If you’re reading this right now, there’s a good chance that like you’re a member of Team Procrastination. While you’re probably not going to trade in your jersey anytime soon, you can at least acknowledge there are certain things you should stop putting off, like this list of essential kitchen purchases. You’ve waited long enough to buy things like cutting boards and dishwasher cleaning tablets but it’s finally time to take the plunge. You can procrastinate on thanking us later.
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1
A heavy-duty, odor-free, sensor-activated (and easy-on-the-eyes) trash can
You won't mind keeping this out in the open.
Promising review: "I bought this trash can eight years ago. At the time, it was hard to find any stainless-steel trash cans for an affordable price, so the fact that this was the most reasonable and it had the automated lid seemed like a pretty easy choice. It still looks great and works great. You can wave over the sensor to open the lid, or there is a button on the front of it to open the lid and keep it open. The lid does a great job of holding any odors in while its closed." — Somni
Get it from Amazon for $69.78 (available in 20 styles).
Promising review: "I bought this trash can eight years ago. At the time, it was hard to find any stainless-steel trash cans for an affordable price, so the fact that this was the most reasonable and it had the automated lid seemed like a pretty easy choice. It still looks great and works great. You can wave over the sensor to open the lid, or there is a button on the front of it to open the lid and keep it open. The lid does a great job of holding any odors in while its closed." — Somni
Get it from Amazon for $69.78 (available in 20 styles).
2
A silicone safeguard
You'll want this if you've simply had it up to here (points to the brim of pot) with getting boiling pasta water all over your cook top.
Promising review: "Love this product! It does exactly what it is designed to do. It really works, has prevented many boil-overs for me. I can now make my oatmeal, pasta, or chicken broth without any worry of a messy spillover. I no longer have to stand near the stove to watch for the boil-over point, I can do other things or get distracted while this marvelous invention takes care of whatever I am simmering or boiling. It is a great value, you get two of them and I gave one to my son who cooks. It is also easy to clean, you can pop the yellow flower off for easier cleaning." — Hey Mom
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $12.99.
Promising review: "Love this product! It does exactly what it is designed to do. It really works, has prevented many boil-overs for me. I can now make my oatmeal, pasta, or chicken broth without any worry of a messy spillover. I no longer have to stand near the stove to watch for the boil-over point, I can do other things or get distracted while this marvelous invention takes care of whatever I am simmering or boiling. It is a great value, you get two of them and I gave one to my son who cooks. It is also easy to clean, you can pop the yellow flower off for easier cleaning." — Hey Mom
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $12.99.
3
A wooden cutting board
Props if it's color-coded like this one to prevent cross-contamination — so you finally have a proper place to chop and dice your meals. This set includes one bamboo cutting board and seven flexible, BPA-free mats. The mats can be inserted inside the bamboo board for storage.
Promising review: "One of our biggest issues in the kitchen is always the prep space! I loved the idea of this cutting board simply because of the different mats that come with it. Since there are many mats that are labeled for different purposes, cross-contamination is never an issue. Additionally, cleanup is really easy as we no longer have to clean a wooden board and then maintain the board after washing damage. Great purchase!" — K. Vance
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in two finishes).
Promising review: "One of our biggest issues in the kitchen is always the prep space! I loved the idea of this cutting board simply because of the different mats that come with it. Since there are many mats that are labeled for different purposes, cross-contamination is never an issue. Additionally, cleanup is really easy as we no longer have to clean a wooden board and then maintain the board after washing damage. Great purchase!" — K. Vance
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in two finishes).
4
A mini countertop compost bin
Because it's not too late to start caring about the environment. In fact, one could even argue that it is essential to start.
Promising review: "This is the perfect countertop bin to store composting scraps. To be clear, this is not a composter. Composting is a process that must be done over a period of time to break up organic material (like scraps of vegetables and egg shells) into compost which is excellent soil for the garden. I recently bought a Bokashi Composting Starter Kit (which includes the material to break down the scraps of organic material). I use this OXO bin by my cutting board and throw in scraps like banana peel and cucumber skins. Every two days or so I transfer the scraps into the composter. This is helpful because the smell is kept to a minimum. It also limits my opening and closing of my Bokashi Composting bin which is supposed to be kept to a minimum." — Luckydog
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four colors and two sizes).
