Everyone could use a little help in the kitchen, so now that the holiday cooking season is fast approaching, we've done some shopping and found some handy but inexpensive gadgets your favorite chef or baker would like — even if that favorite chef or baker is you.
Prices and availability are subject to change.
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$12 from Amazon
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Finally, a measuring cup that gets everything out, without the need to reach for a spatula or spoon. To use, simply twist the bottom of the cup and dispense your ingredient into the bowl. The magic is a silicone disk that acts like a plunger. The gadget is fully adjustable, can hold up to 2 cups, and can be cleaned in your dishwasher.
$85 from Uncommon Goods
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For anyone who entertains, this bamboo bowl and cutting board set will get used often. And, when not in use, it folds into quite a small footprint, meaning it won't take up a lot of space in the cabinets or on the countertop.
$7 from Amazon
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This loose-leaf tea strainer is perfect for the drinker who wants a single cup. The spoon-shaped infuser has a stainless steel mesh hopper and a built-in plunger on the handle, which allows the drinker to release more intense flavor into the tea.
$30 from Amazon
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A glass of wine can take the edge off of the tasks of holiday cooking — if you can get the bottle open. This device removes the cork from the bottle on contact, then ejects it from the corkscrew, and can do it on 30 bottles before it needs a charge. There's a built-in foil cutter too.
$14 from Amazon
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This palm-sized gadget cuts smoothly and easily, without toppling scrumptious pizza toppings along the way. It's also easy to clean.
$14 from Amazon
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This BPA-free silicone baking mat can be used over and over again in place of sheets of foil or parchment. Users say they're great for baking, roasting, and candy-making, with no need for cooking oils, butter, or sprays to keep food from sticking.
$31 from Amazon
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Built-in anti-wobble technology means the bowl stays put no matter how fast it's spinning, and users also praise the salad spinner for its revolutionary pulling-bar system, braking button, and the fact that it holds up to 5 quarts.
$100 from Wayfair
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Hot, fresh coffee just waiting for you even before your alarm even goes off is a dream come true. This Cuisinart allows users set the brew time up to 24 hours in advance, and features a 14-cup glass carafe, auto-shutoff, a cleaning indicator, a permanent filter, a water filter, brew-strength control, and a small-batch setting.
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$20 from Amazon
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This heavy-duty chopper allows users to slice and dice some of the toughest edibles, including potatoes, carrots, fruits, and cheese. Oh, and yes, onions — the product reduces onion vapors, which prevents you from tearing.
$170 from Amazon
Get the home chef in your life this new Instant Pot that trumps all others. How so? When connected to the Instant Brands Connect app, users can access a library of over 1,500 smart recipes. Once chosen, the app acts like a sous chef, guiding users through each step of the Instant Pot cooking process until dinner is ready and on the table.
$11 from Amazon
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No Potterhead's kitchen would be complete without the "Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory," which contains more than 150 recipes for dishes mentioned in the books and movies.
$10 from Amazon
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No ice maker? Chill out. This tray with a purpose-made silicone lid allows users to stack and angle ice trays and prevent sloshing with a sturdy plastic body and cover that slides easily.
$33-$37 from Amazon
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These handsome tumblers come in a number of different colors and make good drinking glasses for just about anything they want to put in them.
$19 from Walmart
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Traditional pot holders or oven mitts are not always best when managing hot metal pots or pans; sometimes the range of motion can be limited. These dishwasher-safe silicone mini-mitts cover their fingers and thumbs when handling metal and allow for greater control.
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$37 from Amazon
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Can you imagine eating brownies that are only the corner pieces? This brownie pan makes it so with one, snaking shape that lets batter distribute evenly for delicious, chewy edges — with a non-stick coating that makes for easy clean-up. The set also includes a lid, an "edge wedge," spatula and recipes.
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$9 from Amazon
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Saving space on the kitchen counter can make the cooking experience move along more smoothly. These BPA-free measuring cups collapse flat for easy storage, are bright and colorful, and dishwasher safe.
