My Favorite Cheap, Useful Kitchen Tools

I’m not into clutter. I don’t want a bunch of stuff around, and while I love a tchotchke, I’m discerning. I have a one in, one out policy with a lot of things, because 1) My house is small, and 2) A great way ot judge if you really want/need something is if you are willing to get rid of something else to have it. Books, mugs, sweatshirts, socks - they’re all at capacity. If one is coming in, one is going out.

Now here’s where I get hypocritical: Home Goods. Home Goods is the best worst place, because it makes me want all KINDS of crap. That kitchen/cleaning wall? Filled with littel gizmos for $2-$5? It makes me question everything. I’m pretty good at knowing what I will actually use and what is just something that seems like a good idea when you’re in a Home Goods fugue state, and there are a few unnecessary but indispensable tools I’ve collected over the years. These are my You Don’t Need It, Or Do You?? kitchen tools.

Note: While Home Goods does have an online store, it’s extremely limited. I’ve linked the products (or similar) at other sites, but keep in mind they’re much cheaper (and possibly harder to find) and a Home Goods location.

Egg Rings

I have two of these, and I got them for $1.99 each at Home Goods. I remember, because I simultaneously thought, “That would be useful” and “That is silly,” but I figured for $1.99 why not give it a try. They’re not perfect, but they’re better than nothing. I use them to make eggs for the hashbrown breakfast sandwich I mentioned here. I only use the rings for the first minute or so of cooking, then remove them so I can flip my fried eggs. They make it MUCH easier to cook two eggs in one pan.

A Few Tips: These are not worth more than $1.99. Use a little butter on the ring before you put it in the pan, on the bottom and up the sides a tiny bit. Despite the instructions, these can absolutely go in the dishwasher, and should.

Plastic Spreaders

“Spreaders” is such a vile term, but these aren’t knives - they’re spreaders and scrapers. I wrote about these already, in a post about another kitchen gadget, but I didn’t give them enough praise. These were a whim of purchase and I use them CONSTANTLY. They allow me to scrape out my food processor without scratching it, add butter to a pan without scraping my butter bell or pan, and do all manner of spreading, scraping, and scooping without accidentally injuring myself. As someone who has had to get stitches in my left thumb TWICE because of kitchen knife mishaps, this is a lifesaver (thumbsaver?). If I see them at Home Goods again, I will purchase another pack, because I cannot imagine living without these.

Sifter

I have two strainers/sifters, one large and one small, but they are not really arthritis friendly. I use my small sifter mostly for powdered sugar, and the process of standing over a bowl tapping the sifter against my hand hurts both my holding hand and my tapping hand. I decided to get a sifter that you grip instead, and it’s surprisingly much more comfortable and faster than my old method. I got a cheap one, and it’s useful enough that I’m going to purchase a nicer one, maybe with padding on the handle for even more comfort.

Mini Whisk

Speaking of powdered sugar, the best way to mix up a glaze or icing is with a whisk, but my regular whisk is too big for a small batch of icing, and it’s often already dirtied from whatever I baked that I’m trying to put icing on. I bought a tiny whisk, again on a whim, and again I use it all the time. I despise silicone whisks, but if you are okay with them (don’t be) then they’re easy ot find at Home Goods. A metal whisk, and a tiny metal whisk at that, may take longer to find. If you desperately need one, you can pay more, but I got mine for about $5 at Home Goods.

Tiny Tongs

Tiny tools are great. They’re easier to maneuver, they’re easier to fit in a drawer, and small versions of things are cute. I got a two pack of tiny tongs at Home Goods for about $5, and I solely got them to use with my air fryer. I had one pair of tongs before, and it was bulky and frankly, overkill. I barely use the large one now, it’s all tiny tongs, all the time.

Silicone Spoon Rest

This spoon rest is actually from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. But it’s still about $5 and I use it more than spoon rests I paid much more for. There are three reasons this is my go-to spoon rest. 1) You can put it in the dishwasher. Dishwasher safe is my favorite trait. 2) The sides are high. So often spoon rests are just like, plates for spoons. This spoon rest has nice high sides so it actually contains whatever is resting on it. You can just whack a spoon on a scoop or a spreader on it willy-nilly and know your counter and surrounding area is staying clean. 3) It’s bendy. I actually store this spoon rest in a drawer folded in half. If you have limited space, something like a ceramic spoon rest just gets in the way. Fold that thing up!

Spoonula

I’ve mentioned Target’s Made by Design spoonula before, and I’ll keep mentioning it until everyone owns at least two. The spoonula is my absolute favorite tool in the kitchen. I have two, and honestly I’d buy more if I had the space. It’s all one piece, so no nasty crevices to get dirty. It’s just as good for mixing cake batter as it is for cooking macaroni and cheese. It’s dishwasher safe! It’s $5! It’s at Target! If you buy one thing on this list, make it the spoonula. It will change your life.