On average, we spend over two hours per day in the kitchen preparing meals and cleaning up, so it’s no surprise that many are always on the lookout for a gadget to make the job quicker and easier. Clever inventors have developed numerous items that have changed the way we cook. Electric mixers have replaced hand beaters, food processors help us to chop, dice, and slice to perfection, and the microwave oven has revolutionized the way we cook.
Why 10 Kitchen Gadgets Are Worth Your Counter Space
10 Fat Magnet
Public health campaigns have long urged us to trim the fat from our diets, prompting home cooks to gravitate toward leaner cooking methods—grilling instead of deep‑frying, choosing trim cuts of meat, and loading plates with fresh produce.
The Fat Magnet steps in as a clever shortcut for the health‑conscious chef. Its claim is simple: you can keep your favorite rich stews, but the device will siphon off the excess fat, leaving a lighter broth behind.
All you need to do is freeze the metal plate for a few hours, then glide it across the surface of soups or sauces. The cold metal solidifies the fat, allowing you to scrape it away easily and serve a healthier, lower‑fat dish.
9 Banana Slicer
Throughout history, people have plucked bananas, peeled them, and munched them straight from the hand. The fruit has been cultivated since ancient times, and in more refined societies we began slicing bananas for cereal toppings or delicate desserts.
For centuries a simple kitchen knife has done the job, so it’s amusing to see a dedicated banana slicer on the market. Unsurprisingly, it’s become a frequent subject of online jokes.
The plastic, banana‑shaped crescent houses a series of blades that slice an entire banana in one swift motion. It can be a boon for those with arthritis or limited hand strength, but for most of us it’s quicker to grab a knife and cut the fruit ourselves.
8 Grape Peeler
Grapes have delighted humanity since the Neolithic era, enjoyed straight from the vine or pressed into wine. Ancient Egyptian art even shows servants peeling grapes for elite diners.
Older varieties sported thicker skins, making peeling a sensible step before eating or cooking. Modern grapes, however, are so thin‑skinned that many wonder why anyone would bother peeling them today.
The grape peeler offers a thin wire loop that lets you peel each grape individually. Serious chefs who dislike skins in sauces will thank it, though most of us would rather eat a bunch whole than spend minutes peeling.
7 Chork
If you love the idea of using chopsticks but haven’t mastered the technique, the Chork might be your new best friend. It’s a hybrid utensil featuring a fork on one end and a pair of chopsticks on the other.
Fast‑food chains are beginning to stock them, giving diners the choice: use the fork for classic Western fare or flip to the chopsticks for a splash of Asian flair. The fork side handles anything that would otherwise slip through chopsticks.
When you’re ready for a full chopstick experience, the two halves snap apart, turning the Chork into a disposable set of plastic chopsticks—perfect for teaching kids how to eat sushi or noodles.
6 Pizza ReHeater
We’ve all faced the dilemma of leftover pizza the next morning—some love it cold, others reach for the microwave, often ending up with a soggy or overly crisp slice.
The Pizza ReHeater solves that problem with a triangular tray that holds a measured amount of water. The water absorbs excess heat, allowing the pizza to reheat evenly in the microwave without turning the crust rubbery.
5 Trongs
Messy finger foods like wings or ribs can leave greasy fingerprints, a small but annoying inconvenience for many diners.
Trongs are silicone finger covers shaped like tiny claws. Slip them over each finger, and they act like miniature tongs, letting you grab slippery foods without soiling your hands.
4 Karoto
Peeling cylindrical veggies such as carrots can be a fiddly task with a standard peeler or knife, prompting inventors to devise a faster method.
The Karoto, designed in Israel, resembles an oversized pencil sharpener. Insert the vegetable into the opening and twist—just like sharpening a pencil—and the skin comes off in seconds, keeping your fingers safe.
3 Electric Spaghetti Fork
Twirl‑and‑lift spaghetti the classic way, but if you’re not a pro at winding pasta around a fork, you might end up with a tangled mess.
The Hog Wild Twirling Spaghetti Fork is battery‑powered and automatically spins the spaghetti onto the fork, delivering a perfectly twirled bite with the press of a button.
Videos show both kids and adults getting tangled in the process, making it a hilarious (if slightly messier) way to eat pasta, especially for little ones who love a gadget.
2 Cookie Dipper
There are two camps when it comes to dunking cookies: the devoted dunkers who love submerging Oreos in milk, and the purists who avoid soggy crumbs.
Even something as simple as dunking inspired inventors to create specialized tools, like the Dipr, a magnetic or fork‑style device that holds a cookie steady while you dip.
These contraptions range from basic fork‑like picks to magnetic holders, turning a routine dunk into a slightly more sophisticated (and arguably mess‑free) ritual.
1 Self‑Stirring Coffee Mug
Morning coffee rituals are usually straightforward: brew, pour, stir, and sip. For many, a simple spoon does the job.
For instant‑coffee lovers, the routine includes scooping powder, adding hot water, and giving a quick stir—often with the spoon still stuck in the mug.
The self‑stirring mug takes that extra step out of your hands. Two tiny batteries power an internal whisk that spins when you press a button on the handle, mixing your drink automatically.
It begs the question: why not just use a spoon?
Lesley Connor is a retired Australian newspaper editor, who provides articles for online publications and her own travel blog.