I find kitchen gadgets and single-use culinary tools very, very tempting, but my partner is always quick to remind me that a lot of the things I covet will do nothing in our tiny kitchen but take up space. So, when I came across this Reddit thread of people sharing the kitchen tools that they didn’t think they’d use that much that turned out to be 1,000% worth it, I immediately started taking notes. Here are some of the top comments:
1.“I resisted spending big money on an espresso machine but eventually gave in. Broke my Starbucks habit and am actually financially ahead now.”
Person making coffee with an espresso machine in a kitchen, placing a cup under the spout, ready to brew
2.“I was over 40 years old when I bought my first salad spinner. It makes my salad experience much better. No more wet lettuce.”
“I got a small Salad Spinner, and I love it! I had a big one, but it was annoying to get in and out of the cabinet. I had to move everything around. The little one is perfect. If I need more salad than its capacity, I just spin another batch. Easy to store, which means I use it more.”
3.“100% my rice cooker. My husband bought me a rice cooker about 20 years ago. It literally sat in the box on a shelf for 10 years. I was terrified to use it. One day, I decided to give it a go — it changed my life. I have upgraded throughout the years and can’t imagine my kitchen without it.”
Person serving rice from a rice cooker into a bowl, wearing a striped shirt and apron, highlighting a simple cooking process
4.“I have a 3.5 cup KitchenAid food processor I went back and forth on for years. I finally bought it when it was on sale, and I use it for everything: shredding cheese, chopping onion, garlic, and shallots, blending sauces. I don’t have a bigger food processor as space is limited, but this one is the perfect size for everyday use, and I wish I bought it years ago!”
5.“I didn’t know how much I NEEDED a lemon/lime squeezer until after a night of making margaritas without one. Now I have heart eyes about them.”
Hands squeezing juice from a lime into a metal container, focus on the action
6.“Dehydrator. I grow a bunch of stuff in my garden and it’s great for drying peppers for powders and doing ‘sundried’ tomatoes, among other things.”
7.“Toaster oven. I use it more than my regular oven for everyday roasting and baking.”
A woman places a tray of freshly baked muffins into a modern oven on a kitchen counter
8.“Air fryer. Thought I’d just use it for heating up frozen beige things for the kids, but we use it far more often than the oven now. Most things we cook in the oven actually cook better in the air fryer, which I wasn’t expecting.”
“My pick as well. Heats up faster, and doesn’t warm up the kitchen. Ours is large enough for big batches (great for the family) but also small enough that it’s practical to use for individual snacks. It came with various time and temp presets but was also easy enough to set manually with automatic shutoff. So many pros for something I thought was just a gimmick before.”
9.“Waffle maker. Thought it would be useless, but I’ve changed my diet, and protein waffles with real syrup and fresh fruit is a special meal that has brought such light into my life. I’ve had waffles at least once a week since Thanksgiving!”
Person pouring batter into a red waffle iron on a kitchen countertop, preparing to make waffles. Cooking utensils and a jar are in the background
10.“Hot (boiling) water tap. I didn’t realize how much I would love having boiling water right there and then.”
“I have one.
Water heats up to 175 degrees in like two seconds. I use it for making Americanos and tea, getting my water to boil faster. Lots of things.
Honestly, it seems silly, but I use it constantly.
Cheaper than you would expect, too!”
11.“Egg cooker. Got it as a present and didn’t unbox it for years. Now, I won’t hard boil any other way! It’s amazing. The shell never sticks and they come out perfect every time.”
Hands peel a brown egg over a wooden surface, with a bowl and unpeeled eggs nearby
12.“KitchenAid stand mixer.”
“It makes baking so much more enjoyable. I find myself doing it a lot more. Also upped my burger game; the meat grinder attachment is a great way to compliment fresh buns.”
13.“Not really an appliance, but I use my food scale SO much more than I thought I would. Definitely every day, if not multiple times a day.”
A kitchen scale with a metallic bowl and red body, showing a weight measurement
“Baking with a food scale is so much easier and more accurate! A great cheap upgrade.”
14.“FoodSavers vacuum sealer. I thought, ‘I don’t need one; I can put my leftovers in Ziploc bags.’ But it’s pretty easy to use when you get used to it and meat lasts way longer without freezer burn.”
“I snagged a $200 model on Marketplace for $35. It is used weekly. I make a lot of soup for lunches and also make extra when making casseroles. Individual portions into the bag, vacuum seal, and then flatten the bag. They stack beautifully and defrost so much faster.”
15.“Immersion blender. I was on the fence for years but finally got one because it had a whisk attachment and was like $13 at Walmart. I have used the actual blender function nearly weekly for 8 years and just had to replace it. But the fact that I don’t have to deal with a traditional blender when making soups or sauces?! Amazing!”
Person blending fruit smoothie in a kitchen, focused and wearing an apron
16.“I’m a gadget fiend, so I’m always up for a new appliance. So this is on behalf of my husband. I had to talk him into an electric kettle. He thought that it was silly since we had a stove right there. But we use that thing every day and wouldn’t want to be without one now!”
17.“Induction cooktop. Wow, that thing is a powerhouse that’s a breeze to keep clean. Buh bye gas ranges.”
Person uses a modern induction cooktop with a frying pan
18.“Potato ricer. Nothing but smooth mashed potatoes ever since.”
“Yaaaass. I worked in a restaurant that had unbelievably good mashed potatoes. They roasted them (baked) with skins on, peeled them hot (it slips right off), then riced them and put them through a fine sieve. Butter, salt, maybe pepper — smooth and creamy with no cream or milk but the butter!”
19.“Electric can opener. I never understood needing one. My little cranky one did me just fine. But now I am 61 and developing arthritis in my hands. Especially in the winter, the electric can opener is a lifesaver.”
Person using an electric can opener on a kitchen counter
20.“Instant thermometer and a thermometer gun. It’s so great not having to guess if things are hot enough.”
21.And finally, “I looooove pineapple, and they’re usually like $3 or less at Aldi. I go through at least one a week. Anyway, once, at Aldi, I saw a pineapple cutter. It’s essentially a blade on a spiral. You cut off the top of the pineapple, jam in the cutter, give it a spin, and bam, in about two minutes, you got all the pineapple out and ready to eat.”
Person slicing a pineapple on a wooden cutting board, with natural light illuminating the scene
“I saw the tool a few times and was like, ‘Pshh, who is too lazy to cut up a pineapple?’ But then, every time I’d cut up a pineapple, I’d be annoyed about how messy it was, how much waste there was, and how long it took. So, I grabbed a cutter the next time I saw one.
It changed my life.
The cheap one from Aldi did break after about a dozen uses, so I got a better one. I hate single-use tools, but man, this one is really useful.”
“A lot of tools for fruit have been extremely helpful to me.
I, too, have a pineapple corer and love it. I use my cherry pitter to take the pits out of six cherries at once. Takes maybe 10 minutes to do a whole bag of cherries.
I have a mango cutter tool that cuts the mango seed right out. I still have to take the mango out of the skin, but the tool makes it easier.”
Is there a kitchen tool you can’t live without? Tell me all about it in the comments!