Promising review: "This is the perfect countertop bin to store composting scraps. To be clear, this is not a composter. Composting is a process that must be done over a period of time to break up organic material (like scraps of vegetables and egg shells) into compost which is excellent soil for the garden. I recently bought a Bokashi Composting Starter Kit (which includes the material to break down the scraps of organic material). I use this OXO bin by my cutting board and throw in scraps like banana peel and cucumber skins. Every two days or so I transfer the scraps into the composter. This is helpful because the smell is kept to a minimum. It also limits my opening and closing of my Bokashi Composting bin which is supposed to be kept to a minimum." — Luckydog
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four colors and two sizes).
5
A stainless steel cleaner
It'll not only polish away existing grease, watermarks and fingerprints but will also help prevent new ones from sticking.
Promising review: "I was truly surprised at how well this product worked. A friend recommended it, and I thought at this price, I would give it a try. I couldn’t believe the difference it made to my stainless-steel appliances. Highly recommend using a microfiber cloth as directed. It buffed out all the smudges and fingerprints and does a good job of preventing future fingerprints. See photo: Right side is before and left side is after." — Amanda
Get it from Amazon for $11.88.
Promising review: "I was truly surprised at how well this product worked. A friend recommended it, and I thought at this price, I would give it a try. I couldn’t believe the difference it made to my stainless-steel appliances. Highly recommend using a microfiber cloth as directed. It buffed out all the smudges and fingerprints and does a good job of preventing future fingerprints. See photo: Right side is before and left side is after." — Amanda
Get it from Amazon for $11.88.
6
A multipurpose chef's knife
You can use it to prepare vegetables and meats alike.
Promising review: "It cuts things...and it cuts things well. What more do you need to know? Buy them already! Seriously though, we wanted to get some grown-up knives because we like to cook and were tired of the low-quality sets. I did my research and these are literally the best knives you can buy for the money (by the way, this is the same company that invented the Swiss Army Knife). Are you a professional chef? If not, you probably don't need that $300 chef knife and even if you were, I honestly doubt you would be able to tell that much of a difference." — Derek
Get it from Amazon for $44.95.
Promising review: "It cuts things...and it cuts things well. What more do you need to know? Buy them already! Seriously though, we wanted to get some grown-up knives because we like to cook and were tired of the low-quality sets. I did my research and these are literally the best knives you can buy for the money (by the way, this is the same company that invented the Swiss Army Knife). Are you a professional chef? If not, you probably don't need that $300 chef knife and even if you were, I honestly doubt you would be able to tell that much of a difference." — Derek
Get it from Amazon for $44.95.
7
A rapid egg cooker
It perfectly prepares six eggs in any manner your heart desires — hard-, medium- and soft-boiled eggs, two poached eggs, scrambled eggs, you name it. This way, you'll really have to go out of your way to mess up an egg.
Promising review: "I love hard-boiled eggs for protein, especially when I’m on the go as a student/worker but it’s hard to wait for the water to boil then put In the eggs and get ready all at the same time. This cooker is amazing!! Saves me time, it’s quick and I don’t have to watch it while it cooks — I can go get ready and then I hear a loud buzzer notifying me when the eggs are done! (The buzzer is really loud; sounds like a basketball game buzzer.) I was surprised how fast the eggs cooked." — Megan
Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in five colors).
Promising review: "I love hard-boiled eggs for protein, especially when I’m on the go as a student/worker but it’s hard to wait for the water to boil then put In the eggs and get ready all at the same time. This cooker is amazing!! Saves me time, it’s quick and I don’t have to watch it while it cooks — I can go get ready and then I hear a loud buzzer notifying me when the eggs are done! (The buzzer is really loud; sounds like a basketball game buzzer.) I was surprised how fast the eggs cooked." — Megan
Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in five colors).
8
An eight-piece glass bowl set with lids
They're the perfect size for meal prepping.
