These days, there are a variety of gadgets to help make cooking easier. From automatic stirrers to slicers and dicers, you can substantially reduce the time and effort you spend in the kitchen each day. With all of the options available, it can be tough to choose the right kitchen tech for you. The last thing you want is to drop hundreds of dollars on a tool only to leave it to gather dust in the cupboard a week later. No matter what you’re spending, your kitchen gadgets should either get regular use or make an infrequent task substantially easier to justify a place in your cupboard or on the counter.
Not every useful tool has to cost a fortune, though. For the same amount of money you’d spend on a meal for two at a nice restaurant, you can buy a gadget that will help you prepare endless gourmet meals. Check out our picks for the best cooking tech for under $50.
Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker, Steamer, and Slow Cooker
Want to make cooking your meals quicker and easier? This small, stainless steel appliance is a rice cooker, slow cooker, and a steamer all in one. You can make a variety of recipes in this pot, such as soups, stews, and steamed meat and vegetables. It contains a water reservoir that channels away excess condensation, allowing your foods to steam perfectly.
Whether you’re single or have a large family, Aroma Housewares makes cookers to fit your needs. The 8-cup, 12-cup, and 20-cup models are priced between $30 and $50. The easy-to-use programmable functions — including steam, slow cook, white rice, brown rice, and keep warm — make it so you can throw your ingredients in the pot and get back to binge watching Netflix until your meal is complete.
The dishwasher-safe, non-stick inner cooking pot lets you plan your meals in advance with the 15-hour delay timer. The Aroma Housewares Cooker provides flexibility, function, and efficiency to your kitchen for a great value.
Dash Go Rapid Egg Cooker
Hey, egg lovers! This little gadget can cater to virtually all of your egg-cooking needs. It makes hard-, medium-, and soft-boiled eggs for recipes like salads and deviled eggs. You can also use it to make individual omelets, poached eggs, and scrambled eggs.
To make boiled eggs, just set them inside of the holding tray and press the “on” button. To make omelets or poached eggs, all you have to do is fill the tray with eggs and any desired toppings, close the egg cooker, and turn it on.
The Dash Go Rapid Egg Cooker comes with a poaching tray, measuring cup, omelet tray, and six-egg holding tray. It is multi-functional, practical, easy to clean, and under $20. It even comes with a one-year warranty and a recipe book.
Vintorio Wine Aerator Pourer
Are you a wine connoisseur, or are you looking for a way to class up your mediocre merlots? By aerating your wine, you expand its surface area, allowing air to circulate throughout. This wine pourer aerates your wine as you pour by drawing in oxygen. Because the spout is notched and slanted, it even helps prevent spills and drips when pouring. To use the Aerator, you simply attach the pourer to your wine bottle and pour a glass. When you want to clean the device, disassemble it and run it under water.
Our only complaint? You can’t really use the Vintorio Wine Aerator Pourer for boxed wine, which can often benefit from some aeration.
Staresso Espresso Coffee Maker Portable Espresso and Cappuccino Maker
With all of the coffee makers on the market, finding one that’s unique is kind of like finding a four-leaf clover in an open field. Staresso created something pretty amazing in this portable espresso and cappuccino maker. For less money than some people spend at Starbucks each month, you can buy this Red Dot Award-winningdevice and get your caffeine fix on the go. The device has no plugs or batteries; you manually pump your own cup of joe.
To make a cup, you add grinds to the coffee chamber, fill the water chamber, and then pump the device until your cup is full of coffee. The Staresso Espresso Coffee Maker uses pressure to brew hot water through ground coffee quickly. In turn, you get a cup filled with more flavor and less acidity or bitterness. You can also create milk foam using the device, in addition to cold brewing.
Nesco VS-02 Food Vacuum Sealing System with Bag Starter Kit
Even if you’re not a fan of sous vide, a vacuum sealer is a great investment. In addition to keeping water away from your meats and veggies when you’re using the cooking technique, vacuum sealing has other benefits. It’s one of the best ways to prevent freezer burn – which happens when moisture in the food evaporates when it’s exposed to air, changing the taste and texture of your leftovers.
There are certainly some pricier, more-attractive options out there, but the Nesco VS-02 Sealing System has some nice features for the price. You can store the bags inside the device and use it as either a vacuum sealer – to create an air-tight seal for fresh or frozen foods – or as a re-sealer, to close up bags of chips. The starter kit comes with two rolls of bagging material and 10 bags, so you can start squirreling away your leftovers right away.
