Last Updated on October 27, 2023
You might be very competent in the kitchen department, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself with little gadgets every now and then. Plus, some of these items aren’t even gadgets but must-have tools for a complete kitchen.
There are lots of handy kitchen accessories that make straining, shredding, grinding, chopping, or measuring easier. We put together 20 kitchen accessories for under $20, so you can go on a shopping binge without lightening your wallet. Some of these items might be in your kitchen already, but many will make you say, “I didn’t even know I needed this.”
1. Digital Infrared Thermometer
Need to know if the oil is at the exact temperature to pan-fry? Need to simmer your broth at a high temperature but just below the boiling point? A digital infrared thermometer can be the answer to all these problems.
You can use it to monitor how the temperature drops when you add the food or check the temperature in the oven without even opening the lid. When you make the necessary adjustments at the right time, you won’t believe how much better your dishes turn out. Take all the guessing out of heating, and you’ll never have a dry steak or dangerously undercooked chicken.
2. Digital Kitchen Scale
If you think about it, everything about cooking is really a science. Correct measurement and precision seriously up your cooking game.
A digital kitchen scale can help you achieve perfectness in your recipes — that tablespoon of flour is more subjective than you realize. Need to double your favorite recipe? Easy peasy. Want to count calories? No problem. And in case you didn’t know, measuring the ratio of coffee and water makes a huge difference in the wake-up juice.
There are digital kitchen scales for all price tiers in the market. But if you want a decent scale whose price is close to $20, this Nicewell Food Scale is a true winner on the price/performance ratio.
3. A Microplane
Any tool that’s useful in multiple ways is much more valuable than the ones that specifically do only one thing. A Microplane, such as this Zester Grater, helps you mince garlic, horseradish, or ginger, zest citrus, shred coconut, and grate hard cheeses, nutmeg, or chocolate… In a word, it makes it so much easier to sprinkle aromatics over your dishes, salads, or desserts.
You might be thinking, “Why do I need a Microplane when I have my good old grater?”. A Microplane’s blades are super sharp and spaced closer together, making it so much easier to grate, zest, shave, or whatever your cooking fairy tells you at the time.
4. Mandoline or Vegetable Slicer
A mandoline is a small guillotine with a stationary blade that lets you quickly cut fruits and vegetables. It comes in handy when you need perfectly uniform slices, thick or thin.
Being able to make a pile of paper-thin slices on a whim is quite practical. You can make paper-thin vegetable slices for elegant salads, turn vegetables into thinly sliced slaw for eating raw with a quick pesto, or slice a pile of potato in a snap to make some chips. This gadget can significantly increase your consumption of fruits and veggies.
A good mandoline costs a bit more than just 20 bucks, but it’s a good idea to get a cheap one, see if you like it, and upgrade to a high-quality mandoline when it no longer serves you. For example, this Supernal Mandoline Slicer Set is a good one to get you started.
5. Kitchen Tongs
Your tongs are basically like hands you can submerge in hot fryer oil, boiling water, or even flames at times. You can transport vegetables, mix salads, grab entire cuts of meat, and toss your spaghetti in the sauce. Although some of these things are doable with your own hands, when you use tongs, you don’t have to constantly wash contaminants off of your hands. Time is precious these days!
These Tribal Cooking kitchen tongues are both affordable and equipped with functions like a spring mechanism, lockable rings for easy storage, and an attached hook for hanging.
6. Clip Gripper
A clip gripper is basically a detachable handle you can attach to anything you want to lift but can’t touch with your hands. A tray in the oven, a cast iron skillet that could use a second handle, an overly heated plate in the microwave, an instant pot, a pan in the air fryer, or a bowl in the bain-marie… A decent clip gripper, such as these by Bonison, replaces your oven mitts and lets you pick hot plates, pots, and trays as if you had claws. No more burned fingers!
7. Steamer Basket
Most people use steaming as an incidental cooking technique. When you put a lid on a bowl and toss it in the microwave or on a simmering pot on the stovetop, you capture the power of steam that reheats and rehydrates the food.
