33 Kitchen Tools And Gadgets Under $50 That Will Take Your Holiday Dinners To The Next Level

Shopping Caret Right Home Caret Right Kitchen · Posted 2 hours ago 33 Kitchen Tools And Gadgets Under $50 That Will Take Your Holiday Dinners To The Next Level Whipping up a large holiday feast is about to be a whole lot easier. by Heather Braga BuzzFeed Staff Facebook Pinterest Twitter Mail Link We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Some may have been sent as samples, but all opinions and reviews are our own.

Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication. 1.

A culinary blow torch so you can *finally* make your own baked Alaska after watching various chefs do it on TV for years. amazon. com Promising review: “Super easy to use, with easy to follow instructions.

Also has an adjustable flame option. My creme brûlée came out to perfection!” — Sumithra Sriram Get it from Amazon for $14. 94 .

2. A handheld knife sharpener that’ll bring your most used kitchen utensils back to life in a flash without destroying your countertop or cutting boards. Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed Promising review: “I gotta say this is the best sharpener I ever bought in my whole life.

I got it today and brought it to work. I work at a Japanese restaurant as a sushi chef and I sharpened it at work and, wow, my knife was as sharp as a samurai sword! Even my coworkers were surprised and asked me to order one for them. Thanks for the product! Now I don’t have to use the stone or sharpen rod that much anymore.

” — Rodrigo Get it from Amazon for $10. 62 . Check out our full review of the KitchenIQ 50009 Edge Grip 2-Stage Knife Sharpener .

3. A big salad spinner you’ll thank the heavens for when you realize you don’t have to serve wet leaves to the masses this holiday. Amazon Promising review: “I am shocked how well it works! I used to use a regular colander and it would take forever for my salad to get dry.

Now just a few spins and I left it sit and it’s completely dry. Highly recommend. — Average Shopper Get it from Amazon for $29.

99 . 4. A pack of oven liners to protect the bottom of your oven from any overflow/oozing and let you continue pretending you’re competing on The Great British Baking Show worry free.

Amazon Promising review: “I expected to be happy, but I’m thrilled! Each mat is pliable and fits the entire width of my standard oven. When the mat is against the back wall, it extends up to but not over the front lip of the floor. On first use, pizza cheese and sauce dripped onto the front edge of the mat and onto that uncovered lip.

The baked-on cheese and sauce slid right off the mat! Effortlessly! After I cleaned up the lip, I layered a second mat to cover the lip. These mats are so great that I almost want food to drip on them so I can show off how wonderful they are. ” — Artset Outset Get a pack of three from Amazon for $11.

99 . 5. A rapid egg cooker that’ll make your breakfast faster than you can say, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Amazon, amazon.

com One little machine that can whip up hard-boiled eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, and omelets? Sounds magical! And let me tell you — it is. Get one of these egg-cellent appliances ASAP. Promising review: “If you are on the fence about getting one of these, GET ONE.

It really is as easy as it sounds to have a perfectly cooked egg, no guesswork. Just have an ice bath ready next to the cooker and let the eggs sit for a minute or two in there. .

. peels come right off. 🙂 Makes healthy eating a breeze in the morning! Where has this been all my life!??!?” — rebecca Get it from Amazon for $19.

99+ (available in eight colors). Check out our deep dive into the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker . 6.

Keurig machine cleaning cups to ensure it’s ready to crank out enough coffee, teas, or hot chocolate for your guests come dessert time. amazon. com Promising review: “You do not realize how nasty your Keurig is on the inside until you use one of these! Seriously, it’s pretty disgusting! After using one of these my coffee even tastes more fresh.

I’d suggest instead of running one through and then one hot water cup to run a whole reservoir of water through it just to make sure all the cleaning agent is out of it before you try a cup of coffee. I love this product and I love that I’m now not drinking that dirty sludge I saw coming out of my Keurig Machine!” — Dawn S. Get a pack of six for $9.

95 . 7. Reusable baking cups so you can say “see ya!” to getting frustrated while attempting to peel the paper off your freshly baked muffins and cupcakes.

Amazon These are way less wasteful and more environmentally friendly to reuse those colorful cups instead of paper ones. And (!!!) they can stand up on their own so if you don’t own a muffin tin you can *still* bake with ’em. Promising review: “I have always wanted to buy silicone cups because I love to bake (but hate foil and paper cups), so I’m glad I finally got around to it.

