15 Cool Kitchen Gadgets: The Best Kitchen Gadgets for 2026
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra.
I love me some guac, but the stuff expires while you’re looking at it. Eggshells stick to the egg like they’re paying rent. The garlic smell stays on your fingers until Thursday, and the ice cream scoop bends before the ice cream does. Most kitchen annoyances are small. They just happen every single day.
That’s what this list of cool kitchen gadgets is for. These are the best kitchen gadgets I’d give counter space in 2026: tools that fix one specific problem and then get out of the way. A few are old favorites I’ve kept on this list for years. The rest are newer picks, chosen because the makers and reviewers back them up and because they made me grin. We checked every one against the maker’s shop in October 2026 and dropped the ones you can’t buy anymore. The list is grouped by the annoyance each gadget fixes, so skip straight to your personal kitchen nemesis.
Quick picks:
- Most useful: ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
- Most satisfying: The Negg egg peeler
- Cutest gadget that works: OTOTO Gracula garlic crusher
- Best under 20 bucks: Microplane Premium Classic zester
- Best splurge: Joseph Joseph Titan trash compactor
Kitchen Gadgets Compared
Prices are from the maker’s own US shop at the time of writing (October 2026), and they change often.
| Gadget | What it fixes | Dishwasher safe | Maker price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casabella Guac-Lock | Brown guacamole | Yes | Amazon only |
| The Negg | Peeling boiled eggs | Not stated | $17.95 |
| Peleg Design Egguins | Boiling and storing eggs | Yes | $19.90 |
| Dreamfarm Garject | Peeling and pressing garlic | Yes | $49.99 |
| OTOTO Gracula | Crushing garlic, cutely | No, hand wash | $19.95 |
| Kuhn Rikon Pull Chop | Chopping onions and salsa | Bowl yes, lid no | $39.10 (sale) |
| Microplane Premium Classic | Zest and hard cheese | Yes | $17.95 |
| Dreamfarm Supoon | Too many spoons in the sink | Yes | $11.99 |
| Dreamfarm Clongs | Tongs that won’t stay shut | Yes | $29.99 |
| ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE | Guessing if the chicken is done | n/a (waterproof, IP67) | $74 (sale) |
| Dreamfarm Scizza | Pizza cutters that drag toppings | Yes | $24.99 |
| OTOTO Splatypus | The last bit in the jar | Yes | $19.95 |
| Zeroll 1020 | Rock-hard ice cream | No, hand wash | $26.99 |
| Tofuture | Wet, spongy tofu | Yes | $24.99 |
| Joseph Joseph Titan 30L | Taking out the trash | n/a | $240 |
Eggs, dips and leftovers
Casabella Guac-Lock – Guacamole That Stays Green
So often I’ll buy fresh guacamole at the supermarket and toss half of it the same day, because it turned brown in the fridge. Avocado browns when it touches air. The Guac-Lock is a 24-ounce container that squeezes the air out.
You fill it and clip the lid on. Then you push the bottom up until the guacamole reaches the hole in the lid, and close the last tab to seal it. Owners report their guac staying green for several days. It works for hummus, salsa and tzatziki too, and it goes in the dishwasher (not the microwave or the freezer).
What bugs me: it has more parts than a normal tub. One Amazon reviewer says the push-up bottom slides back down when the container is full of heavy guac, and others find it fiddly to put back together.
Buy it if you make a big batch of guac and can’t finish it in one sitting. If you only buy the single-serve cups, skip it.
The Negg – an Egg Peeler You Shake
Deviled eggs for a party are great. Peeling twelve hard-boiled eggs for a party is not. The Negg is a small plastic capsule that peels them for you.
Put a boiled egg in the Negg, add a bit of water, snap on the cap and shake it a few times. Open it up and the egg slips out of its cracked shell. It’s so satisfying that I wouldn’t mind peeling dozens in one sitting. There are no batteries and no blades. According to a 2018 press release, a grandmother from Connecticut invented it, and the company still ships from Southport, Connecticut. It now comes in seven colors.
The con: it has a learning curve. Some owners say it only cracks the shell, and how well it works depends a lot on how you boiled the egg. It’s also one egg at a time, so a 30-egg Sunday meal prep is still a job for a bowl of ice water and patience.
The Negg is for people who boil a few eggs a week and hate picking shell bits off with their nails. It’s also a cheap gift for the person who has everything.