Promising review: "So, these, for me at least, have been perfect. They hold about 4 oz. and they seal very well. I've pre-chopped onions, garlic, ginger and stored them in my refrigerator for recipes I want to make in the next day or two. The lids are tight and they never leave an odor in the refrigerator. I've used plastic storage containers but they are generally larger than what I need and the chopped veggies don't seem to last as long as they do in these little glass cups. Plus, I don't have a lot of counter space and these take up very little. Since they are all the same size and stack well I don't have to work around them. Makes pre-assembly and organizing ingredients easy and makes cooking a lot less stressful." — Will O.
Get it from Amazon for $19.17.
Promising review: "So, these, for me at least, have been perfect. They hold about 4 oz. and they seal very well. I've pre-chopped onions, garlic, ginger and stored them in my refrigerator for recipes I want to make in the next day or two. The lids are tight and they never leave an odor in the refrigerator. I've used plastic storage containers but they are generally larger than what I need and the chopped veggies don't seem to last as long as they do in these little glass cups. Plus, I don't have a lot of counter space and these take up very little. Since they are all the same size and stack well I don't have to work around them. Makes pre-assembly and organizing ingredients easy and makes cooking a lot less stressful." — Will O.
Get it from Amazon for $19.17.
9
An oscillating tower fan with three handy speed settings
It'll help you stay cool while you're bent over the stove top making that dish the Internet told you to make.
Promising review: "Good size, relatively quiet. Perfect for kitchens, can be moved from area to area. Also, it has several different time settings and a remote with big buttons, which are helpful if you are visually impaired or have dexterity issues due to arthritis." — ReB
Get it from Amazon for $46.99+ (available in two colors).
Promising review: "Good size, relatively quiet. Perfect for kitchens, can be moved from area to area. Also, it has several different time settings and a remote with big buttons, which are helpful if you are visually impaired or have dexterity issues due to arthritis." — ReB
Get it from Amazon for $46.99+ (available in two colors).
10
A set of unfussy drawer trays
So you can organize all of your utensils.
Promising review: "Solid and sturdy, they don't move around in the drawer, they come in a number of sizes, and they make everything neat and tidy. The largest size in this set is long enough for a bottle brush, and the smallest size fits bottle openers, garlic press, small things like that." — gingero
Get it from Amazon for $16.76+ (available in three colors).
Promising review: "Solid and sturdy, they don't move around in the drawer, they come in a number of sizes, and they make everything neat and tidy. The largest size in this set is long enough for a bottle brush, and the smallest size fits bottle openers, garlic press, small things like that." — gingero
Get it from Amazon for $16.76+ (available in three colors).
11
A digital food thermometer
So you never have to play the fun guessing game of "Will I Get Very Sick From Eating This Undercooked Meat?"
Promising review: "This digital meat thermometer is the best I've ever had. I own others, but they are either too bulky to fit in the drawer or too hard to read. This one is small and lightweight; it's easy to pull out the probe and very easy to read the temperature. I purchased several as stocking stuffers for Christmas. They make a gift that will be appreciated for its size and ease of use, but most importantly, it will be a gift that gets used instead of put away in the closet." — YardleyDoc
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
Promising review: "This digital meat thermometer is the best I've ever had. I own others, but they are either too bulky to fit in the drawer or too hard to read. This one is small and lightweight; it's easy to pull out the probe and very easy to read the temperature. I purchased several as stocking stuffers for Christmas. They make a gift that will be appreciated for its size and ease of use, but most importantly, it will be a gift that gets used instead of put away in the closet." — YardleyDoc
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
12
A do-it-all Instant Pot
This handy kitchen gadget has seven functions: rice cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker and warmer!
Promising review: "This is quite possibly the coolest, most versatile kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned. I love it so much that I’ve purchased two more for friends and relatives. What can it do? I think the real question is 'What can’t it do?' I truly believe you could replace every cooking appliance (including your oven and stove top) and do EVERYTHING in the Instant Pot. I purchased two sizes for my own use: the 3-quart (which is my almost-every-day workhorse for two person dishes) and the 8-quart (which I bring out to handle my dinner party dishes). Everything I’ve tried has been fabulous. In the realm of kitchen appliances, there is no better investment than the Instant Pot. Highly recommended!!!" — Stereoman
Get it from Amazon for $63.94+ (available in three sizes).
