The 20 best kitchen gadgets that are as fun as they are functional

The best kitchen gadgets will make cooking or baking much simpler and this list of the 20 must-have items every home chef should have in 2022 could change the way you use your kitchen.

Whether you need something to make meal prep much easier, a device to help you serve your culinary creations, or simply an inventive little contraption that saves you faffing about with a certain kitchen task, there is a huge range of kitchen gadgets that will quickly become your kitchen essentials once you've tried them.

Investing in clever kitchen gadgets can save you a lot of time when it comes to prepping and cooking a meal. Even better, many of the gadgets included below boast a multi-functional design, which makes them fantastic value for money, too. And to help you save even more cash, we've included the best deals currently available for every gadget on our list.

How we chose the best kitchen gadgets to buy in 2022

Our pick of the must-have kitchen gadgets for 2022 is based on products that we believe will make food prep, cooking, and serving much easier and quicker. 

We judged the best kitchen gadgets against the following factors:

• Will it help you streamline your existing cooking practices? Saving time, effort, and energy.
• Will it reduce the number of items you need in your kitchen? Eliminating clutter and allowing you more space to cook.
• Will it help you be more eco-friendly? With sustainable living being a key focus for 2022, we looked for gadgets that would help reduce waste or cut the need for single-use plastics.

If you’ve been attempting to unleash your inner barista at home, a milk frother is here to take your favorite hot drinks—whether you’re hankering for a cappuccino or a hot chocolate—to the next level. The best milk frothers can froth milk in seconds, giving you that cafe-style drink every time. This clever tool is battery operated so there's no need to worry about cords—simply use the USB charger to keep it fully powered for those last-minute caffeine cravings. 

Want to up your intake of veggies? Sometimes, getting out the big food processor (see our guide to the best food processors here) feels like too much of a chore. If so, a spiralizer, one of the most popular and trendy kitchen gadgets out there, could be just what you need. Strong enough to tackle even the sturdiest of vegetables, a spiralizer comes with multiple blades for fuss-free food prep. They can help you to chop all sorts of veggies—from courgettes (zucchini) to carrots and even onions. It'll reduce your prep time and will help you to create some delicious healthy meals. 

A multi-purpose garlic press allows you to both slice and mince garlic, meaning there’s no need to reach for a separate gadget if you want to try something different with the fragrant bulb. A garlic press is one of our must-buy kitchen gadgets, as it'll allow you to save precious minutes (and effort) preparing your meal. Need garlic in bulk for the recipe you’re trying? That's no problem—most multi-purpose garlic presses can handle multiple bulbs at once. 

Constantly over (or under) estimating how much spaghetti you need to use? This simple yet effective measuring tool is here to help. Clearly marked, it helps you to measure out how much pasta is required from one to four portions, and is ideal for helping to cut down on food waste. It's one of those must-have kitchen gadgets if you generally always make too much pasta (yes, our hands are up too.) 

Most kitchens have a kettle, but have you ever had a smart kettle? A WiFi-connected kettle can be switched on from wherever you are in the house, meaning you can get the wheels in motion for that morning cup of tea or coffee before you’ve even stepped out of bed. You can choose the temperature you want it to boil to and smart kettles are often compatible with other smart home devices and most boast a neat cordless design, too. 

Kitchen gadgets that save us on washing up? Sign us up. Cooked breakfast or brunch is a serious treat—but is often served with an equally serious side of kitchen cleaning. However, a non-stick Lazy Pan promises to minimize this rather dull task, as it allows you to cook everything from fried or scrambled eggs to perfectly crispy bacon, all in the same pan. Fashioned like a cast iron skillet, the lazy pan consists of three to four different sections, depending on which model you buy. 

The downside is the pan isn't dishwasher safe, but you can see tips for how to keep it in good condition in our guide for how to clean a cast iron skillet.

No longer will we buy shop-bought waffles. We all love a home-baked treat—and this one is great for either sweet desserts or savory snacks. Whether you have them drizzled with chocolate sauce or served with a side of bacon, a waffle maker means you'll achieve waffle perfection every time—simply pour in your batter and the machine essentially does all the work for you. 

Everybody needs the very best blender in their homes—whether you use yours for milkshakes and juices, or protein shakes and smoothies, a good blender makes whipping up your favorite drinks a breeze. Most models have a powerful motor that can blitz everything from ice to fresh fruit, so you can use a blender to make smoothies, soups, chilled cocktails and more.

Personal blenders are simple to use and quick too, taking just moments to blend food. That's why, for us, they're one of the best kitchen gadgets around.

