These essential kitchen gadgets tools are a must-have when preparing for the big day. From the best food processor to a classic chef’s knife, these tools will make Thanksgiving meal prep a breeze.
Hosting a holiday meal, fun as it can be, inevitably brings some level of stress. From planning the menu to executing multiple dishes in a single kitchen, there’s plenty that can go wrong, sending even the best-laid plans spiraling. While it’s impossible to foresee every hiccup, it certainly helps to be prepared. That means getting your shopping done early (especially this year when many stores have capacity limits!) and making whatever you can ahead of time (the freezer is your friend!).
It also means taking inventory of your kitchen now. Because having the right Essential Kitchen Gadgets Tools on hand, like hardworking pots and pans or clever gadgets that simplify the prep work, can make all the difference—so you can enjoy the day instead of cooking it away.
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Essential Kitchen Gadgets Tools For Holiday Cooking
Hard-Anodized Pots and Pans 13 Piece Premium Cookware Set
13 PC boxed set comes with 8″ skillet, 10″ fry pan, 12.5″ fry pan, 1.5 QT sauce pan with lid, 2.5 QT sauce pan with lid, 3 QT chef’s pan with lid, 3 QT sauté pan with lid & 6 QT stock pot with lid. Everything a kitchen needs whether cooking for one or cooking for many. The options are endless!
Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
Properly measuring your cookies not only ensures they cook evenly, but also gives them a uniform look that rivals what you’d get at your local bakery.
Multipurpose Cutting Shears with 5 Stainless Steel Blades
Rather than painstakingly chop all of those aromatics, grab this clever set of kitchen shears. Ten high-quality stainless steel blades uniformly slice everything from parsley to sage in a snap.
Good Grips Good Gravy Fat Separator
When there are other dishes to tend to, nobody has time to painstakingly skim the fat from the top of the gravy. Thankfully, you don’t have to. Simply pour it into this measuring cup, then squeeze the trigger on the handle to release the liquid gold from the bottom leaving the fat behind.
Deluxe Stainless Steel Baster
Whether the star of your table is turkey or a roast, this two-in-one tool will ensure the end result is juicy and flavorful, not dry and bland.
Large Silicone Pastry Mat
Roll this nonstick silicone baking mat onto the counter to prep the likes of pie crusts, cookies and dinner rolls. With guides for length and thickness, the outlines make quick work of measuring.
Adjustable Rolling Pin
Who can really eyeball ¼-inch? This rolling pin features adjustable rings that help take the guesswork out of prepping tarts, pie crusts, tarts, cookies, and more.
MEATER Plus Smart Wireless Meat Thermometer
When you have a variety of dishes and guests that require attending to all at once, you don’t want to be tethered to your oven continuously monitoring the temperature of your bird. Opt for this wireless version instead, which harnesses the power of Bluetooth to deliver up-to-the-minute readings and alerts.
Portable Induction Cooktop
If you’re working with a small space and a limited amount of burners, this standalone induction cooktop can help you accomplish an immensely difficult feat—getting everything on the table at the same time.
7-Piece Vegetable Cutter
Four interchangeable blades let you quickly julienne, chop, and slice vegetables with professional grade precision.
Black Ceramic Pie Bird
No one wants to clean up bubbled-over pie filling from the bottom of their oven. A pie bird can help prevent such sticky situations, as they allow steam to escape from your pie without bursting the crust.
Digital Kitchen Scale
Frequent bakers know that a good scale is indispensable. But it can also be used to accurately measure ingredients for other kinds of recipes. This one is as affordable and straightforward as they come.
Square Baking Dish
Skip the step of transferring sides to serving platters by using oven-safe ceramic dishes that are pretty enough to serve the food in. Square baking dish measures 9-inch by 9-inch. Easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher
Well! Setting up a new kitchen? Trying to pare down an overload of gadgets? Check out our guide to what you’ll actually use in the kitchen.👇
19 Essential Kitchen Gadgets Tools Every Cook Should Have
Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board
A sturdy, stable surface is essential when it comes to prepping your food. A wooden cutting board will help protect your knife from dulling quickly, as well as make cleanup a breeze.
Chef’s Knife
A good knife is a chef’s best friend. This is one of the few things that you’ll thank yourself for investing in. Carbon-plated stainless steel will stay sharp over time, but go to a specialty store to find the best match for you. Choose a knife that you feel comfortable handling. It should feel balanced in your hand, easy to hold and control, not too heavy, but definitely not flimsy.
Stainless Steel Turner
Sturdy stainless steel turner effortlessly lifts, flips, chops and drains. Broadhead has an extra surface area to flip large patties, pancakes, and more…
The perforated head drains away cooking fat and keeps food from sticking. Soft, comfortable, non-slip grip, even when wet. Sleek, polished design for kitchen-to-table appeal. Dishwasher safe
Silicone Spatula
A silicone spatula is crucial for scraping out the food processor or the sides of the mixing bowl, swirling frosting onto a cake or folding egg whites into cake batter. Make sure your spatula is silicone and not rubber, or else it may risk melting under high heat. If you make lots of garlicky things, you may want to have a separate spatula for sweet baking only.