A stainless steel steaming basket, such as this one from Consevisen, lets you harness the power of steaming to the fullest. It’s a foolproof kitchen tool that lets you make healthy steamed dishes on a whim in any lidded pot you have. Just bring the water to a boil, place the steamer basket above the water, load it with vegetables, and close the lid.
8. A Fish Spat
A fish spatula lets you easily flip delicate things on the pan, like a fish filet, an omelet, or a pancake, without tearing the flesh. But you can also stir, whisk, scrape, strain, and cut with it. Some chefs even say a fish spatula is the only spatula you need.
This kitchen tool comes in handy when you need to do a little improvisation, such as draining fries without a strainer or scraping crusty parts that end up stuck on the sheet pan. It also enables you to press on a steak or patties evenly for that delicious browning on the bottom. It actually replaces cooking weights if you can afford to stand there and apply pressure yourself.
In short, a fish spat is a really multitask tool that does whatever a regular spatula does, and much more. And a decent one, such as this OXO Good Grips stainless steel fish spat, comes just under $20.
9. A Whet Stone
Keeping your knives in mint condition has a couple of advantages. It lets you cut easier with more precision — that’s why it’s also safer — and turns the process of chopping up veggies into a pleasurable experience.
Your beloved knives need two things regularly: honing and sharpening. If you’re curious about the difference between the two, check out our best knife sharpeners article. But the moral of the story is: you can and should hone on a regular basis, ideally after each use.
The best way to sharpen your knives is to use a whetstone. Even though they look hard to master, it’s really not rocket science; you’ll quickly pick it up after a few trials. For a decent one, check this dual-sided whetstone out. You can use it with your kitchen knives, scissors, pocket knives, and razors.
10. Cooling Rack
Cooling racks might seem like a redundant addition to you if you haven’t used one before. What it does is elevate the food so the air can easily circulate all around it. It’s useful for both cooking and cooling down.
For example, these Hiware cooling racks work wonders when you need to cool down fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies. Place breaded foods on one of these racks before and after frying so they don’t shed the precious breading, or glaze some donuts and candies on it.
If you combine a cooling rack with a jelly-roll pan, you’ll have the perfect tray for broiling meats. The rack keeps the meat in the air so all sides cook evenly, and the tray holds any dripping delicious meat sauce so that you can pour it over the sizzling meat before serving. Yum!
11. Vegetable Cleaver
A vegetable cleaver, also called a Chinese cleave, can be very useful for chopping, dicing, slicing, or mincing vegetables. The big hefty blade makes you feel in control, plus, you can just scoop everything up with the blade’s side to transfer them to their destination — so it doubles as a spatula. Because they’re made of relatively softer steel, a vegetable cleaver is super easy to sharpen. If nothing, it’ll make you feel like Martin Yan.
Don’t confuse a vegetable cleaver with an ax-edged clever meant for hacking through bones. Chinese cleavers are fine-edged chef’s knives, and meddling with bones is a quick way to destroy them.
12. Microwave Steamer Bags
Did you know steaming your vegetables can be one of the best ways to preserve nutrients? If only there was a way to make steaming easier and more approachable… Oh, but there is!
You must have heard of microwave steamer bags before. If you haven’t paid attention before, this might be the day you incorporate microwave steaming into your weekly meal plan. The BPA-free microwave steamer bags like Ziploc let you steam any vegetable and make healthy and easy microwave meals in a snap. You can use them multiple times, too; up to 20. Just rinse and dry it once you’re done with it.
13. Spiralizer
Would you like to turn your leftover squash and zucchini into no-carb noodles? Some people say a spiralizer is perfect if you’re trying to lose weight or introduce healthier foods to your diet. By turning vegetables into noodles, you can sneak more of them into your and your loved ones’ diet. It’s also a quick way to prepare vegetables in mass, which means it can be your go-to equipment for those times you need to feed a crowd.
14. Silicone Baking Mats
Silicone baking mats give you an even, non-stick baking surface, resulting in evenly browned bottoms on each cookie you bake.
A silicone mat can do anything that parchment paper can and a little more. Thanks to their non-stick properties, it’s very convenient to use them for kneading dough. It’ll keep your counter clean and tidy while helping you roll out perfectly circular pie dough or allocate cookie dough evenly, thanks to the templates or measure markings printed on them.
