The Best Time-Saving Kitchen Tools I Bought in 2020

Whenever I have an urge to buy a new kitchen gadget, I take a breather until the feverish obsession subsides a little. Then I make an assessment…will this tool fit in my kitchen, or will it be a space hog? Am I just buying this because it’s two dollars or because Claire Saffitz told me to? Will I use this on a regular basis, or will it end up wedged between an old wooden spoon and a turkey baster? And finally, could this gadget serve multiple uses? If I’m confident that it meets the criteria, then it’s off to the races. Otherwise, I’ll save that potato masher for a very rainy day purchase.

Here are the top five items I purchased in 2020 that have made a HUGE difference in the kitchen. Of course, everyone’s cooking and baking interests are different and these might not apply to you. So purchase accordingly! All I can say is that these gizmos get me excited to cook and bake in the kitchen because they’re fun and easy to use. And isn’t that what cooking is all about? 

1.     Kitchen Scale

I was initially skeptical about purchasing a scale since I have two sets of measuring cups, but this guy comes in handy when I’m too lazy to measure things out. I simply place a bowl on the scale, tare it, and then add my flour, etc. until it’s the right amount (hint: it’s helpful here if the recipe you’re following is written in weight (oz/gm) and not volume (cups/mL), otherwise you can convert measurements on your phone).

I also use the kitchen scale to measure veggies/fruit in ounces, which yields a more accurate result than dumping them into measuring cups. I can’t say enough good things about my kitchen scale, not the least of which is because it was $10 on Amazon and takes up approximately ZERO space in my kitchen.

P.S. The scale also comes in handy for random day-to-day things around the house, like figuring out how many stamps to use for an envelope.

2.     Instant Read Thermometer

The more baking I do, the more I notice how important temperature can be in ensuring the final product turns out perfectly. This was nowhere more apparent than in my first attempt at making toffee. The recipe indicated that the toffee was ready when it reached 305 degrees Fahrenheit, and not owning a thermometer, I decided to wing it. Needless to say, the toffee didn’t harden into crunchy crackly perfection, but remained a bendy, melty mess. I ate it anyway, of course, but if I wanted to up my baking game, I realized I had to invest in a thermometer.

Now, I use it to test cake doneness (which is about 210 degrees Fahrenheit, fun fact of the day), bread doneness (which is 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit), and the temperature of water in bread-making. In general, I love that it takes so much of the guesswork out of cooking and baking. Since I’m not yet a cake whisperer, I turn to this thermometer to guide me.

3.     Bench Scraper

I first saw Alison Roman using this to transfer piles of parsley from a cutting board to a salad bowl, and knew I had to have it. A bench scraper is primarily used to cut pizza and bread dough into little wedges (which works like a charm), but I use it the way Alison does: to corral lots of herby/veggie things from cutting boards into bowls. Who likes grabbing fistfuls of herbs and plopping them into bowls, leaving a trail of sad leaves in its wake scattered across the kitchen countertop? Surely not me. If you agree, this could be your new life-saver. And before you say the edge of a sharp knife could do the same thing, I would say that this tool is much safer and also gathers up more product at once than its knife counterpart. I bought this one.

4.     Food Processor

This gadget was admittedly a gift, and what a gift it has turned out to be! I was initially skeptical about whether or not I would use or need this food processor, since I hadn’t made a vegetable puree since 1996 (which is what I associated it with). Fast forward 12 months later and my Cuisinart Food Processor and I are attached at the hip, or fingertip. In fact, I would say it is far and away my most-used kitchen appliance. I use it to make homemade pesto, nut butter (when I feel like it), breadcrumbs (to rescue stale bread), and importantly, to shred and chop vegetables in a pinch. The clean-up is minimal if you let the attachments soak in soapy hot water right after use, and it doesn’t take up an obnoxious amount of space like other appliances do.

5.     Glass Snapware

This last one is less of a gadget and more of a storage solution, but I’m including it here because I consider it to be as nifty as a gadget. Why? Because not only does its glass (read: see-through!) base remind me to eat whatever’s inside, but it also keeps my fridge looking supremely organized and tidy.

I might be very late to the snapware game, having just parted with my mess of mismatched plastic Tupperwares, but these are relatively inexpensive and absolutely indispensable. Even if you don’t do a lot of home cooking, you could also use them to store takeout leftovers, keep veggie sticks fresh, and as lunch on-the-go containers (although my lunch-on-the-go’s have dwindled to zero of late in these pandemic times).

Importantly, these are dishwasher safe, because who wants to spend an hour hand-washing snapware. My favorite and only set of glassware is by Bayco and I can’t live without them (also the snapping noises they make are incredibly satisfying).

6.     Immersion Blender

This last item is not currently in my possession but it could be. I have been wanting this immersion blender for some time now, having made more soups than I care to count this winter. I like that it caters to my lazy sensibilities in the kitchen. Instead of having to transfer everything to a blender (which I use mostly to make sweet things like nut milk/lingering savory smells in blenders is a real thing), the blending magic takes place directly in the pot. And who wouldn’t like that!