It might not sound like a 'gadget' as such, but fruit bowls are an essential item for our dining spaces. And if worktop space is precious in your kitchen, a collapsible or foldable fruit bowl could be just the ticket for you. Ideal for filling up with your favorite five-a-day delights, many of these can be folded down and popped in a drawer for easy storage when not in use, helping to free up precious room in your cook space.

• See collapsible fruit bowls at Amazon here

Easy to use and designed with safety in mind, a knife sharpening set is ideal for helping you keep your kitchen knives in the very best condition, which is why it's made our list of the best kitchen gadgets. Made to last a lifetime, a sharpener can restore everything from bread knives to cleavers in mere moments. It makes chopping so much easier too, saving you minutes spent battling with a blunt knife. 

Want to conjure up wholesome dinners from scratch—but just don’t have the time? A slow cooker could be the solution you’ve been looking for. Most slow cookers can help you cook all sorts of things—from stews to casseroles to pasta dishes and even baking. All you need to do is add your ingredients and leave it to work its magic for anything from four to twelve hours for a delicious, nutritious meal. Like multi cookers, a slow cooker can also keep your food warm for you after you're done cooking, so your meal can be ready for everyone, even if people are planning on eating at different times.

A must-have for anyone who loves following a recipe and wants to feel a bit more organized is a sturdy book stand that will keep your best cook books safely away from your food-prep area. As well as keeping those precious pages free from sticky spillages and stains, it also reduces the amount of countertop space a book will take up—giving you more room to chop, stir and fry. A kitchen essential that also makes a fab wedding gift idea - if you're looking for one.

Kitchen gadgets don't come much cooler than this. Trying to keep on top of the contents of your freezer? A vacuum sealer gadget will help. Allowing you to neatly store leftovers inside a vacuum-sealed bag, it's easy to use and can preserve the freshness of your food for much longer. With most machines, you can also easily make a custom-sized vacuum wrapper for food with the built-in cutter.

Learning how to clean a stainless steel sink can be time-consuming, especially if yours is filled with your cleaning cloths and sponges. But a slick organizer can restore order to even the most chaotic of kitchen sink areas. With space for dish soap, cloths, and sponges, it’s super easy to clean, and most of them boast a sleek grey design that will complement almost any kitchen aesthetic. Many sink organizers also give you the option to hang dishcloths up, whilst others also have a non-slip tray base which is ideal for catching drips.

Ideally sized for neatly slotting into almost any fridge, a water filter jug makes for a very handy addition to any home. Cutting the need for shop-bought bottled water, it filters tap water, removing chlorine and other impurities to improve the taste and quality of your water. 

As well as improving the quality of water you drink, using a water filter can also improve the longevity of other kitchen essentials - such as minimizing the need to descale your kettle by improving the quality of the water used inside. 

If meal-prep is something you want your household to get better at, a simple wipe-clean whiteboard could help. Allowing you to not only map out meals for the week ahead, it can also double up as a shopping list for those essential ingredients or household purchases. Additionally, it can also be used as a central memo-board for everyone in the house to keep on top of important upcoming dates and appointments. No home should be without one.

Comprising a funnel, cheese grater, spice grater, lemon squeezer, egg masher, egg separator, cap opener and a 420ml measuring cup, the various tools of this handy kitchen gadget slot neatly together to create a rainbow display in the shape of a bottle. The bottle creates one easy-to-reach-for appliance, so you don’t have to go searching for all of the separate parts whilst preparing your meal. Genius!

As summer approaches and you’re getting ready to fire up the grill, a BBQ cleaning brush is going to be your new best friend. Gone are the days of struggling with a sponge. A grill cleaning brush comes with a long handle that will keep you safely distanced from any heat, whilst its sturdy stainless steel and plastic composition means its long-lasting, for many summers to come.

Baking is a science, and what reputable lab (or kitchen, in this case) is without a reliable scale? Sure, measuring cups and spoons are easy to use but they don't always provide the most accurate measurements for ingredients like flour, butter and sugar — which can make all the difference in how your cookies or cakes turn out. And if you're currently on a special eating plan, a kitchen scale will make meal prepping much less of a hassle as you won't have to eyeball portion sizes.

The best air fryers can really level up your at-home game. It's capable of making the crispiest chicken or crunchiest chips without a whole lot of oil or fat required — so it's a lot healthier for you while still tasting absolutely delicious. But that's not all an air fryer can do. Depending on which model you buy (there's everything from Ninja air fryers to toaster oven air fryers out there) you'll also be able to reheat, bake, roast, and dehydrate your food. Air fryers come in a range of sizes, too, so whether you're cooking for just yourself or an entire family, you'll be solid.