These are perfect. They are fun and colorful, and despite feeling thin, they are very durable and hold up to oven temperatures no problem. I didn’t have to adjust baking times, or grease the cups.

My muffins came out really easily with minimal residue. A little tedious to clean because the crumbs get caught in the grooves, but not a huge deal. I just flipped them inside out and scrubbed with hot water and soap.

I would definitely recommend these for any baker!” — Paula Get a set of 12 from Amazon for $5. 39 . 8.

A drawer organizer to keep utensils in order so you won’t find yourself fumbling through a disaster zone in an attempt to find a serving spoon. amazon. com BuzzFeed editor Chelsea Stuart has used this product to make her kitchen feel less chaotic: “It has freed up SO much space in our cutlery drawer that we can now store teas, small Tupperware, etc.

vs. before it was just a mess of utensils. ” Promising review: “I had never seen this before I bought it, and holy crap it changed my life.

So. Much. Room.

There is so much room left in my drawer now that I moved stuff from another drawer and I have an entirely empty drawer in my kitchen now. Now only HALF the drawer is silverware and the other half is spatulas and cooking utensils. It is great.

It also seems very sturdy. Highly recommend. ” — van31050 Get it from Amazon for $8.

99 . 9. A sleek utensil that’ll act as a slotted spoon, spatula, turner, and a slicer and dicer (just use the edge!).

Who knew one lil’ kitchen tool could be used for so many things. Joseph Joseph Promising review: “Give it a cap and a costume, this is the only thing I need in the kitchen! I am often looking for tools that can replace the 30 others I have collected in my kitchen. I have used this to flip grilled cheese, stir red beans and rice, strain Brussels sprouts, and taste sauce.

I used the flat edge to cut onions that were too large once in the pot and scrape the bottom of the pan. The uni-tool feels nice in my hand, has held up fine in multiple dishwashings, and has allowed me to toss a few kitchen tools that have become obsolete. ” — Hiawhatha Get it from Amazon for $9.

99 . 10. A cutting board and strainer combo , because who wouldn’t appreciate a 2-in-1 item that’ll save ’em room in their kitchen? Amazon Promising review: “This is one of my favorite things I have purchased for our tiny apartment! It’s a pretty good size cutting board and I can see it fitting over most sinks.

I LOVE the bowl inside that can let wet ingredients drain liquid directly into the sink. It’s seriously SO nice to have this when you’re limited on counter space!” — Atara Get it from Amazon for $19. 99 (available in two colors).

11. A lemon squeezer you can use to literally live out the old saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. ” It’ll make adding freshly squeezed citrus into your recipes easier than ever.

Amazon My mom got one of these and continues to rave about it to me each time she uses it. I wasn’t sure what all the hype was about until I watched how easily she was able to squeeze a slew of lemons for a recipe she was working on. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Promising review: “This thing changed my life! We have a very high-yielding lemon tree and I dreaded the though of hand squeezing hundreds of lemons this year. This tool makes it effortless to get all the juice out of citrus. I ordered one for my mom, who has arthritis in her wrists, and she loves it too.

” — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $14. 99+ (available in eight styles). 12.

An adjustable rolling pin that’ll help you roll any dough to a specific width — and we all know how essential it is to get your gingerbread *just* right. Amazon Promising review: “OMG! I have been looking for this my whole life! I make sugar cookies and I like them pretty thick and it is hard to roll them out evenly. This is PERFECT.

. . and I mean PERFECT!! I baked three batches of cutout sugar cookies in less than an hour an a half!!! No joke! I was going to buy one of those cookie things with the sidebars but they are over $50.

This works amazingly well and the price is perfect. Great product!!!” — L. Stanley Get it from Amazon for $20.

98+ (available in two styles). 13. A handheld garlic press you’ll be ready to *rock ‘n’ roll* with right out of the package — don’t plan to invite any vampires over for the holidays.

Amazon Promising review: “Easy to use! Easy to clean! Superior to a press and easier to use! No need for hesitation! Go ahead and buy it! You won’t be disappointed!” — T. Star Get it from Amazon for $12. 97 (available in two colors).

14. An OXO Good Grips veggie brush to ensure your potatoes get a proper scrub down before you turn them into something delicious like fries or mashed potatoes (yuuuum). amazon.

com Promising review : “I know — it is a little strange to love a veggie brush but the bristles have just the right stiffness and ‘give’ to clean potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc. I haven’t used it on corn-on-the-cob yet but I think it will do quite well without damaging the kernels. (If not, I’ll do a follow up on this review.

