I spend a significant amount of my time in the kitchen, which is why I need some tools to help me out. I don’t particularly like cooking, but with a family, somebody has to do it. Plus I like to eat good food, so it only makes sense that I have to spend time producing said food. However, since chronic illness came my way it has become more difficult to cook the way I would like. My hands just don’t work the way I’d like them to, and like it or not you need functional hands to cook. So along the way, I’ve found a few gadgets to help me out in the kitchen and these are some of my favorites.
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Budget Items
I love garlic so very much. If a recipe calls for one clove of garlic I put in four, but crushing garlic by hand got old very fast. I just don’t have the hand strength that I used to so I rely on the garlic press to do most of the work for me.
Also, pre-peeled garlic is amazing if it’s within the budget.
2. Jar Key
Opening jars is a joke when your hand hurt all the time. A jar key pops the vacuum seal of jar lids so they spin open and you don’t have to twist or grip the lid.
3. Vegetable Chopper
My grandfather used to buy a lot of “as seen on tv” items and when he died I inherited his vegetable chopper. I had no idea what I was missing out on until I got this thing. I make a lot of soup and this cut my vegetable prep time in half.
When I had functioning hands I thought electric can openers were a huge pain and would never have thought of using one. Life has paid me back for that thought! I can no longer open cans by hand unless they have pull tabs, and even that is hit or miss.
I hate digging through my kitchen drawers to find the right size measuring cups. These have magnetic handles so everything sticks together.
Chopping is a huge pain for me. The hands are just not willing to go through the hand motions required. A rocking knife requires less strength and dexterity than other knives.
7. Pizza cutter
You don’t just have to use it on pizza, you can use it on a number of things. You can cut herbs, sandwiches (I use it to cut my kids’ cheese sandwiches into triangles) etc.
Splurge Items
8. Instant Pot
The Instant Pot has developed something of a cult following, and there’s a reason why. It makes cooking quick, easy, and fairly painless. I use mine at least twice a week. Here are a few of my favorite recipes.
This is obviously a huge investment and is only worth it if you bake a lot. I love homemade bread, and my kitchen aid has been a lifesaver. No more stirring or kneading because it’s all taken care of. I also use it when I make cookies instead of the hand mixer I used previously, it’s just easier on my arms and hands.
10. Memory foam mat
Obviously, this isn’t exactly a gadget, but it’s something I couldn’t live without. My kitchen has a tiled floor which can be hard on my feet and legs if I stand too long at the counter. My memory foam mat is a lifesaver for my poor legs.
Hi Shelley, it’s me again, thank you so much for this post, over here in the rather gloomy damp and generally rather freezing U.K. You really have to dig to find user friendly items like those on the post. I have difficulty standing too, I had no idea this type of mat existed. The garlic press too, I’ve been trying to chop by it by hand recently. Mostly successfully, sharp knives in my hands are not ideal these days. My poor fingers put up with a lot these day’s, I think that they’d leave if it was physically possible, poor things. I swear I can cut myself just looking at a knife, however just before Christmas I also splurged on a Kitchen Aid mixer and some attachments for shredding and slicing Etc, it’s been worth more than gold to me, in a very short time. Don’t forget sarcasm rules. Regards Linda x ?
Thanks for your comment Linda! I wish I could share my hot weather with you (i’m currently in a tank top and sandals). The mat is my favorite thing, it does wonders for my legs with all the standing I do.
I need to find a rocking knife, but I do have alot of the other items on the list. They are all huge Lifesavers in the kitchen. I just wish I bought two of the mats when I got one of them. I have one in front of my sink and it is amazing. I need one in front of my oven! Heck I would love to floor my house with them!
May I add one more gadget to your well thought out, on-point list?
I have a long-handled grabber tool that has allowed me to work in the kitchen a little more independently! I no longer have to call for help
if what I need is too high in the cupboard or too far back in the pantry!
I used to just stand on a chair but that’s not an option for me any longer.
Thank you for ideas I hadn’t thought of!
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