Better Balloon Whisk
Sturdy metal whisks come in all shapes and sizes. Choose a mid-sized whisk with a handle that fits comfortably in your hand. Use it to mix dry ingredients together before baking, stir eggs for a frittata or emulsify a vinaigrette.
Wooden Slotted Spoon
Whether it’s wooden or metal, a perforated (or slotted) spoon acts like a miniature strainer, removing solids from liquids—think pulling potatoes or small pasta noodles from boiling water.
Kitchen Shears
Super basic, super useful. Every day, you’ll reach for shears to open up packaging, snip away herb stems, or trim fat from meats. Once in a while, you might use them to cut up a whole chicken or trim the crust off a pie. Look for a pair that dismantles for cleaning, so gunk doesn’t build up in the hinge.
Stainless Steel Lock & Release Silicone Coated Cooking Tongs
For a few bucks, you can buy a cheap pair of metal tongs that’ll last you a lifetime. I’m always finding new uses for mine, from turning chicken breasts in the pan to reaching into the oven to check on my roast. (Basically, think of them as extensions of your fingers.) They’re also great for serving family-style dinner.
Instant-read Thermometer
Easily (and quickly) check to see if your meats have cooked enough.
Nonstick Pan, Nonstick Stone Frying Pan
What is Stone Coating Pan? This stone pan is a kind of innovation that imitates the shape& texture of Marble stone(volcanic rock) and adopts a 100% PFOA, PTFE, lead and cadmium free nonstick coating. COOK HEALTHIER AND EASIER !
Nonstick Skillet
Easy to clean, lightweight nonstick pans are ideal for scrambling eggs or wilting greens. Look for ceramic coating, as some nonstick pans are made with PFOAs, chemicals that may be harmful to your health and the environment.
Nonstick Cookware Set
I love this cookware! I’ve used many brands (top of the line) and been disappointed. Not with this set! The pieces are Not too heavy nor too light. Even cooking throughout. I purchased two additional pieces. One more saucepan and one extra large skillet. JUST PERFECT!!
Dutch Oven
Ah, the classic Dutch oven, another cast iron essential. Look for a 5 or 6 quart if you cook for a small crew, or go big with a 7 or 8 quart and feed a crowd. This pan can go in the oven or on the stovetop, so you can sear meat and then slowly cook a stew for hours in a low oven. (It’s like the original slow cooker.) You can also use your Dutch oven as an alternative to the large sauce pan above. And you can bake bread with a super crackly crust in your D.O. They’re expensive, so save your pennies and use it every chance you get.
Sheet Pan
Sheet pans are fab for baking cookies. Make foil-wrapped fish fillets, chicken with veggies, deep dish pizza, or roast veggies. One pan dinners = easy cleanup!
13×9 Baking Dish
Bake up a hearty casserole or sweet sheet cake with this versatile dish. These come in pretty colors, so find one that matches your dishes; you’ll want to serve right out of it.
Immersion Blender
Once I handled an immersion blender, I kissed my standing blender goodbye. This handheld tool makes it so easy to blend soups, smoothies, and pestos with the push of a button. I find much easier to handle than a traditional blender, and it’s great because it takes up much less space, too.
3-Packs Blue Silicone Kitchen Collapsible Colander Set
These are great! My kitchen is really small and I was tired of having to use a step-ladder or chair to get into my cabinet and dismantle the whole stack of baking dishes to get to the strainer in the bottom of the pile. The two smaller of these strainers fit very nicely on my wall on hooks, while the bigger one fits well in my cabinet, and the big one takes up the whole top of my sink which I needed very badly. Would recommend.
Box Grater
I find myself reaching for this sturdy shredder at the most unexpected times—whether it’s shredding zucchini for healthy-ish muffins or softening butter extra quick. It might take a little extra elbow grease compared to a food processor, but I love how my box grater doesn’t take up much space.
Coarse Cheese Grater
My microplane is my go-to tool for when I want my dishes to feel gourmet. It’s a fine grater that’s perfect for adding thin sprinkles of Parmesan over a pasta dish or adding lemon zest to a flaky fish.
Prep Bowls
This might sound like a no-brainer, but it’s important to have a variety of mixing bowls. Get ones that are metal or glass because they’re less porous than plastic. They won’t pick up stains or odors. I have a single large metal mixing bowl for cake mixes, chopping up salads, or oiling down veggies. My smaller bowls hold 1 to 2 cups and are the perfect way for me to practice mise en place in the kitchen—staying super organized while I cook.
This is it! The most wonderful time of the year! There’ll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and loads of other holiday cheer coming out of our kitchens.
And in order to whip up some holiday magic, we turn to our trusty kitchen tools to get the job done. For me, that’s this nifty little juicer I’ve mentioned before.
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