) As with most OXO products, it is ergonomically designed and even fits in my smaller, chunky hands — so much so, I believe it would be good tool for arthritic cooks. ” — D. Lofthus Get it from Amazon for $7.

95 . 15. An instant-read digital thermometer , so you’ll never have to guess “is my steak cooked?” again.

You can grill with confidence! Amazon Promising review: ” As a working chef for over 30 years, I’ve gone through dozens of thermometers, and this one stands out. I actually purchased this by accident while buying several thermometers to try with the intent of buying a dozen for my crew. I was looking for thermometers that can be field-calibrated and as far as I can tell, this one can’t.

But I intend to buy more of these because they are accurate, easy to read, and just more pleasant to use. They are tough, and I love the ring on the end; I keep this one hanging on a hook near our ranges so I don’t have to hunt it down. It does not ride easily in my chef’s coat, but that is due to the longer probe.

Which I LOVE. In two weeks I have used this one thermometer over 130 times, all with pleasure. ” — Cetaceous Dave Get it from Amazon for $9.

34 . 16. A compact 8-in-1 spiralizer can grate cheese, juice fruits, cut ribbon, and *so* much more.

This lil’ gadget really does it all. Emma Lord/BuzzFeed, Amazon BuzzFeed editor *and* zoodle-lover Emma Lord is obsessed with this gadget: “I recently purchased this because it was my cheapest option for making zoodles, and also because my apartment is the size of a shoebox and there was no room for anything bigger. I LOVE how easy it is to swap out the caps to do other things, too — I’ve started grating my own cheeses and feel very fancy.

But mostly I just love that it’s very safe to use (it comes with a finger guard!), super easy to figure out, very compact , and even has measurements on the inside of the cup if you’re ever portioning things out for a recipe. ” Promising review: “LOVE THIS. I absolutely love this.

So far I’ve used the thicker spiralizer, two of the grater things, and then the juicer. I love how easy this makes keeping everything together . And it’s sharp so it actually cuts through things without you needing to work super hard to do it.

The only thing I don’t love is that the spiralizers are a bit hard to clean, but I guess that’s with all of them? Not sure, this is the first I’ve owned. But, overall I’d recommend it. :)” — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $ 16.

98 . 17. A playful egg separator you’ll definitely be *egg-cited* to test out — a must-have for any home bakers or fans of egg white omelettes.

Amazon Promising review: “This is by far the best kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned. It actually makes me want to be in the kitchen (which is not my favorite place). It works exactly as described, is easy to clean, and is cute to boot.

Just don’t be tempted to stick this fish to yourself. I’ve had to explain to all my coworkers how I ended up with fish hickeys. ” — Siber Get it from Amazon for $12.

90 (available in three styles). 18. A Magic Bullet blender you can count on to help you create smooth sauces and soups for your pickiest dining companion who refuses to eat anything with lumps in it.

Amazon Promising review: “I use this almost every morning. This was my savior during the quarantine part of the pandemic when I was working from home. I was able to easily make smoothies for breakfast or a snack instead of eating junk.

Blended quickly and easily, easy to clean, and came with so many cups and travel options I was able to continue my healthy habit when I went back to work!” — Marissa Vittorio Get it from Amazon for $29. 99 . 19.

A cookie scoop , so all of your precious balls of dough will come out *exactly* the same size and look simply stunning before everyone in the house gobbles ’em up. amazon. com I have one of these and it has been a game changer when making cookies.

I love that each one comes out the same size, making it easier than ever to know precisely how many will fit on my baking sheet. Promising review: “Why didn’t I have one of these in my kitchen drawer before?! I bought the medium-size scoop originally to make a large batch of cookies for Christmas, but today it came handy when I had leftover batter from my banana bread recipe and it made the perfect scoop to fill a regular-size cupcake liner! Now I’m thinking about getting the small size for my mini cupcakes! Super easy and they came out perfectly uniform and totally beats trying to use a spoon! Handles have a nice silicone grip too and help with hand fatigue. :-)” — Michi K Get it from Amazon for $16.

95 . 20. A mandolin with 30 different cut options you can use to create one of those Pinterestworthy vegetable platters shaped like a flower or a rainbow — so fun! amazon.

com , Amazon Promising review: “This item is amazing for both its safety features and ease of use. I am a bit of a kitchen klutz and feel completely at ease and fearless with this device. I made my own potato chips — I sliced with my Dash mandolin and cooked in my Dash air fryer .