Promising review: "This is quite possibly the coolest, most versatile kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned. I love it so much that I’ve purchased two more for friends and relatives. What can it do? I think the real question is 'What can’t it do?' I truly believe you could replace every cooking appliance (including your oven and stove top) and do EVERYTHING in the Instant Pot. I purchased two sizes for my own use: the 3-quart (which is my almost-every-day workhorse for two person dishes) and the 8-quart (which I bring out to handle my dinner party dishes). Everything I’ve tried has been fabulous. In the realm of kitchen appliances, there is no better investment than the Instant Pot. Highly recommended!!!" — Stereoman
Get it from Amazon for $63.94+ (available in three sizes).
13
A plastic storage container
So you're not throwing shriveled-up produce into your meal.
Promising review: "I wish I would have gotten these sooner. I bought strawberries for my children, and then I forgot about them. I found them in the back of the refrigerator almost TWO WEEKS later, and they were still good. The real miracle is how long it keeps zucchini. Zucchini starts to get mushy in the crisper drawer after just a few days. Again, these miracle containers have kept it fresh for close to two weeks now. I've kept cut lettuce, cut cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, sliced bell peppers, strawberries, blackberries, cut jicama, and carrots in these containers. I've had fantastic results with all of them." — Laura
Get a three-piece set from Amazon for $38.68.
Promising review: "I wish I would have gotten these sooner. I bought strawberries for my children, and then I forgot about them. I found them in the back of the refrigerator almost TWO WEEKS later, and they were still good. The real miracle is how long it keeps zucchini. Zucchini starts to get mushy in the crisper drawer after just a few days. Again, these miracle containers have kept it fresh for close to two weeks now. I've kept cut lettuce, cut cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, sliced bell peppers, strawberries, blackberries, cut jicama, and carrots in these containers. I've had fantastic results with all of them." — Laura
Get a three-piece set from Amazon for $38.68.
14
A kitchen scale
It'll convert between five units of measurements so you never fail the math portion of your next recipe.
Promising review: "Excellent value, spot-on accurate (tested using 100-gram calibration weight along with day-to-day items like 1/2 cup butter weighs exactly 4 ounces). We use this all the time in the kitchen. Measures very light things in the gram or oz. range, up to several pounds of potatoes. Every baker knows you should use a scale like this to measure. No-brainer to measure '1 cup' of flour (120 grams), no leveling, no sifting, just weigh out 120g/cup, and you get great results every time. How do you measure tablespoons of bulk farm fresh butter? Use this thing, 0.5 oz./Tablespoon. Tare works flawlessly. Grams or ounces, your call. A great all-around kitchen workhorse." — Tim M
Get it from Amazon for $10.06+ (available in six colors).
Promising review: "Excellent value, spot-on accurate (tested using 100-gram calibration weight along with day-to-day items like 1/2 cup butter weighs exactly 4 ounces). We use this all the time in the kitchen. Measures very light things in the gram or oz. range, up to several pounds of potatoes. Every baker knows you should use a scale like this to measure. No-brainer to measure '1 cup' of flour (120 grams), no leveling, no sifting, just weigh out 120g/cup, and you get great results every time. How do you measure tablespoons of bulk farm fresh butter? Use this thing, 0.5 oz./Tablespoon. Tare works flawlessly. Grams or ounces, your call. A great all-around kitchen workhorse." — Tim M
Get it from Amazon for $10.06+ (available in six colors).
15
A rice maker
It'll do the heavy lifting for you and make daily dinner prep a breeze.
Promising review: "Best rice-cooker ever made. Having the setting for steel-cut oats is why I purchased this item and it works perfect: 1 cup steel-cut oats (using the clear cup that comes with the cooker) and 3 cups water (using same clear cup). With this amount, it makes two to four servings depending on how big you want your serving to be. I refrigerate the extra servings and heat in microwave the next day or for a snack." — Bruce Bradshaw
Get it from Amazon for $149.95.