Peleg Design Egguins – Six Penguins That Boil Your Eggs
The Egguins is a set of little plastic penguins that hold six eggs. You lower the whole colony into the pot by its heat-resistant handle, boil, lift them out, and then put the same thing in the fridge or on the table. No more eggs rolling around the shelf or cracking against each other in the pan. It’s by Peleg Design, an Israeli studio that makes a lot of these funny-shaped tools.
On paper it’s BPA-free and dishwasher safe. Peleg says it fits large eggs best, so very big or very small eggs may sit a bit loose.
What could be better: owners say you have to seat each egg carefully in the wings, or it cracks when the water starts bubbling. You also have to let the eggs cool down before you pull them out.
Who it’s for: egg-a-day people, and anyone who wants their fridge to look like a nature documentary. Pair it with the Negg and the whole egg routine is covered.
Garlic, herbs and chopping
Dreamfarm Garject – a Garlic Press That Ejects the Peel
Garlic presses have one job and one mess: the peel and pulp stuck inside afterwards. The Garject, from Australian brand Dreamfarm, fixes both. You don’t peel the cloves first. You drop them in, squeeze, and then push a button that shoots the peel straight into the bin. A built-in scraper pushes the minced garlic off the plate when you open it.
The standard model is chrome-plated zinc and nylon, takes up to three cloves at a time and goes in the dishwasher. The cheaper Garject Lite is all nylon and takes a couple of cloves. Both have a 3-year warranty.
The con: at about 50 bucks it’s one of the most expensive garlic presses you can buy (October 2026). For a tool that crushes garlic, that’s a lot. One owner review also reports a plastic part breaking where it joins the metal, so keep the receipt.
The Garject is for people who cook with garlic most nights and hate sticky fingers. If you use garlic once a month, a knife is fine.
OTOTO Gracula – a Vampire That Crushes Garlic
Yes, it’s a garlic crusher shaped like Dracula. I’ll show myself out after the next sentence: it’s the only vampire in history that’s happy to see garlic.
The Gracula is a small plastic rocker from OTOTO, the Israeli design studio behind the Nessie Ladle. You put peeled cloves inside, give it a twist, and the teeth inside crush them. It also handles ginger and nuts. It’s about 3 inches tall and BPA-free, so it sits on the counter and looks like a toy until dinner time.
The con: garlic gets stuck between the plastic teeth, owners say, and OTOTO calls it a hand-wash design. It also doesn’t eject the peel like the Garject does, so you peel first.
Who it’s for: anyone who wants a gift under 20 bucks that gets a laugh and still gets used. If you crush a whole bulb a day, get the Garject instead.
Kuhn Rikon Pull Chop – a Dicer You Pull Like a Lawnmower
This is for when you don’t trust yourself with a proper chef’s knife, but you also don’t have the space or money for a food processor. The Pull Chop from Swiss brand Kuhn Rikon is a 2-cup bowl with stainless blades inside and a pull cord on the lid.
Put in an onion, some herbs or a couple of tomatoes, close the lid and pull the cord. A few pulls give you a rough chop. Kuhn Rikon says about 20 pulls get you a fine one, all the way to salsa. No plug, no noise, and no onion tears running down your face.
The con: the lid with the pull mechanism can’t go in the dishwasher, and some owners say the cord wears out after heavy use. The capacity is small too, so a big pot of chili means emptying and refilling a few times.
Who it’s for: small kitchens, students and anyone who cries over onions. It was about 39 bucks on sale at Kuhn Rikon at the time of writing (October 2026).
Microplane Premium Classic – the Zester Every Chef Steals
Microplane started out making rasps for woodworkers. Then home cooks found out the same blade takes the zest off a lemon without the bitter white part. The Premium Classic is the long, skinny one that started the kitchen side of the business.
The blade is surgical-grade stainless steel, made in the USA. It does citrus zest, parmesan, ginger, garlic, nutmeg and chocolate. It goes in the dishwasher, and it comes with a plastic cover so it doesn’t shred the other things in your drawer. It was about 18 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026).
What bugs me: it’s sharp. Very sharp. Get greedy with the last bit of lemon and you’ll zest a knuckle. Use the cover when you put it away.
Who it’s for: everyone. If you only buy one gadget from this list, and you already own a decent knife, this is the cheapest upgrade in your kitchen.
Cooking and serving
Dreamfarm Supoon – the Spoon That Does Four Jobs
I wish more kitchen spoons were like the Supoon. It’s a non-stick silicone spoon from Dreamfarm, and it replaces a handful of utensils in your drawer.