The tasted just like the ones i get from my favorite Portuguese restaurant but I’m hoping they are much healthier. I honestly think this is a must-have for all at home chefs. ” — Dawn Get it from Amazon for $34.

98+ (available in five colors). 21. A pasta machine that’ll help you create a holiday meal straight out of your carb-loving dreams — seriously, you can actually successfully get this done even on your first try! Amazon, amazon.

com Promising review: “OK, this is the first review I’ve ever written because I just enjoyed this product so much! It’s exactly as described in my opinion, really great for the price. Bought it for my boyfriend who has wanted one forever, it arrived the next day, we made fettuccine that night and it came out great! Highly recommended for those looking for a pasta maker who don’t want to spend a fortune on brand name. ” — Holly B.

Get it from Amazon for $30. 99 (available in two colors). 22.

An automatic pan stirrer with a timer , perfect for anyone who tends to get a bit frazzled while trying to cook a bunch of things at once. UncommonGoods Promising review : “My husband loves to cook. We have two very small children, so while his meals are mostly yummy, they are also sometimes burnt.

🙂 This was perfect for him. He’s able to turn it on, run into the next room to save the day with a plastic bag and a washcloth for whatever blowout-esque mess I’m dealing with, forget he’s cooking, run back into the kitchen frantically when he remembers, and arrive only to find the meal practically cooking itself. Best.

Gift. Ever. ” — Jake the ChefturnedDaddy Get it from UncommonGoods for $25+ (available in two charging styles).

23. An oil mister that’ll help you perfectly cover all of your ingredients without getting your hands covered in grease. amazon.

com Promising review: “This is a great item for lightly spraying salads, roasting vegetables, or adding some oil to a prepared plate of pasta. Avoids using more oil than necessary so that’s a savings right there. I also use it to put a light coating of oil on all my cast-iron cookware to prevent rust.

Best of all, it looks great on the dinner table. Lots of uses which really makes it an asset in the kitchen. It seems that it should last a while so I think it is worth the few bucks spent.

” — Clancy Get it from Amazon for $10. 99 . 24.

A handheld soap dispensing brush that might just make you want to volunteer to do the dishes — it looks kinda fun, doesn’t it? oxo / Via instagram. com , amazon. com Promising review: “I’m loving this little brush.

I had purchased another dish brush a while back from the grocery store and the bristles were so stiff that it often splattered soap everywhere. This one isn’t like that. The bristles are stiff, but soft enough that they tend to cling to what you’re brushing, so they don’t cause that splatter effect.

I also like that you can open the whole thing up by taking its top off to refill it, giving you plenty of room to pour in the dish soap. The ability to easily remove and replace the brush is another very handy feature. Both are easy to do and it’s well made, so they’re not likely to come open or undone unexpectedly.

” — Elliria Get it from Amazon for $8. 99 . 25.

A grape, strawberry, and tomato cutter so you can flawlessly slice ’em in half the way chefs do on all of those fancy cooking shows. Amazon You can also use this to safely cut bagels and slices of meats that you’re trying to cut through the middle of! Promising review: “This item is the best kitchen helper. First time using it I was apprehensive about it really working, but it works like a charm.

Put my tomatoes in first literally slicing them immediately, then my green olives. . .

perfect . I know I will be making more salads and healthy veggie trays with this food cutter. ” — Cynthia Get it from Amazon for $14.

95 (available in four colors) 26. A brown sugar bear that is as cute as it is functional and’ll keep your sugar from getting hard as a rock over time. When the time comes to make something delicious (brown sugar glazed carrots for Christmas, anyone???) you won’t have to head out to the store for an extra ingredient.

Amazon, amazon. com Promising review: “After multiple containers for my brown sugar and continuously throwing my brown sugar away due to giant hard lumps, I began to wonder why our brown sugar never lumped when I was a child. That’s when I remembered a weird brown bear in our sugar, After a quick Google search I found this! I soaked it in water for 30 minutes and then added to my lumpy brown sugar.

. . two days later there is not a single lump in my sugar! Yay!” — Sneezeloaf Get it from Amazon for $5.

40 . 27. A kitchen gadget you can use to dice onions in a flash — save your uncontrollable crying for the next time you watch The Notebook .

Amazon, amazon. com Promising review: ” I had another chopper that worked perfectly fine, but when I saw OXO had come out with one, I ordered it. As expected, I liked it much better than the first, which I gave to a friend.

