These time saving kitchen gadgets are tiny but mighty, they save time and cost $10 or less. It does not get better than that.
I am always on the lookout for tools that save time and make cooking faster and it’s even better if they are light on the pocket.
Garlic Peeler
If you do not use garlic then you can skip this but if you do..can we please take a moment to acknowledge how time consuming it is to peel them. I tried all the hacks I could find for peeling garlic, keeping them in water, shaking them in a glass and what not but nothing worked like this little contraption.
Works like a charm every time, only thing to remember when using it is that the surface you roll and use it on should not be slippery. I use mine almost everyday.
Garlic Mincer
Hated the smell of garlic in my fingertips that lingers on and refuses to go away after chopping it.
If you cook a lot of garlic then get yourself a garlic mincer, you can buy any that’s available close to you just keep in mind that it should be easy to clean.
The bottom part of mine comes apart and is easy to pop into a dishwasher.
Colander as herb leaf stripper
Colanders are very useful when cleaning veggies etc but that’s not the only way I use it, also use it as a herb shredder it’s much faster, efficient as the leaves sit in the colander to be cleaned and is cost effective too.
Its hack of using it as a left shredder makes it a handy time saving tool. There is less clean up involved afterwards and its not a one trick pony anymore, can be used for more than one purposes.
Whisk
Never felt that I needed a whisk, afterall what do we have the good old spoon and fork for right? Well I bought a hand blender which came with a whisk attachment to it, Once I used the whisk attachment manually to mix a batter that’s it, there was no going back.
Using a whisk makes the mixing process so much cleaner and faster. There are no more clumps left on the spoon or in the mix, much more cleaner and efficient.
Small pan for tempering or tadka
These small pans with silicone covered handles are so perfect for tempering’s and other small jobs. You don’t need to pull out the bigger pans taking more space and time to clean.
When buying do make sure that the handle is heat protected.
Silicon Spatula
I didn’t know what I was missing out on until I bought one of these and now I am hooked.
- These are easy to use on a nonstick pan and do not cause any scratches
- To empty bottles, grinder, cooking containers etc without a trace of food left in them, smooth and clean
When buying, try to get one with a silicon, wood or metal handle so there is no fear of it melting when used in hot pots. I melted a few handles before realizing that.
Mini Chopping Board
I was skeptical when I bought this one as I wasn’t sure if it would be used when I already had a bigger chopping board. Nope that’s not been the case at all, if anything the smaller one gets used more than the bigger chopping board.
It’s the perfect size for chopping herbs, ginger, chilis etc. so no regrets here. Lighter, easier to use and clean, I don’t have to lug out the bigger chopping board anymore.
Oil Brush
This is a handy tool to spread liquids well whether its water or cooking oil. I usually use it to spread water on the back of the naans before sticking them to the pan.
Have also used it with cooking oil, and you can keep one always in your cooking oil container. Only thing to note here is that its hard to get oil completely out from the bristles when cleaning, so be mindful of that when using it.
Stainless Steel Strainer for frying
Nothing tastes worse than fried food, soggy with oil. Horrible taste and lots of calories, worst combination ever.
This is a must have if your food preparations require any form of frying.
It makes frying much faster and efficient as the staining property reduces the amount of oil residue left in food and it is much quicker to use.
Potato Masher
Before buying one I would use spatulas, yes the same silicon ones that are so flexible that they don’t scratch anything.. You get the picture..it wasn’t fun or efficient.
Not sure why I didn’t buy them sooner but I didn’t, a friend gave me hers when they were moving, bless her soul. Now I can never go back to not having one!
Using a masher is much more convenient and faster than using any other spatula or utensils to mash.
They can also be used to mash beans or curries to make them thicker.
Pot in pot containers
Pot in pot containers are time saving cookwares, if you use a pressure cooker or an instant pot for cooking, these are very useful. They make cooking so much faster because you can cook more than one items at the same time.
I use these to say boil lentils and potatoes at the same time(make sure to take bigger potatoes to balance lentils cooking time unless you are making mashed potatoes ;)).
I also use these to boil lentils, rice and veggies at the same time. The options are endless and it makes cooking a breeze.
Love the site and content and it’s helping me with my cooking.
Quick question. Where can I dind pot-in-pot containers for under $10? I am also in Australia.
I can think of cake tins working, but not sure if it’s a suitable material.