16 Kitchen Gadgets That Will Instantly Make Your Life Easier

Kitchens divide opinion like no other room in the house. If you don't love cooking and baking, you probably hate it.

But whatever your thoughts, there are plenty of kitchen gadgets and accessories that will make your life easier or more fun.

To help you find the accessories to try new recipes and speed up your cooking, to making meal times more exciting, we've gathered some of our favourite kitchen gadgets. Take a look...

1. Simplify meal times with a slow cooker

The lazy cook's dream. Even for novices, slow cookers make delicious food easy.

Throw all your ingredients into a single pot, flick a switch and leave it to do its thing. Most people instantly think of winter warmer meals like stews, but slow cookers are a lot more versatile than that. You can also cook joints of meat, soups and curries.

Most supermarkets now stock sachets and packets that are designed specifically for slow cookers. So all you have to do is add your meat, veg, and water or stock. Slow cookers are ideal for cooking hearty meals while you're at work all day – what could be better than coming home to your dinner ready to eat?

2. Stop worrying about ruined rice with a rice cooker

Cooking good rice is something that many people struggle to nail. Those little pouches that you put in the microwave are convenient enough, but they just don't taste the same as the real deal.

A rice cooker will erase all your rice troubles. It looks similar to a slow cooker, but it will give you perfect rice every time you use it. Easy to follow instructions make cooking rice a breeze.

3. Rustle up quick meals with a halogen oven

This Russell Hobbs Halogen Oven is a convenient and economical way to quickly make tasty meals from scratch.

What is this sorcery?

If you want to spend less time in the kitchen, a halogen oven might be the perfect investment. These little machines cook food faster than your conventional oven – and use less energy too. The heat is created by a halogen element, and a fan blows the hot air around the bowl for even cooking.

Halogen ovens can be used for roasting, baking and grilling. A whole chicken cooked in as little as half an hour sounds perfect to us!

4. Cater for one with a mini food processor

Blitzing ingredients together is easy with a food processor, but sometimes you just need a small quantity. In those cases, it seems a bit silly to get a large processor all dirty.

A mini food processor is perfect for those smaller jobs. For puréeing ingredients, making a meal for one or preparing home made baby food, this is the ideal option for blending on a small scale.

5. Slice and dice quickly with a handy salad maker

Slicing and dicing is pretty time consuming... Wouldn't it be great if there was a machine to help you out?

Oh, there is! Whether you need to slice, grind, grate or cut, this Lloytron Salad Maker will see you right. Perfectly sliced ingredients in a matter of seconds and a minimum of effort.

6. Avoid injuries (and effort) with an electric can opener

Lazy? Possibly. Easier? Certainly. Quicker? Definitely.

An electric can opener isn't exactly an essential kitchen accessory, but it will make your life a lot easier. And it can also help you to avoid those nasty accidents when your hand slips on the can with a manual opener.

7. Carve like a boss with an electric knife

An electric carving knife will make Sunday roasts just that little bit less stressful. No more struggling to carve meat while the rest of your food goes cold. Just flick the switch and away you go. Some models even come with a special blade to cut through frozen food.

Like a hot knife through butter. Or an electric knife through meat. You get the idea.

8. Enjoy the fruits of your labour with a home juicer

Nothing tastes better than home pressed fruit juice. And now you can enjoy your own, with a range of great fruit presses and juicers.

The best part is that you can create your own juice without worrying about any artificial ingredients that you might find in shop bought alternatives.

What's your favourite fruit juice? Have a crack at making it from the comfort of your own kitchen.

9. Wake up and smell the coffee

Coffee makers and machines are the ideal kitchen accessory for those who can't go without a cup. Pictured is the Delonghi Espresso & Cappuccino Maker EC330S.

Coffee machines:

For budding baristas and coffee enthusiasts, no kitchen is complete without one.

Sure, a cup of instant is convenient. But it's not a patch on the real thing. If you're serious about getting your coffee fix, a proper coffee machine is an essential fixture in your kitchen.

Oh, and that heavenly aroma... Mmmm.

10. Who needs a baker when you've got your own bread maker?

“I hate the smell of freshly baked bread,” said nobody, ever.

There's something really satisfying about a fresh loaf or roll, whether it's toasted or filled with your favourite sandwich ingredients. A bread maker is a great way to experiment with new ideas.

They're easy to use and it's a great moment when you pull out your very own loaf of bread. A great gadget for anyone who loves to bake and make.

11. Keep your veg healthy with a steamer

Do you eat enough veg?

Yes? Good. But how do you cook it? Boiling is okay... But did you know that you lose a lot of the nutrients this way?

A much better way of cooking your veggies is to steam them. This helps to cook them thoroughly to your liking, but keeps the goodness in. So for extra healthy meals, try an electric steamer to prepare your vegetables.

12. Enjoy a night in at the movies with a popcorn maker

An essential gadget for film buffs:

Relive those cinema nights out from the comfort of your own home... Complete with popcorn!

And the most impressive thing about the Lloytron Popcorn Maker is that it requires no oil. The popcorn is all made by hot air, meaning you consume less calories. Pounds saved on your wallet and your waistline!

13. Enjoy some family fun with these rocket lolly moulds

Children love to let off steam during the summer holidays, but it can soon be difficult to think of fun family activities. Here's a quick and easy one:

Gather them round and let them choose their favourite fruit juices (perhaps use your new juicer!). Next, pour the juice into these funky rocket ice lolly moulds and put them in the freezer.

You'll soon have fun frozen lollies for the kids that will keep them cool and refreshed all summer!

14. Get your spaghetti portions spot on every time with this measuring gadget

Hands up: Who always cooks too much pasta?

And who then cooks nowhere near enough pasta the next time?

A familiar story. Until now:

This gadget may look like a wedge of Swiss cheese but it's actually a spaghetti portion measurer! Use the holes to determine how much pasta you'll need depending on how many people are eating. Genius!

15. Open bottles with ease thanks to this bunny buddy

This wall mounted Slam Designs Bottle Opener Bunny bites the top off your beer, so you don't have to hunt around for your misplaced bottle opener.

You've reached into the fridge and grabbed a well earned beverage. But where's your bottle opener? No surprise... You can't find it. Again.

Here's a little guy who can solve that problem for you. Mount this bunny head on the wall and use his teeth to undo your bottles. That's right, this buck toothed bunny bites the bottle tops off your beers all night long!

16. Enjoy perfect mince, sausages and burgers with a meat grinder

But why would you need a meat grinder? Answer: HOME. MADE. SAUSAGES.

Do you really need another reason? Well, it's nice to eat something really fresh – the mince you buy in a supermarket will often have been sat there for days, greying with oxidisation. It might even contain meat from several animals.

With a grinder, you select your own fresh piece of meat, and then grind it as you wish. Perfect for home made sausages, burgers, meatballs and any other recipe that requires minced meat.

What are your favourite kitchen gadgets?

Whether you like to spend as much time rustling up recipes as possible, or you simply want to get the job done as quick as possible, the gadgets above will help you achieve your aims.

Which kitchen gadgets do you rely on to keep your cooking fun and convenient?