I particularly like that it is deeper and not as long, so stuff doesn’t pile up under the chopping surface, and the best feature is that it has a hole in one end so you can simply dump it over a bowl when it’s full. The little plastic grid is a nuisance, though, so I just don’t use it. As long as you rinse it immediately, food doesn’t usually stick too badly.

OXO has the best-designed products in my kitchen. I wish they’d design a self-cooking and self-cleaning stovetop. ” — Springlering Get it from Amazon for $22.

95 . 28. Cut-resistant gloves — a must-have for anyone who isn’t super confident in their knife skills and would like to keep all of their digits this holiday season.

Amazon You can even pop these in the washing machine for a thorough cleaning. Promising review: “After my husband sliced his finger on our mandolin I decided to check out these gloves. We are both very impressed with how well they work.

The company who sells these is also wonderful — they sent a follow-up email to ensure that we liked the gloves and would have replaced or refunded our money if we weren’t happy. The only thing I was concerned about when I ordered the gloves was if I was buying the right size. My husband and I have different hand sizes, but the medium is working well for both of us.

And knowing that they would send a different size free was wonderful. Now we don’t have to worry about slicing off our fingers!” — That Author Guy’s Wife Get them from Amazon for $8. 27 (available in sizes S—XL).

29. A rustic wooden stand that’ll hold your cookbook so you’ll be able to follow along with any recipe hands-free. Amazon Promising review “This cutting board style wood cookbook and iPad stand holder is very nice! I like the style and the convenience of having it in the kitchen.

It doesn’t take up too much counter space and works very well for my cookbook. ” — Jynnifer Get it from Amazon for $19. 45+ (available in three styles).

30. A cast-iron grill press to help you create restaurant-worthy paninis and burgers your family will salivate over every time. Amazon Promising review: “All the years I have been grilling I have said I gotta get one of those.

This is not high-tech, no bells, no whistles, it doesn’t even connect to the internet. Just a piece of iron with a handle. But it works so well .

Soon as it arrived I shoveled the snow off the grill, fired it up, and cooked a nice 2-inch-thick piece of steak. Beautiful grill lines on one side and beautiful hatch pattern on the other. And it tasted great.

Tomorrow burgers!” — SeekerGeorge Get it from Amazon for $15. 99 . 31.

Nonstick donut pans you’ll be so glad you own — just think of how impressed your guests will be when you whip out a plate of freshly made donuts! Amazon, amazon. com Promising review: “Bought donut pans for baking vegan donuts!! Amazon delivered them, gave them a quick wash, and got our first two dozen baked the same night! We baked a lemon with a lemon zest glaze and a pumpkin spice with cinnamon maple glaze! The pans are of great quality, no sticking, even baking and easy clean up! Perfect! Can’t wait to try some more recipes! So much fun!!” — J Get a set of two from Amazon for $12. 03 .

32. Stainless-steel mixing bowls that’ll nest nicely inside one another so you won’t have to worry about where the heck you’re going to store six bowls in your tiny (but efficient!) kitchen. Amazon, amazon.

com Promising review: “These bowls are AWESOME! Whether I’m mixing cake batter or cookie dough, putting together pasta salad or mixing nuts before baking them for hostess gifts this past holiday season, these bowls were phenomenal. You can really get in there and stir up the contents whether you’re using a hand mixer or a spatula. These were a great buy and I am delighted with them.

I honestly use them every other day and they are great to store the finished product in until you’re ready to pretty it up for serving. Can’t say enough good things about this set of bowls. ” — Ema Nnep Get a set of six from Amazon for $29.

99 . 33. And shredder claws so you won’t have to suffer from burnt fingertips while trying to finally get a smidge closer to flawlessly replicating your grandma’s famous pulled pork recipe.

Amazon Promising review: “Works well for shredding larger portions of meat, like pork. Plastic appears to be of higher quality. Sufficient room in the opening for most finger and hand sizes.

The pointed tips shouldn’t cause injury unless you’re careless. I’d highly recommend the use of quality protective gloves; you’re not only dealing with the mess of shredding itself but also, most likely, some elevated temperature food. ” — Legardi11 Get it from Amazon for $14.

98+ (available in four colors). What it would look like if I were to cook my family’s holiday feast: Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Netflix Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity. Share This Article Facebook Pinterest Twitter Mail Link The gift that keeps on giving Subscribe to our shopping newsletter for gift guides, deals, and more Newsletter signup form Email Address Sign up This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

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