Elevate Your Home Cooking – Part 2

More Tools I Actually Use For Cooking

So, you’ve got your thermometer, your chef’s knife, and your trusty Magic Bullet. You’re already ahead of the game. But if Part 1 got you thinking about what else could make your life in the kitchen easier – you’re in the right place.

These are four more tools I personally use and genuinely love. No fluff, just real stuff that’s made cooking less of a chore for me. Let’s get into it.

1. Air Fryer

Okay, I’ll admit – an air fryer is not the cheapest tool on this list. But hear me out, because it might be the most life-changing one.

What it does:

Cooks food fast using circulated hot air, giving you wonderfully crispy results without drowning everything in oil. Think: roasted vegetables, chicken, fries, fish, reheated leftovers that actually taste good – basically, everything. I even make toast in it sometimes when I’m too lazy to get my giant toaster out.

Why it matters:

I rarely use my oven anymore. I’m not exaggerating – I cook almost everything in my air fryer now. It heats up in seconds (no 15-minute preheating nonsense), it cooks quickly, and cleanup is super easy.

How to use it:

Pop in whatever you’re cooking, set the temperature and the timer, and walk away. Most air fryers have presets for common foods, so there’s very little guesswork. The model I have has a digital display and a recipe book included, which is a great starting point if you’re new to it. Click here to see it.

Bottom line: Yes, it’s a bit of an investment. But if you cook at home regularly, it will pay for itself in time, energy, and honestly – sanity. Worth-every-penny.

2. Vegetable Chopper

I’m going to be honest with you, I bought this thing almost entirely because I was tired of crying while chopping onions. I do not regret it one bit though, it has been so much more useful than just that.

What it does:

Chops, cubes, slices, and grates vegetables quickly and neatly – all contained in one unit. You press the food through the blade attachment, and it goes directly into the collection container below. No onion bits flying across your kitchen counter. No crying. Just perfectly even, uniform pieces. Click here to see it.

Why it matters:

I make a lot of soup, and this thing has been a total game changer for that. Chop up a whole pile of vegetables in minutes. It comes with several blade attachments, and while I mostly just use the cubing one, I’ve also regularly used the slicing and grating blades and they work beautifully too. And I love that everything stays contained in the collection bin. No looking for the attachments in the kitchen junk drawer.

How to use it:

Attach your blade of choice, place your vegetable on top, press down with the lid, and done. Honestly, I give the lid a good smack; it’s very satisfying and rather therapeutic some days. The pieces fall right into the container below; nice, neat and contained! When you’re finished, the whole thing goes on the top rack of the dishwasher. That’s it.

Bottom line: I got it for the onions, but it more than earned it’s keep for it’s multi-tasking abilities. If you make soups, stir fries, salads, or anything that involves chopping a lot of vegetables, you will not regret this.

3. Electric Pepper Grinder

How did I live so long without this gadget? No joke, I ask myself this question at least once a week.

What it does:

It grinds your whole peppercorns (or salt…I have one for each) at the press of a button. That’s it. You don’t twist, you don’t crank, you don’t put in any effort whatsoever. You just press the button and freshly ground seasoning falls into your pan or onto your food. Brilliant!

Why it matters:

I suffer from joint pain in my hands, and manually grinding my big wooden pepper-mill was getting to be a chore. But I love fresh ground pepper; I won’t use anything else. This electric grinder has been a dream. Even if your hands are perfectly fine, the convenience alone is enough reason to make the switch. You can adjust the coarseness of the grind easily (I like a medium grind for most things), and the built-in LED light at the bottom is genuinely brilliant – it lights up what you’re seasoning so you can actually see how much you’re adding. Clever. Click here to see it.

How to use it:

Fill with peppercorns, set your coarseness level, and press the button. It’s rechargeable via USB – no batteries required – so you’re never stuck scrambling for a AA battery at dinnertime.

Bottom line: Affordable, rechargeable, easy to use, and it has a little light. What’s not to love? A small upgrade that makes a surprisingly big difference.

4. Silicone Spatula Set (with Mini!)

This might be the most underrated item on this entire list. And yes, I know – it’s spatulas. Bear with me.

What they do:

Silicone spatulas scrape, fold, stir, and spread. They’re heat resistant, flexible, and won’t scratch your non-stick pans – unlike plastic or melamine utensils, which can damage the coating over time and shorten the life of your pans.

Why they matter:

Make sure you get a set that includes a mini spatula. I reach for my mini one more than any other – it’s perfect for getting the last bit of sauce out of a jar, or getting into corners that a regular spatula just can’t reach. You will use it constantly and wonder how you managed before. Click here to see it.

How to use them:

Use them for everything – stirring sauces, folding batter, spreading icing, scraping out every last bit of peanut butter from the jar. They’re dishwasher safe and they last for years.

Bottom line: Cheap, practical, and safe on your non-stick cookware. And they even come in a bunch of different colours to match your kitchen vibe! Get a set with a mini one included – like this one – I use mine daily. You’ll thank me later.

Wrap-Up

And there you have it – four more tools that have genuinely made my time in the kitchen easier, faster, and a whole lot less tearful (thanks vegetable chopper!). You don’t need a fancy kitchen or a culinary degree to cook well at home. You just need the right tools, a little confidence, and maybe a good playlist.

Happy cooking!
Tracy xo

If you landed here organically, and not as a continuation from Part 1, click here to read the first in the series: Level Up Your Home Cooking with These 5 Simple Tools

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