The 3 Gadgets That Make Cooking Ridiculously Easy

 I'm sure some of us are too familiar with this spiel: You get home, exhausted from a stressful day at work, with screaming feet and back pain from sitting at a desk all day. Look! There’s a heap of laundry staring at you from the corner. And oh, what are we going to pack for the kids' lunch tomorrow?! All you want to do is throw yourself in bed and forget the world, but you can't because the kids are asking, "What's for dinner?" and they're calling for help with homework. But wait, the chicken hasn't thawed yet, and dinner's going to take two hours to prep.

It's enough to make your brain hurt. That's why I whipped up this list of gadgets right here, with which you never have to stress about dinner ever again. They're incredibly simple to use, so are suitable for people who are pretty much useless in the kitchen, as well as seasoned chefs; they use a fraction of the time that it would usually take to prepare meals, all while maintaining that warm tasty goodness that will keep the whole family begging for more.

Buckle up, because I'm about to change some lives with this one.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I recommend, at no additional cost to you. Nonetheless, I only share products I genuinely love and recommend.

Instant Pot 9-in-1 Duo Plus Multicooker

When my husband, whose poor soul fails to make toast without burning the thing, waltzed into my room with perfect fàl-off-the-bone ribs ), I thought “witchcraft!”.

It was this Instant Pot Multicooker. I don’t say this lightly: it has changed the game.

It does everything, Pressure cooker. Slow cooker. Rice cooker. Steamer. Sauté pan. Yogurt maker. Warmer. Sterilizer. Cake Maker. You might as well throw away the whole kitchen and call this your kitchen, okay. Here’s the magic:

• Time-saving – Dinner comes out in half the time. I make delectable stews and fluffy rice, for which everybody in my household is begging for seconds, in a sliver of the time it usually takes.

• Versatility – I made cake. CAKE. In a pressure cooker. And it turned out better than anything I’ve ever baked in an oven.

• Simplicity – Just toss stuff in, press a button, and boom!

Dinner.

• It takes the guesswork out of cooking as the preset menus do everything for you. You no longer have to Google a single step of your cooking process.

• If you forgot to defrost your meat, you can quickly thaw it inside the instant pot and still come out with tasty meals in no time.

• It is conveniently easy to clean, so you don’t have to let it “soak” for four days because you’re just emotionally done. 

• Safety features – With an auto pressure release, leaky lid detection, and a safety lid lock, if you’re careful and follow the instructions, there won’t be a call to the fire department.

• Incredible value – For 9 appliances in 1, this thing is worth every single penny.

Side note(s):

• When cooking, DO NOT touch the lid. Please. It burns. Learn from me.

• This goes for any pressure cooker: do not open the thing while it’s cooking because there’s a lot of pressure in there.

• If you get overwhelmed or caught up in fear of how to use this thing. Don’t fret. This video by ‘Tried Tested And True’ is super helpful: https://youtu.be/ue3J7RDFtSY?si=SQhboV3Ap9nxSCSq

Even with a toddler pulling your leg, the phone ringing, and someone asking where their shoes are, this genius gadget will ensure that you still get a warm, yummy meal on the table without turning into a kitchen banshee. You will wonder what on earth you were doing before.

Get Yours

2lb Bread Maker Machine

Simply put, I woke up from a nap, and there was bread. Bread that I made. It’s golden, it’s fluffy, and oh so delectable.

What did I do? Threw some flour and yeast into a pan, pressed a button, and sauntered away like a smug little wizard. 

The sorcery:

• 17 functions: 

  - Basic

  - French

  - Whole wheat

  - Sweet 

  - Gluten-free

  - Quick

  - Cake (??!)

  - Rice bread

  - Whole-wheat dough

  - Mix

  - Knead

  - Yogurt

  - Jam

  - Defrost

  - Bake

I started with a basic loaf, graduated to whole wheat, and recently made a banana bread that had me happy dancing in the kitchen. All without breaking a sweat. Or a nail.

What I love about it:

• Simplicity – You don’t need a single drop of baking experience to make the most delightful loaf of bread. You simply toss the ingredients in, following the instructions in the recipe manual and walk away. It does all the kneading and the mixing for you and spits out perfection each time!

• It doesn’t rattle and clank and scream like a factory machine, just sits quietly and does its job throughout the night.

• You can choose how dark you want your crust. Options, darling.

• Easy cleanup – Everything pops out of the non-stick surface without a fuss.

• The window – It has a viewing window for looking down on your luscious loaf. It gives me pleasure, okay.

Side note(s):

• It’s not the smallest thing in the world. You do have to find some space on your counter for it.

• Consider finding a bread-maker machine recipe book for additional recipes and variety.

With this thing in your kitchen, you’ll walk past the bread aisle in the grocery store with a smirk, like “Mmm. Cute.” You’ll serve sandwiches and people will ask where you got your bread from and you can proudly say: you made it.

Buy it. Bake it. Brag about it.

Get Yours

COSORI Air Fryer 9-in-1

Okay, I never thought I’d be one to rave about an air fryer, but I am borderline evangelical about this 9-in-1 Cosori Air Fryer. Let’s just say, I haven’t touched my oven in weeks.

It preheats in minutes, cooks even faster, and everything that comes out of it has my whole family licking their fingers.

What I Adore:

• Versatility – With this air fryer alone, you can make the crispiest (yet healthier) french fries, the juiciest fall-off-the-bone ribs or even bake the softest and chewiest cookies. It takes the jobs of multiple pots and ovens and puts them in 1 awesome gadget.

• Simplicity - This air fryer is super simple to use and does not need any cooking skills to whip up something yummy. The touchscreen is clear, the settings make sense, and you don’t have to babysit anything, just throw stuff in, press a few buttons and go do something else while something magical crisps behind you. 

• Perfect size – It doesn’t hog up the entire counter top like some kitchen gadgets do, but it’s big enough to handle a whole batch of chicken tenders or veggies without any weird half-cooked spots.

• If you’re not ready to serve the food yet, you can simply press a button to keep the food warm in the meantime. No microwaving needed.

• Easy cleaning – I was bracing myself for the usual post-dinner scrub-a-thon, but in this bad boy, food pretty much just wipes off. It’s magical! And it’s dishwasher-safe.

• It doesn’t heat up the kitchen the way cooking with usual pots does.

Just some precautions:

• Although it doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the stove does, still do make sure that it is not placed too close to the wall and use it on a heat-proof mat because it is still very hot.

• Make sure to clean it after each use, and remove any grease buildup.

• If you’re using parchment paper, make sure that you weigh it down with enough food, particularly on all 4 corners, because you don’t want it to touch the heating element and potentially burn.

This gadget has made me feel less frantic, more in control, and prouder of the food I’m putting on the table. (Even if half the time I’m just throwing frozen shrimp in and calling it gourmet.) So if you’ve been contemplating, let this be your nudge. This air fryer is hands-down the best thing I’ve added to our kitchen in years. I wish I’d bought it sooner.

Get Yours

And there we have it! I hope your life becomes as much easier and stress-free as mine has with one or some of these gadgets.