Even though they are made of plastic, you cut down on the trash by replacing your parchment papers with spatula mats because they can be used over and over again.
15. Garlic Press
In case you missed it, let us tell you the secret to achieving the perfect garlickiness in your dishes. It’s not the chopping, slicing, or grating. The secret lies in the crushing.
When you crush the garlic, the cells inside get ripped open, releasing a set of chemicals that get into a reaction. Through this reaction, a magical component called allicin emerges. And allicin is what gives you that garlicky kick, as well as garlic’s famous health benefits.
One solution is to crush garlic in a mortar and pestle. But when you’re not preparing a whole paste, all you need is a little crushed garlic. In those moments, it’s easier to turn to a tool specifically made for the job, such as this ORBLUE garlic crusher. All you need to do is press the handles together, and delicious garlic paste will ooze out.
16. Herb Scissors
A herb scissors is a pair of scissors that looks like someone took a regular pair and hit “Duplicate” a bunch of times. As silly as it looks, if you like fresh herbs and use them more often than not, a pair of herb scissors can save you a lot of time on shredding, cutting, chopping, and mincing.
Since the layered design can be hard to clean at times, pick one that comes with a cleaning tool, such as these Jenaluca Herb Scissors. Its cover doubles as a cleaning comb to brush away any residue from the blades.
With a pair in hand, you no longer need to reach for a chopping board and a chef’s knife. Simply grab the herb scissors and snip parsley, oregano, or chives quickly as if you’re cutting paper. No residues on the cutting board, no fuss. It’s not only convenient but very satisfying to watch the way it cuts through herbs too.
17. Innovative Ice Cube Trays
We’ve all wrestled with rigid plastic ice cube trays before. Transferring the full tray to the freezer is never stress-free unless you have the reflexes of Bruce Lee. Not only that but getting the frozen cubes out of the tray is a messy business too. Plus, most traditional ice cube trays don’t have a cover, so the ice absorbs the smells. But it doesn’t have to be like that.
Ice cube trays entirely made of soft silicone are too wobbly to carry from the counter to the freezer without spilling water. But these DOQAUS Ice Cube trays are made of sturdy plastic with soft silicone bottoms, making transferring the tray to the freezer and removing the ice cubes a breeze. The set also comes with lids, so you can make ice cubes that are as fresh as possible.
18. Jar Spatula
Does the last drop in the jar bother you like an itchy tag on your clothes? A jar spatula, such as this KitchenAid one, is a slim, firm, yet flexible tool that enables you to maneuver in tight spaces so that you don’t painstakingly try to reach for the bottom of the peanut jar. To be honest, seamlessly scraping everything out of a jar with a few swipes, even digging into corners smoothly, is quite satisfying.
19. Textured Kitchen Sponges
Here’s how to make doing the dishes less of a dirty job. These O-Cedar Scrunge sponges are different from the regular yellow, rectangle sponges with a slightly rougher side. They look similar, but the scrubbing surface is bumpy and coarse-textured, making it much easier to remove stuck food and grease. Both sides are non-scratch, too, so you don’t have to worry about non-stick pans.
20. Kitchen Sponge Holder
You can’t clean with a dirty sponge. Even though you remove all the visible food and grease from your dirty dishes, a dirty sponge means germs, and we don’t want that.
Germs love themselves a moist warm place. If you throw in some food residue, too, you make the perfect incubator for germs. For that reason drying the sponge after each use is very important.
For better hygiene practices, investing in a kitchen sponge holder that doesn’t take up much space and doesn’t look tacky either is a pretty good idea. Take this SunnyPoint sponge holder. The open sides allow the sponge to dry nicely. Thanks to its slim profile, it doesn’t get in your way while working in the sink.
Over and Out!
Needless to say, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on different kitchen gadgets to be a good cook, but treating yourself to little things every now and then is a great motivation to spend more time in the kitchen.
Some of these items are really useful, some are quirky, and some are weirdly specific, but once you learn about them, they might turn into indispensable pieces for your kitchen drawer.
