NIFTY KITCHEN GADGETS

Kitchen gadgets that might just change your life Published October 15, 2014 Let's face it; some kitchen gadgets are all hype. You see an advertisement for a handheld tool that promises to make even the most laborious cooking techniques quick and easy to accomplish, and so you purchase it in hopes that you'll eat healthier or cook more. But when you get the gadget home, it either doesn't work or isn't as useful as you thought it would be and it sits in a drawer, taking up space and reminding you of money wasted. Before you swear off kitchen gadgets altogether though, consider a few of the classics; there are some kitchen gadgets that are incredibly useful and reliable, kitchen gadgets that totally deliver on their promise to make cooking easier. One of the things to look for when you're considering purchasing a new kitchen gadget is its usefulness. In order for a kitchen gadget to be worth the money you'll spend on it and the space it will take up in your kitchen, it either has to serve multiple purposes or be meant for an ingredient or technique that you use routinely. Be wary of single-purpose kitchen gadgets like an egg slicer, for example, unless you eat a ton of boiled eggs. A gadget is also useful if it does something that another kitchen utensil cannot do easily. In the case of the egg slicer, unless you're eating large quantities of boiled eggs, you can easily cut slice an egg with a knife, eliminating the need for a special slicing tool. Similarly, you don't need a special tool to crimp the edges of empanadas or hand pies when a simple fork will do the job just as well. A gadget like a garlic press, on the other hand, is the type of kitchen tool you'll use virtually every time you cook and it is well worth the small amount of money you'll spend on it. If you're unsure which kitchen gadgets are most useful, we've rounded up eight that are super useful for anyone who cooks. 1. Garlic press iStock Possibly the greatest kitchen gadget ever invented, the garlic press minces cloves of garlic in one, easy, mess-free motion. If you use a lot of garlic in your cooking, this gadget is a major time- and flavor-saver. 2. Microplane spiral slicer iStock Whether you're trying to go gluten-free, carb-free, or are simply trying to eat more vegetables, this spiral slicer from Microplane will make cutting carrots, zucchini, cucumber, and squash into long noodle-like ribbons easy. In less than a minute you'll have a bowl full of raw vegetable "noodles" that can replace pasta or be used to make a salad. 3. Food Huggers silicone food savers YouTube/FoodHuggers If you always seem to have half of a fruit or vegetable on hand, you're probably tired of trying to fit it in to an airtight container or zipper lock bag to save the unused half. Food Huggers silicone food savers are easy to use and fit a variety of foods from halved lemons to avocados. They can also replace lost tops on glass jars! 4. Wayfair apple slicer iStock Whether you like to make apple pie or whether you have kids who love to snack on apples, this apple slicer from Wayfair.com is a must-own. It quickly and easily takes the core out of the apple and slices it into pie-perfect (or snack-perfect) slices. It even gives you the option to cut the apple into 8 or 16 slices with a simple twist of the base.