Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

On TV shows I see all kinds of neat gadgets sitting on peoples kitchen cabinets.  Problem is I don't know what they are.

My favorite kitchen gadget is a Super Fast Instant-Read Thermometer.

I measure the temperature with it of all my meats as I cook.

I measure the temperature of leftovers that I am heating in the air fryer.

What is your favorite kitchen gadget.

The older I get, the fewer gadgets I use.  So, to lead this off with a boring choice …a can opener.

I have to admit, I'm falling in love with my Instant Pot.

It does everything my beloved slow-cookers do plus so much more. And the pot is lighter and far less fragile, so hopefully it won't crack after a decade or two. Though I have a feeling the electronics won't last as long as the simple wiring on a slow-cooker.

Okay, I have many. And some even single-use. Mostly, no regrets.  
Things I have owned in the past an no longer do include a instantpot, microwave, electric kettle, rice cooker, garlic press... and many others.

Gadgets that get a lot of love:
-large mortar and pestle (technically a molcajete)
-Tatung steamer (my new absolutely favorite purchase); I use it to cook grains as well
-Food mill (few uses, but useful nonetheless)
-All the sourdough bread paraphernalia
-instant thermometer and kitchen scale
-tortilla press (not strictly necessary but we have tortillas so much more often now)
-small cabbage shredder (which essentially is my mandolin). Not strictly necessary, but when processing a lot of stuff (even a bunch of radishes which I like to quick pickle), it really helps
-cast iron spice grinder. No electricity needed. Actually use it more than I thought. I like to buy/grow whole spices.
-toaster oven (we do not have a microwave)
-wooden bean masher/pickle tamper - whatever you want to call it
-small battery operated frother/whisk for matcha, whipped cream, sauces
-vitamix
-microplane
-fermentation crocks
-slow cooker --- not as much use as I hoped for us, but still useful

I should expand a bit on the steamer... Steaming food is quick and healthy. I also use it to reheat foods without drying them out. I can cook a protein with veggies in a plate on top of a grain and call it weeknight dinner. I couldn't be happier. And yes, not strictly necessary as you can improvise to make a steamer. But I truly love it! The Tatung specifically only has one button to push, the amount of time things cook depends on how much water you add to outer pot.

I also am trying to downscale my kitchen as much as possible, and anything that doesn't get used at least weekly gets sent to go live on the porch and ultimately rehomed.
That said, the two exceptions I have are my Amish veggie shredder (dangerously sharp, makes fabulous coleslaw/sauerkraut quick as a flash, and I always wear a cutproof glove when using it because it is not fooling around) and my spaetzle maker. The spaetzle maker takes up a bunch of space in the cabinet, but being able to make homemade pasta with practically no effort anytime I please makes up for it.

I'm a gadget-loving former baker married to an even more gadget-loving retired French & Japanese chef. John does 95% of our charcuterie, I make sourdough & a lot of other baking & cooking, we both do a lot of fermenting (yogurts, milk &/or water kefir, pickles, saur kraut, kimchi, pickles...), as an herbalist, I make almost all of our health & hygiene items & household cleansers, John does our home brewing & wine & spirits, I occasionally dabble in mead making and liquers, I make our dogs' food & treats...

If they make it, chances are we have, or have had it - favorite things... instant read thermometer, wooden citrus reamer, knives, sieves.

My husband, the cook in our house, loves the air fryer, because, among other things, it makes leftovers happen with better taste, you can use it on fries from a restaurant for instance.  We recently got this mincer thing where you push down on the top and it minces veggies inside of the container and that's been simple but very helpful/useful.

My experience with an air fryer was disappointing until ...

I bought a $7.00 air fryer on eBay. Now I am hooked.

The chopper that Riona talks about I have had since 2003, love it.