$8 for a set of three from Amazon
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The grips by Prepworks by Progressive allow users to get a heavy-duty grasp on tough jars and containers of all sizes, making it an especially great choice for anyone with arthritis or limited mobility in their hands. All three allow for many options: the red cone-shaped grip is ribbed for smaller jars; the teal one is rectangular; and the green one is round and flat.
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$8 from Amazon
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If they don't already have one, they'll want this simple tool that helps bakers, chefs, and everyday cooks chop, slice, and get ingredients efficiently onto the next step in a recipe.
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$6 from Amazon
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Chances are the knives in your kitchen (or those of your loved ones) are not sharpened — at least not as sharp as they should be. This compact sharpener is perfect for most straight-edge knives, and it's simple to use.
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$6 from Amazon
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The brightly hued funnels — made from BPA-free, food-grade silicone — help users easily pour liquids or dry goods such as rice, salt, or sugar from one container to another with a tapered end and a funnel that collapse for compact storage. It's rated to handle temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's safe for the dishwasher.
$350 from Amazon
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Get the cocktail lovers in your life a gift they'll fawn over. This Keurig-like machine for a home bar was one of Oprah’s favorite things last year, and this year it has another reason to be a coveted gift: The pandemic has kept many people away from bars and restaurants.
$20 from Amazon
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Help them get rid of the clutter in their cabinets or drawers with this handy bamboo box, which organizes and stores dozens of tea bags in eight compartments, plus has a drawer for other tea-drinking accessories.
$15 from Amazon
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The 30 pockets — 15 on each of the hanging racks included — will hold spices and anything else you need to prepare even the most complicated meals. There's no installation needed, either.
$23 from Amazon
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The Ovente kettle boils water in less than six minutes with little to no noise and shuts off automatically when finished. It comes with an LED indicator light and easy-to-clean built-in filter, and it uses less energy than stovetop kettles. Available in six colors.
$12 from Amazon
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With its sharp, serrated blade, the Kuhn Rikon is a cut above other rest. The swivel-action peeler allows users to carve paper-thin layers with great range of motion in either direction. The blade also swivels for irregularly shaped vegetables such as potatoes without skipping, and the double edge makes it ideal for left- or right-handed users.
$14 from Amazon
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Keeping the oven clean can be a challenge. These reusable, non-stick liners wipe away cheeses, sauces, and other baked messes effortlessly.
$75 from Hudson Grace
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Some stellar tunes can help time spent in the kitchen go by more quickly. This ceramic speaker looks like a piece of decor, but can be used to blast their favorite culinary playlist once a smartphone is dropped into the slot.
$7 from Amazon
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Humble-looking yet cute, this tool will save strawberry lovers tons of time with fast removal of stems. (It can also be used to get rid of potato eyes.)
$21 from Amazon
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This acclaimed New York Times bestseller by Samin Nosrat helps home cooks manipulate ingredients to achieve the results they're looking for. Nosrat provides a roadmap that will aid amateur chefs in putting delicious dishes together with whatever they have in the cupboards.
$20 from Target
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It's nice when you can find storage containers that won't stain or leak. Customers applaud these clear food holders, saying they are lightweight, easy to travel with, and stack perfectly with other containers to save space in the pantry or fridge. Set comes with five containers and lids.
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$20 from Amazon
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Refrigerators don't always do the best job lengthening the life of leftover produce. This smart gadget prolongs freshness and storage life by absorbing ethylene gas, slowing the spoilage of fruits and vegetables.
$7 from Amazon
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This brush, with its super-long handle, can clean your water bottles, baby bottles, travel mugs, Champagne glasses, or vases. Basically, anything that's tall and narrow and in need of a deep clean, this can do it.
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$10 from Amazon
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Avocado fans swoon over this product — a three-in-one tool with one end that slices an avocado in half, another that removes the pit, and the third part that cuts it into even slices.
$18 from Amazon
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Fresh guacamole looks scrumptious when first made or opened. But after it's been exposed to air, it turns brown. This storage container keeps the air out and the guacamole looking fresh.