The edges are flexible, so it scrapes a pan clean like a spatula. The bowl scoops and serves. It has marks for a 5 ml teaspoon and a 15 ml tablespoon, so you can measure with it. And the handle is bent, so the spoon sits up on the counter with the dirty end in the air. No more sauce puddle next to the stove. Dreamfarm says it’s heat resistant to 500°F, and it goes in the dishwasher.
The con: it’s 11 inches long, which is handy for pots but a bit big for a small jar of spices. There’s a Mini Supoon for that.
Who it’s for: anyone who cooks one-pot meals and wants fewer utensils in the sink. Buy two. One will always be in the dishwasher. They were about 12 bucks each at Dreamfarm at the time of writing (October 2026).
Dreamfarm Clongs – Tongs That Click Shut
Normal tongs have two settings: wide open in the drawer, blocking it, or clamped shut with a ring that slides off the moment you need it. Clongs click open and shut with a button at the end, like a retractable pen. Click, they open. Click again, they lock closed.
Like the Supoon, the handles are bent so the tips stay off the counter while you’re cooking. They’re stainless steel with silicone tips, they come in 9-inch and 12-inch sizes, and they go in the dishwasher.
The con: the silicone tips are rated to 500°F. That’s fine for a pan, but for flipping steaks right over hot grill coals, plain steel tongs are the safer bet.
Clongs are for anyone whose tongs live tangled up with the whisk. They were about 30 bucks at Dreamfarm at the time of writing (October 2026).
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE – Stop Cutting Open the Chicken
Is it done? Cut it open and check, and the juice runs all over the board. Or guess, and serve your in-laws pink chicken. An instant-read thermometer ends the guessing, and the Thermapen ONE from ThermoWorks is the one I’d buy.
On paper: a reading in one second, accurate to ±0.5°F, waterproof to IP67, a backlit display that rotates when you hold it upside down, and it turns itself on when you pick it up. The warranty is five years.
The con: the price. It’s normally $115, which is a lot for something that sticks in meat. It was on sale for $74 at ThermoWorks at the time of writing (October 2026), and that’s when to buy one. If that’s still too much, the TempPro TP19H (ThermoPro renamed its brand) reads in about 3 seconds, has a magnet on the back and was under 20 bucks.
Who it’s for: anyone who cooks meat, bakes bread or makes candy. Want a probe that stays in the roast and pings your phone? Read our KitchenAid smart thermometer post instead.
Amazon wanted $125 for it when I checked, so buy it from the maker. See it at ThermoWorks
Dreamfarm Scizza – Pizza Scissors That Keep the Toppings On
A pizza wheel drags half the cheese to the next slice and leaves the crust connected by one stubborn strand. The Scizza is a pair of scissors with a flat spatula on the bottom blade. You slide the spatula under the pizza, snip, and lift the slice straight onto a plate.
The spatula base also means you don’t scratch a non-stick pan or a pizza stone. The blades come apart for sharpening, and it all goes in the dishwasher. It’s from Dreamfarm again (yes, three Dreamfarm tools on one list; the Australians clearly hate kitchen annoyances as much as I do).
The con: it’s 12.6 inches long and awkward to store, according to reviewers. A big pizza also means a few snips per cut, so it’s slower than a wheel.
Who it’s for: homemade pizza people, frozen pizza people, and everyone with a non-stick pan they’d like to keep. It was about 25 bucks at Dreamfarm at the time of writing (October 2026).
OTOTO Splatypus – the Jar Scraper With a Beak
There’s always one more sandwich in the bottom of the peanut butter jar. You just can’t reach it with a knife. The Splatypus is a jar spatula shaped like a platypus: the long silicone end reaches the bottom and scrapes the sides, and OTOTO says it works as a spreader too.
It’s about 8 inches long, BPA-free and dishwasher safe. It’s another one from OTOTO, so it’s in the same “silly, but you’ll use it” family as the Gracula.
What bugs me: about 20 bucks is a lot of money for a spatula, even a cute one. That’s my opinion, not a review. You’re paying for the face.
Who it’s for: Nutella people, mayo people and anyone who hates throwing out a jar that still has food in it. It’s also a perfect stocking stuffer.
Sweet stuff, tofu and trash
Zeroll 1020 – the Ice Cream Scoop That Doesn’t Bend
You know the fight. A new tub of ice cream, fresh from the freezer, and a scoop that bends before the ice cream does. The Zeroll has been solving that since 1935.
