8 Kitchen Gadgets You Shouldn't Live Without

Everyone knows that home cooked meals are the best. Not only do they tend to be healthier for your body, they also often provide quality time with your family. Making your kitchen more user-friendly, therefore, can improve both your physical and emotional well-being, not to mention the money you will save by resisting the temptation to go out.

For this article, I asked my intelligent, fun, and "foodie" friends what gadgets they absolutely could not live without. Within two hours, I received sixty-two responses! Here are the items most frequently mentioned in those postings.

KitchenAid Mixer. Easily a dozen people called the KitchenAid mixer their Number One cannot-live-without item. Most reflected the opinion of my friend Liz who wrote: "The KitchenAid mixer the unrivaled god of all kitchen appliances."

Cheese Knife by Pampered Chef. It may not be glamorous, but my friend Tim swears by it. It slices cleanly and easily and at only $9.75, it is a real bargain.

Pineapple Corer and Slicer. Although I love pineapple, I had given up on buying fresh ones because they are so difficult to prepare. So I was very glad when Tamara mentioned this product, and several other people chimed in to agree that it is a great innovation!

Microplane Zester from Raw Epicurian. Tarra enthusiastically recommends this grater, and several other people cheered for it as well. She wrote that is an "utter win!"

Egg Slicer. A number of friends mentioned this inexpensive little gadget and I agree with Charlie that it "makes life so much more simple and easy to deal with!" I personally also use it for slicing mushrooms.

Salad Spinner. I was surprised by the ground-swell of enthusiasm for this product but now I'm going to buy one! Many people agreed with Pam who says the Salad Spinner has been a useful, time-saving gadget in her kitchen for many years.

Spice Mill by IKEA. Elizabeth calls this spice mill an important part of her kitchen. Invest in some good spices at IKEA as this grinder fits atop all of them.

Batter Bowls by Pampered Chef. Tim chimes in again with a heartfelt argument for his beloved batter-bowls, which he swears he cannot live without!

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