$12 from Amazon
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If you like your tea or coffee on the sweet side, maybe it's time to invest in a proper — and properly adorable — place for your coffee sugar. This ceramic sugar bowl comes with a dainty spoon and plenty of cat-itude.
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$50 and up from Amazon
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This handy gadget doesn't take up much space and can even be set up in a home office to prevent multiple trips to the kitchen each day. Comes in four colors.
$17 from Always Fits
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Practical cookbooks are wonderful kitchen gifts, but sometimes you want to give 'em a little something that's just a bit more on the whimsical side. Plus, can't we all use a bit more sugar and spirits in our life right now?
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$200 from Crate & Barrel
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For the uber-pizza lover in your life, this adapter turns a charcoal grill into a wood-fired pizza oven. It includes both a 15-inch cordierite stone — for crispier crusts — and a traditional aluminum cooking pan.
$10 from Amazon
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She may look seriously annoyed, but this melt-proof device is a champion when it comes to microwave cleanup: Fill her with water and vinegar and she'll steam the microwave clean.
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$30 from Walmart
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A cake isn’t truly finished until it has been plated, frosted, decorated, and shared online for one and all to drool over. This 10-inch cake stand comes in an crisp mint green and chic milk white and has a glass dome to keep grabby fingers at bay until it’s dessert time.
$6 from Amazon
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If you've got someone on your list who rarely finishes a bottle in one sitting, this cute bottle stopper provides a great way to keep the leftovers fresh until the next time he or she is ready for another glass.
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$230 from Amazon
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Although stand mixers are the go-to appliance for most bakers, a heavy-duty food processor can make kneading bread dough a breeze. For professional reviewers and home bakers alike, this Cuisinart model (DFP-14BCNY) is among the best, with a generous 14-cup capacity, powerful 720-watt motor, and three stainless-steel blades and slicing discs.
$150 from Costco
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Want to get something big for a foodie without blowing the budget on All-Clad? Each piece in this 13-item set is made of hard-anodized aluminum that’s two times as hard as stainless steel. It's also nonstick, oven safe to 400 degrees, and dishwasher safe, with double-riveted silicone grips for easy handling.
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$72 from Amazon
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When it comes to French presses, there's Bodum and there's everyone else. Even the company's most inexpensive models can produce a decent cup of coffee. But, in terms of durability and handsome design, the polished-steel Columbia is our favorite.
$44 from Amazon
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This bamboo and acrylic cookbook stand will hold cookbooks, devices, and loose recipes to help them in the kitchen. When not in use, it folds into a slim design that can be stored next to cookbooks or cutting boards.
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$46 from Amazon
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A kitchen scale can come in handy for bakes that call for very specific measurements. Buyers say this scale delivers consistent, precise results and is easy to use. Its 17.6-pound capacity is also impressive when compared with similar models.
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$8 from Amazon
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Once those baked goods come out of the oven, they'll need a place for them to cool where air can circulate. This Wilton rack measures approximately 10 inches by 16 inches, big enough for loaves, baguettes, and more.
$60 from Amazon
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This 10-piece set comes in gold, gun metal black, copper, and silver. All the implements fit neatly into a warm mahogany stand, and the kit includes everything needed to make a perfect cocktail.
$34 from Amazon
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Jeremy Fox's cookbook is just at home on a coffee table as it is getting stained on the kitchen counter. But beyond looks, "On Vegetables" has recipes and suggestions for how to elevate vegetable cuisine.
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$45 from Target
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If the cook on your list is continually working up big dishes for family meals, this casserole slow cooker is a great way to feed a crowd. It's also great for potlucks, as the secure-fit lid and cord wrap make it easy to transport.
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$28 from Amazon
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If the person on your list is a real whiz in the kitchen, this culinary torch — which comes in a rose-gold finish —will add a challenging new tool to their arsenal. The butane torch can be used for a variety of purposes, including caramelizing crème brûlée, searing meat, browning meringues, making s'mores, melting cheese for a perfectly gratinéed french onion soup, and more.
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