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As a self professed foodie and food blogger, I love being in the kitchen. Over the years, I’ve collected a lot of gadgets for the kitchen. They take up literally all the room in my cupboards at the moment and I don’t have room for any more! Some of these I use more than others, and some are part of my everyday routine. Here are my must-have kitchen gadgets, utensils and tools.
My basic essentials not included in this list are a kettle, microwave and toaster.
1. Pasta Machine
This is the most recent addition to my kitchen and I love it! As a huge pasta lover, I tend to eat a pasta dish at least once a week. About half the time I use an authentic Italian recipe – my favourites being Aglio e Olio and Amatriciana. Other times, I put my own spin on it. I’ve recently perfected a recipe for a Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken pasta.
I received my pasta machine as a present, and I was so excited! As soon as I tried it first time, I became obssessed! It’s so much easier than I thought it would be!
For the pasta dough recipe that I use, click here.
To check out the pasta machine that I have, click here. Only £29.99 so won’t break the bank!
2. George Foreman Grill
I don’t know how I lived without my George Foreman grill, to be honest. I use it for so many things – burgers, toasties, wraps. It’s easy to use and easy to clean.
I used it here to make a gorgeous Christmas leftover toastie. Although it’s not Christmas right now, I highly recommend using this grill to make all of your toasties. It is also the PERFECT appliance for grilling up some halloumi, which I use in salads, burgers or just as a little snack.
Another great use for this, is to do that viral Tiktok wrap trend. I highly recommend doing this – check out my chicken and chorizo wrap below.
To check out the grill I have, click here. Larger grills are on the market if you are grilling for more people.
3. Blender
I use my blender at least 4 times a week. Obviously, it’s great for smoothies and smoothie bowls (check out my easy mango smoothie below). I love smoothies, especially in summer.
Blenders are also useful for so many other things. They’re great for making banana protein pancakes, and baked oats. I recently made these incredible raspberry cheesecake baked oats, which I really can’t recommend enough.
Again, there are so many good blenders on the market. Nutribullet and Ninja are the best for smoothies and smoothie bowls, but both are fairly expensive. To check out the blender I use, which is a much more reasonable price, click here. It takes a bit of a beating when I make smoothie bowls, but is perfect for everything else.
4. Waffle maker
If you have a bit of a sweet tooth like me, a waffle maker is perfect for weekend brunches. You can also make savoury waffles but I’ve never actually tried this. My go-to waffle recipe is by BBC Good Food (here). However, I recently made these Dairy-Free waffles, which turned out really well.
I don’t use this as often as some of the appliances on the list, but I included it because I really do love it! As restaurants as still closed, I’ve been doing a fair amount of bottomless brunches at home (e.g. waffles and mimosas that I continue drinking all day).
To check out the adorable heart-shaped waffle maker that I use, click here.
5. Hand mixer
For baking, a hand mixer is one of my favourite purchases. Eventually, I’d like to buy a stand mixer but for now a hand mixer is such a help. It saves a lot of time and hassle when baking, especially for making buttercream icing.
I always use my hand mixer in my Chocolate Peppermint cupcakes and M&M Cookie Bites.
To check out the hand mixer I use, click here.
6. Hand Blender
Hand blenders are perfect if you like making soup. I used to hate soup but now I love it! My mum makes a lovely Leek and Potato soup, which I may write up the recipe for at some point.
I always use a hand blender to make hummus, such as this lovely Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. If you don’t have a hand blender, you can use a normal blender for this recipe but this really does make it so much easier!
Click here to discover my favourite hand mixer. I love this one because it can be taken apart to make it easier to clean.
7. Spiraliser
I often use my spiraliser to create lovely side dishes. This Lemony Prawn Courgetti is a favourite of mine. One thing I would say about a spiraliser is this: don’t believe people who say that spiralised courgette is the same as pasta. It tastes COMPLETELY different. I personally don’t like courgetti as a main meal, but I love using my spiraliser to create wonderful accompaniments to my meal. Great for salads too!
I have this 5-blade spiraliser, which is great and easy to clean!
8. Coffee Machine
This is a recent purchase, and I bought it because I have a small kitchen and can’t fit in a proper Barista-style coffee machine. It’s reasonably priced, as are the pods, and all the coffees that I’ve tried have been lovely. I chose the Nescafe Dolce Gusto because I found the pods to be cheaper than other options out there. My favourite pods are the Cafe au Lait, and I like to add Monin Salted Caramel syrup.
Check out the newest model of the Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Cafe au Lait pods, and Monin Salted Caramel Syrup.
What do I need for my kitchen?
When I move house eventually and have more room for storage, here’s a short list of kitchen accessories that I’d love to get my hands on in the future.
- Air fryer
- Slow cooker
- Barista-style coffee machine
- Stand mixer for baking
- Ice cream maker
- Bread maker
Do you have any of these kitchen items? Which is your favourite?