Every day we see new food trends pop up on social media (Dalgona coffee & pancake cereal, we’re looking at you!) However, there are also some unique gadgets and tools that we’ve been using to step up our chef skills and thought they were worth mentioning. 

Now, while it’s true you can make incredibly delicious foods without the gizmos and gadgetry, they can certainly prevent meals from becoming routine and boring. So food friends, if you’re ready to take dinner to the next level – keep reading! 

Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets

Food Dehydrator

Get ready to make all of your favourite snacks from the comfort of your own home! We’re talking jerky, chips (made out of anything you can think of!), dried fruit, crispy chickpeas, and cookies. It might sound too good to be true, but we promise it’s not! Visit Best Buy and get yourself a food dehydrator. Set it up in the morning and you’ll have crispy chips to snack on for tonight’s Netflix marathon.

Sous Vide

Beyond the fancy-sounding French name is a simple device that makes perfectly cooked proteins a total no-brainer. Water circulation and a constant temperature ensure even cooking without the mess of grill or multi-step cooking process. Think of this as a dinner-making jacuzzi! We found a variety of options on the Walmart website. 

Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Winter or summer, spring or fall – we want the cold brew coffee, we want it all! If you’re anything like us, anytime is the right time for cold brew coffee. Unfortunately, the reality of diluting a hot cup with ice cubes just doesn’t quite hit the spot. Enter the cold brew coffee maker – use your favourite bean to make the coffee, and keep it cold in the same container! Refreshment and savings all in one! Check our Keurig to scoop up one for yourself. 

Pantry Organization

With the exception of our closet, our pantries are the most cluttered and over-filled areas of the house. It’s hard to keep it all straight when we’re constantly grabbing ingredients… and the odd Oreo! So, we asked around and found a few easy-to-implement ideas to keep it neat and tidy!

Shower Caddies

You read that correctly. We’re still talking about the pantry! One of our favourite hacks was to hang a shower caddy (or over-the-door shoe organizer) to keep items you often reach for within sight and easy to access.

Lazy Susan

Have a ton of cans? Pop one of the revolving disks into your pantry or cupboard, load up your cans with the labels facing away from the center, and start spinning! You’ll be able to see all your cans, and grab them, without having to reshuffle.

Stackable Containers

Dry goods come in all shapes and sorts of containers, but these goods have long shelf lives and often come in large quantities. Invest in a set of high-quality stackable containers in a variety of sizes. When you bring home something like pasta, cereal, dried beans, or sugar home, simply open the package and empty it into a container with a clearly printed label. Say goodbye to the game of Tetris you have to play every time you unload the groceries! Check out The Container Store for, well, their name says it all.

Recipes

We couldn’t wrap up about food (one of our fave topics!) without sharing a few of our go-to recipes. Perfect for meal planning, few ingredients, easy, and best of all – delicious!

Instant Pot Oatmeal
From the pantry: oats, honey
From the fridge: milk, water
The full recipe via Veronika’s Kitchen

3 Ingredient Orange Chicken
From the pantry: BBQ sauce, orange marmalade, soy sauce, sesame oil (optional)
From the fridge: chicken nuggets
The full recipe via Dinner Then Dessert

Cauliflower Mac’n’Cheese
From the pantry: olive oil, divided, rice vinegar, various common herbs and spices, macaroni noodles, nutritional yeast, breadcrumbs
From the fridge: cauliflower, non-dairy milk
The full recipe via Food Network Canada

… and you can’t forget dessert!

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies 
From the pantry: sugar, peanut butter
From the fridge: eggs
The full recipe via Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking

In addition to helping you save on kitchen gadgets to upgrade your meals, Rakuten.ca can also help you save on the ingredients and organizational essentials you’ll need to accomplish all of the above. Visit the Gift Card Shop to scoop up a gift card to your favourite grocery store. You’ll earn Cash Back you can save or spend on more groceries when your cheque arrives. Bon Appétit!