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The best kitchen gadgets to upgrade your cooking

The best kitchen gadgets elevate your cooking skills while also saving you time in the kitchen. Some kitchen gadgets can help reduce prep time, some allow you to leave recipes unattended, while others let you prepare more adventurous dishes.

Based on our testing and research, we’ve rounded up our picks for the best kitchen tools to upgrade your cooking.

Hamilton Beach Food Processor

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Save time cooking and prepare homemade recipes for the entire family with a food processor. This versatile kitchen gadget saves you from having to cut ingredients by hand; and, let’s face it, that’s the worst part of cooking.

The Hamilton Beach Food Processor has a 10-cup capacity, making it an ideal size for medium to large families. It’s kitted with a powerful S-blade for chopping, mixing, and pureeing foods, so you don’t have to waste time cutting onions and vegetables by hand in the kitchen. Plus, it’ll evenly chop your ingredients, so they cook to the same consistency.

This food processor allows you to be more creative with dishes too and create pesto, sauces, and even grate cheese with one machine. Thanks to the two-speed pulse control, you can adjust the settings to create the perfect consistency for mealtimes. It’s not bulky either, which is ideal if you have limited space or wish to keep it on display in the kitchen.

The powerful 450-watt motor has a large feed chute, allowing you to fit an entire block of cheese in the processor to reduce time pre-cutting. Plus, all components are dishwasher-safe, meaning less time washing up.

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Sous vide: Anova Culinary Sous Vide

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A sous vide is a must-have for those who frequently cook at home. It’s a great way to enhance flavors, create healthier meals, and most importantly, never overcook your food while providing a stress-free environment in the kitchen.

You can operate the Anova Culinary Sous Vide via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, allowing you to leave the kitchen while food is cooking. It’s designed with a smart temperature control that never lets you undercook or overcook food again.

To use the sous vide, simply attach the device to a pot, add water, and place your food in a sealed bag inside the pot. Begin cooking your dishes with the touch of a button and set an alert when the food will be finished cooking. The timer lasts up to 99 hours and has a temperature range from 32 degrees to 210 degrees F.

The Anova Culinary Sous Vide is 12.8 inches, so some users might need to purchase a larger pot to accommodate it.

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You can also check out our list of the best sous vide deals for more options.

Slow Cooker: Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker with Temperature Probe

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Slow cookers help to tenderize meat and bring out flavors in your food. If you’re cooking at home, you’ll likely be using the oven every day. With money being a huge concern for most, a slow cooker can reduce your electricity costs compared with using an oven, making it an economical investment.

The Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker has two settings — program and manual — making this appliance suitable for novice cooks and those who like to be in charge. Once cooking is complete, the appliance automatically switches to warm, and this feature is great for times when a hiccup with work arises and you can’t get to your food immediately.

Throw in your ingredients, set the timer, and enjoy delectable recipes with the family later. The additional temperature probe allows you to ensure food is thoroughly cooked before serving. You can also adapt the temperature for a slower or speedier process. It’s user friendly, thanks to the simple control panel and dishwasher-safe components, allowing you to spend less time in the kitchen.

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Carbonated Drink Maker: Drinkmate Beverage Carbonation Maker

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What better way to brighten your day than with a carbonated beverage?

This stylish appliance allows you to easily carbonate any drink, including sparkling water, juice, tea, lemonade, energy drinks, craft cocktails, flat soda, and other creative beverages.

The Drinkmate looks elegant on your countertop, and it won’t break the bank either. Get the children involved in creating delicious fruit juices — a perfect task to keep them occupied. It’s simple to use and doesn’t require any electricity or batteries, saving on the hassle of recharging. Remain in control with the push of a button, and technophobes will love its operation, too. The 10-liter cylinder keeps you hydrated and allows you to experiment with drinks for the entire household.

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Cuisinart Hand Blender with Whisk

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The best kitchen gadgets allow you to experiment with new ingredients without taking up too much of your time.

Hand mixers and blenders are a must-have if you want to experiment with a range of culinary tasks. From beating eggs to pureeing soup to creating whipped cream to making your own sauces, this little gadget can do it all with minimal effort on your part.

It has a powerful 200-watt motor, variable speed control, and blend and whisk settings to put you in control with the appliance doing the hard work for you.

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Nesco Deluxe Vacuum Sealer

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Food preparation is a great way to have dishes, sauces, and extras on hand when you next need them. Though, keeping your creations fresh and contamination-free can be difficult. Fortunately, a vacuum sealer allows you to meal prep in advance and save leftovers, reducing your food waste.

The Nesco Deluxe Vacuum Sealer is fully automatic and only requires the touch of a button to effectively vacuum a food bag shut. It even allows you to seal moist food, so you can store your bags in your fridge with no leaks. This application also has an automatic shut-off, reducing operational costs and keeping it safe to have around little ones.

To prevent over-vacuuming or crushing your food, it’s equipped with a Seal-Only switch — great for newbies and to keep your food in perfect condition. This gadget also has clear functions with indicator lights, so you’ll know when the process is complete.

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Editors' Recommendations

Amy Poole
Former Digital Trends Contributor
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