We have all been there. Enticed by an easier, better, faster way of doing something in the kitchen. I am not going to lie, I have been tempted by the endless infomercials and the new and improved versions of kitchen gadgets. Whether it is the perfect julienne potatoes or the perfectly diced onions with no tears. However, I do not enjoy clutter, so all of the items in my kitchen must impress and be used on a regular basis or they won’t make the cut. —I have compiled a list of 10 must-have kitchen items—items I love and use -items you may not know you even need.

1. Magic Egg Timer

Making the perfect hard boiled egg can be tricky… Well, if you are like me and walk away to start laundry, then remember you were cooking… and now you have one VERY hard egg. This egg timer goes into the water with your eggs. As the eggs cook, the egg timer changes colour to indicate the level of softness/hardness. All you have to do is wait for the eggs to cool and enjoy.

2. Silicone Straws

My kids LOVE using straws. We opt for silicone straws so we can minimize our single-use plastic waste and paper straws are not designed for the way kids use them. I could not be happier. Silicone straws are dishwasher safe and easy to clean with the straw brush. We also like the metal straws but they are not as kid-friendly as we need in our house.

3. Hand Blender or Immersion Blender

We use the hand blender for many blending needs as we make a lot of shakes and smoothies. You can also use the hand blender for pureeing soups and soft foods for babies. In our house we use it mainly for mixing our banana egg pancakes, morning shakes, and popsicles. The hand blender is easy to use and clean up is fast.

4. Digital Meat Thermometer

I was not blessed with innate cooking abilities and when it comes to cooking meat I rely heavily on recipes and thermometers! Growing up our family ate mostly plant-based. Meat was not high on the grocery list, mainly because of cost and the grocery bill was already high with four children. Now, when the timer goes off I use the meat thermometer. If it hits the right temperature, I know we are done. No overcooked meat on my watch!

5. Ice Cream Scoop

Every child’s favourite part of the day is dessert! And what is my family’s favourite? ICE CREAM. It really goes well any time of year and any occasion. A regular spoon just doesn’t cut it when scooping ice cream. You must own a real ice cream scoop, if for no other reason, do it for the kids!

6. ZOKU Popsicle Maker

You never have to wait long again for a popsicle. You can make a popsicle in as little as 7 minutes! I cannot say how often we use this in the summer. The easiest popsicle we make is chocolate oat milk fudgesicles. They taste amazing and it is so simple.

7. Silicone ice cube trays

Since we are the topic of frozen, silicone ice cube trays come in exciting shapes and the silicon makes it easy to remove the ice without cracks or breaks.

8. Mini Muffin Tin

What kid—or adult for that matter—doesn’t like bite-size? We make mini muffins and mini breakfast bites with our mini tins. You can purchase regular tins and line them with reusable silicone liners. That way you don’t have to worry about the non-stick material coated on your muffin tin, or avoid greasing the pan all together.

9. Zester

You may think that a zester is just for citrus fruits, but it has a lot of other uses for foods like cheese, garlic, ginger, or even carrots. I like that the zester is easy for the kids to hold so they can help in the kitchen.

10. Garlic Roll

This gadget is small and fits easily in the utensil drawer. All you do is pop the garlic into the tube and roll and, voila, the skin is removed!

Hopefully these gadgets help you out in the kitchen! What gadgets do you love that are a must?