Promising review: "Best rice-cooker ever made. Having the setting for steel-cut oats is why I purchased this item and it works perfect: 1 cup steel-cut oats (using the clear cup that comes with the cooker) and 3 cups water (using same clear cup). With this amount, it makes two to four servings depending on how big you want your serving to be. I refrigerate the extra servings and heat in microwave the next day or for a snack." — Bruce Bradshaw
Get it from Amazon for $149.95.
16
An easy-to-use blender
So you whip up delicious smoothies, milkshakes and frozen cocktails in a flash.
Promising review: "I work in a vegan restaurant and use these once in a while for small amounts of dressings we use these. So when I was in the market for a personal blender for smoothies and dressings/sauces for two, I knew I wanted this.... and boy does it deliver! I love prepping the smoothies the night before in the containers. It's the perfect size for a small apartment and it easily stores in the cabinet if you need to clear off the countertop" — Bernadette
Get it from Amazon for $31.99.
Promising review: "I work in a vegan restaurant and use these once in a while for small amounts of dressings we use these. So when I was in the market for a personal blender for smoothies and dressings/sauces for two, I knew I wanted this.... and boy does it deliver! I love prepping the smoothies the night before in the containers. It's the perfect size for a small apartment and it easily stores in the cabinet if you need to clear off the countertop" — Bernadette
Get it from Amazon for $31.99.
17
A cutlery brush
It makes for a safe and efficient way to finally scrub away the residue plaguing your tricky kitchenware.
Promising review: "This product makes cleaning knives easy. The worst thing I do to my knives is leave them in the sink because I set them aside to wash with other dishes. This specialized tool makes it a cakewalk to do a quick pass on my knife right after I use it." — cooljames
Get it from Amazon for $6.99 (available in two colors).
Promising review: "This product makes cleaning knives easy. The worst thing I do to my knives is leave them in the sink because I set them aside to wash with other dishes. This specialized tool makes it a cakewalk to do a quick pass on my knife right after I use it." — cooljames
Get it from Amazon for $6.99 (available in two colors).
18
And dishwasher-cleaning tablets
They'll zap lime and mineral build-up more effectively than bleach. You might learn in the process where that unpleasant kitchen odor was coming from.
Promising review: "After using this product, I am happy to report that my $5 investment saved me over $500. I was ready to replace my dishwasher due to super cloudy glasses, residue, and dishes just not getting clean. Then, I became aware that the water softener was no longer doing its job so I had the rental company replace it. Dishwasher performance improved somewhat. I decided to do two more loads before deciding to purchase a new one. Then I saw a product test review for Affresh. I was ordering some stuff from Amazon anyway so I added that to my order. When it came, I tossed one of the tablets into the bottom of the full machine per the instructions and ran the regular cycle. I did not expect the results I got! The glassware that I thought was permanently etched and ruined came out like new. Same with cutlery. The difference is unbelievable. I will use this faithfully every month, as recommended. I can even put it on my subscribe and save order so I will get a new pack every six months. I am amazed!" — Sheila
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $5.99.
Promising review: "After using this product, I am happy to report that my $5 investment saved me over $500. I was ready to replace my dishwasher due to super cloudy glasses, residue, and dishes just not getting clean. Then, I became aware that the water softener was no longer doing its job so I had the rental company replace it. Dishwasher performance improved somewhat. I decided to do two more loads before deciding to purchase a new one. Then I saw a product test review for Affresh. I was ordering some stuff from Amazon anyway so I added that to my order. When it came, I tossed one of the tablets into the bottom of the full machine per the instructions and ran the regular cycle. I did not expect the results I got! The glassware that I thought was permanently etched and ruined came out like new. Same with cutlery. The difference is unbelievable. I will use this faithfully every month, as recommended. I can even put it on my subscribe and save order so I will get a new pack every six months. I am amazed!" — Sheila
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $5.99.
Grilling Products For Improving Summer Barbecues
