Clearing small tasks leading up to cooking can take up a lot of time, from washing and chopping to seasoning and storing. In Ramadan, when time is a precious resource, little helpers stationed around the kitchen can immensely improve your cooking experience. We’re talking easy rice dispensers, battery-operated grinders, salad spinners and more; some of these gadgets have even gone viral on social media for saving space, time and effort. Use them for iftar preparations during the holy month and drastically cut down the time and effort you spend in the kitchen.
Check out which kitchen gadgets on Amazon made our list, thanks to top-rated user reviews, and shop with a Prime membership to get free, next-day delivery.
1. Best Chopper: Fullstar Vegetable Chopper
A multifunctional chopper for all your food prep needs, Fullstar’s gadget not only chops vegetables, but slices eggs, squeezes citrus fruits and separates egg yolk. The kit also comes with a bonus ribbon and julienne peeler by the brand. But it's best known for minimal-effort chopping – all you have to do is place your vegetable on the blade and push the top latch down. Your cut food ends up in a large catch tray that even has cup and millilitre scales to help you cook by the book. Reviewers note how much time they’ve saved in the kitchen, making cooking a breeze, especially for vegetarians.
2. Best Rice Dispenser: U-miss Rice Dispenser
Buying and storing rice is always complicated business – the heavy sack either sits in a cupboard or lies slumped on the counter until the rice runs out. Bring home a grain dispenser, if you cook rice dishes often. This convenient container dispenses rice into a measuring cup at the touch of a button, and holds about 11.3kgs - you can even use it for a wide variety of dry foods, be it cereal or pasta. The best part is the cup with drainage holes on the side, so you get to catch and rinse the rice in one go without changing dishes.
3. Best Plate Cover: BLINE Magnetic Microwave Anti-Sputtering Cover
If you want evenly heated leftovers, a plate cover can help you achieve great tasting results. This magnetic microwave platter cover by BLINE made the rounds on TikTok thanks to its space-saving design. Its in-built magnets allow it to stick to the roof of your microwave, so it’s virtually impossible to displace. It helps prevent splatters and keeps your microwave clean, cutting down the number of times you’ll need to wipe down the interiors of the microwave after reheating your food.
4. Best Roll Dispenser: Leifheit Parat F2 ComfortLine Kitchen Roll Holder
Access all your kitchens rolls in one place to wrap sandwiches and leftovers with the help of Leifheit’s wall-mounted roll holder. This handy kitchen tool replaces wayward tinfoil and cling film containers that come with flimsy cutters. For a clean tear, load rolls of maximum width 31cm into the dispenser and slide the cutting blades from side to side. At the lowest rung, there is a holder for your kitchen paper towel roll as well. Happy buyers mention decluttered drawers after purchase and appreciate the extra storage space for spice bottles on top.
5. Best Measuring Assortment: Wildone Copper Plated Measuring Cups & Spoons (Set of 21)
Do you eyeball most of your measurements when cooking? This is your sign to snag a stunning set of measuring cups and spoons, for tastier, more accurate results. Wildone’s copper-plated assortment includes seven cups, eight spoons, one leveller and five mini spoons for recipes that call for a dash or a pinch. These are all rust-resistant and made of stainless steel with engraved markings on the handles. The spoons are thoughtfully designed to fit jars with narrow opening.
6. Best Bench Scraper: Rachael Ray Bench Scrape, Marine Blue, Medium
This simple scraping tool is more than what meets the eye. The Rachael Ray bench scraper is an essential companion to your cutting board. Use it to scoop your chopped vegetables from the board, instead of gathering bits and pieces by hand or knife, and toss them into your cooking pot in seconds. The stainless steel bench knife also doubles as a dough blade when baking.
7. Best Ice Cream Maker: Hand2mind Play and Freeze Ice Cream Ball
Forget bulky machines that you have to spend a fortune on, for some homemade ice cream. This hand2mind Ice Cream Ball went viral when a TikTok whipped up a frozen vanilla treat in mere minutes. All you have to do is put your ingredients inside this ball and toss it around while everything freezes. There’s no electricity required - a pint of ice cream is ready in 30 minutes.
8. Best Salad Spinner: OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner
Patting leafy greens dry with paper towels never does the trick. Whether you’re putting away groceries for the week or are prepping for a salad, there’s always a bit of dampness that turns your lettuce soggy. OXO’s salad spinner gets all the moisture out and leaves your ingredients crisp to chew. Press the central pump to spin your vegetables inside the basket or lock it down for storage.
9. Best Electric Pepper Grinder: Russell Hobbs Classic Salt & Pepper Grinder
Unlike your twist-and-grind conventional shakers, these battery-operated salt and pepper grinders are a timesaver. With the press of a button, the electric mills season your food instantly, even lighting up at the base, so that you know how much seasoning you’ve added. Its best feature is the adjustable seasoning power, letting you pick from coarse to fine spice settings. Each mill in the pair comes with a base cap to reduce counter spills.
10. Best Fruit Slicer: Yidada Watermelon Slicer
Watermelons are delicious, and in Ramadan, they’re a great source of hydration. But they can be a pain to slice without getting watermelon juice all over your clothes and counter surface. With the Yidada Watermelon Slicer, you can methodically cut a watermelon into bite-size pieces, with little effort. You can use it on other fruits too, like other varieties of melons, cantaloupes and pitayas. The handy tool went viral on TikTok recently, and the slicer has earned rave reviews online for being practical and efficient.
11. Best Multipurpose Slicer: Westmark Stainless Steel Multipurpose Slicer, Grey
Another great slicer that has been seen on TikTok, slicing up everything, from kiwis and strawberries to mushrooms and hard-boiled eggs, this Westmark Multipurpose Slicer has a stainless steel design to ensure it’s durable and long lasting. It’s even backed by a five-year warranty from the manufacturer!
12. Best Dish Rack: Embather Roll Up Dish Drying Rack
A roll-up drying rack goes a long way to save space in a small kitchen. Unfurl this stainless steel rack over the sink when dishes need drying; it works just as well for washed fruits and vegetables, thawing meat and holding hot cookware of up to 204°C. Reviewers love how they can forego the conventional bulky dish rack and roll this up to store when not in use.
13. Mr Siga Dish Soap Dispenser
There’s nothing fun about washing dishes, but this soap dispenser, which is the focus of several kitchen hack TikTok videos, can be a gamechanger. Just pour some dish soap into the bottom container and put on the lid. When it’s time to do the dishes, press down your sponge onto the lid - the device dispenses the perfect amount of soap each time, allowing you to clean everything more efficiently.
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