The handle is filled with a heat-conducting fluid. It uses the warmth of your hand to warm the scoop just enough to glide through frozen ice cream. It’s one piece of aluminum with no springs or moving parts, and it’s made in the USA. The 1020 is the 2-ounce size. There’s more about it in our post on the ice cream scoop that works with rock-hard ice cream.
The con: it’s hand wash only. Zeroll says the dishwasher ruins it, and it shouldn’t get hotter than 140°F. Also, the 1020 was out of stock in Zeroll’s own shop when I checked (October 2026). The 4-ounce 1010 was still available there.
It’s for anyone who eats ice cream straight from the freezer. It’s also a gift that sounds boring until someone uses it. And if you’d rather make the ice cream yourself, here’s the Ninja CREAMi.
Tofuture Tofu Press – Pressed Tofu Without the Paper Towels
If you eat tofu regularly, you know that pressing it between plates and a stack of cookbooks is a sad, wet ritual. The Tofuture is a three-part plastic box from a UK company that does it in the fridge.
The tofu goes in the inner basket, the lid pulls down on elastic bands and clips in place, and the water drains into the outer container. There are three pressure levels, so you can gently drain soft tofu or squeeze firm tofu hard. It fits blocks from 8 to 16 ounces, the lid doubles as a marinating tray, and all parts go in the dishwasher. If you prefer the look of wood, there’s also the bamboo tofu press.
The con: the bands are tight. Owners with weak hands or arthritis say they’re hard to latch. And 16 ounces is the limit, so bigger blocks need the Tofuture Large.
Who it’s for: anyone who cooks tofu weekly and wants it crispy instead of spongy. It was about 25 bucks at Tofuture at the time of writing (October 2026).
Joseph Joseph Titan – a Trash Can With a Built-In Compactor
How come I’m always the lucky one that needs to replace the trash bag? At our place it’s a game: who can push the trash down furthest so they don’t have to take it out.
The Joseph Joseph Titan ends the game. It’s a trash can with a built-in compactor. You pull a lever and a plate squashes the trash, without your hands (or your foot, if you’re a crazy person) touching anything. Joseph Joseph says the 30-liter Titan holds up to three times more waste than a normal can of the same size. It has a replaceable carbon filter for smells, works with standard bags, and comes with a 3-year guarantee.
The con: three times the trash in one bag also means a much heavier bag to carry out. Some owners also say the bags slip out of the holder or tear, and the reviews on Joseph Joseph’s own site average under four stars. At 240 bucks (October 2026) it’s also a lot more trash can than a basic pedal bin.
Who it’s for: families and anyone with a small kitchen who takes the trash out too often.
How to Choose Kitchen Gadgets That Won’t End Up in a Drawer
- Start with an annoyance you have every week. A gadget that fixes a daily problem (trash, eggs, garlic) gets used. A gadget for a once-a-year dish gets lost.
- Check how it’s cleaned. Dishwasher safe beats hand wash for anything you use daily. The Zeroll is the exception worth making.
- Count the parts. Fewer parts means less to lose and less to put back together. The Supoon and Microplane win here. The Guac-Lock doesn’t.
- Measure your counter. A 30-liter trash compactor needs a spot. Small tools like the Gracula or Negg fit anywhere.
- Buy the boring upgrade first. A good zester, scoop or thermometer you use daily beats a flashy machine you use twice.
FAQ
What kitchen gadget does everyone need?
An instant-read thermometer. It’s the one gadget on this list that changes how your food tastes, because you stop overcooking meat. After that, a Microplane and a good spoon like the Supoon. None of them takes up counter space.
What are kitchen gadgets called?
Most people say kitchen gadgets, kitchen tools or kitchen utensils, and they all mean the same thing: small hand tools that do one job. Bigger things with a plug, like a rice cooker or a blender, are usually called small kitchen appliances.
What should I buy for a new kitchen?
Start with the basics that get used every day: a chef’s knife, a cutting board, a pan, a thermometer, a zester and a good spoon or spatula. Add gadgets like the Garject or Pull Chop once you know which jobs you do most.
Are kitchen gadgets worth it for small kitchens?
Yes, if they replace something. The Supoon replaces a spatula, a ladle and measuring spoons. The Pull Chop replaces a food processor for small jobs. Skip single-use gadgets that need their own shelf.
What’s a good kitchen gadget gift?
The Gracula, Splatypus, Negg and Egguins are cheap, funny and useful, which is exactly what a good gift is. For more ideas, we have a separate list of kitchen gadget gifts for the cook who has everything, with no overlap with this one.
That’s the list. Now go eat that guac before it turns.