase. As the ice cream maker freezes the ice cream base, you scoop and turn with the included spade until the mixture develops the perfect ice cream consistency. The whole process takes just a few minutes. It’s also a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen. Just pour, stir, scoop, and enjoy. Available in May, exclusively from Williams-Sonoma.
Keurig K10 MINI Plus Brewing System ($99.99)
Let’s face it, office coffee is mostly pretty bad, which makes the K10 MINI Plus Brewing System by Keurig kind of brilliant. It’s small, measuring just under 11 x 7 x 11 inches, so it takes up very little room on a desk. But it’s also a breeze to operate. Simply pour water into the single-cup-capacity reservoir, pop in your favorite K-Cup flavor of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, and you have a fresh and hot beverage in about two minutes. The MINI comes in a rainbow of color choices, including Pantone’s color of 2014, Radiant Orchid. This little machine is not only perfect for the office, it’s ideal for dorms, small apartments, and any other compact space.
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