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    Updated on May 5, 2020. Posted on Apr 25, 2020

    19 Things That'll Make It Almost Impossible To Ruin Cooking Dinner

    You have officially burnt chicken in the oven for the very last time.


    1. A 48-needle meat tenderizer to help you avoid ending up with dried out meat in the oven. It creates little "heat channels" that'll reduce cooking time by up to 40% and less time in the oven = less moisture loss.


    Promising review: "This wonder tool does an awesome job tenderizing meat....from the largest standing rib roast all the way down to the skinniest pork chop or round steak. Those of you who like to marinate your meat will find this tool to be a God-sent savior as it provides hundreds of holes for the marinade and spices to soak into. I used to pound my chops with a metal mallet until there were holes right through it, and the poor pork chop was only a mere third of its original thickness. NO MORE! Now I use my Klemoo to poke a thousand holes on each side and the thickness never changes, but you can cut it with a fork when done. I use it on all meats: beef, pork, veal...even chicken and turkey. It works wonders!" —Wet Bruce

    Get it from Amazon for $10.49+ (also available in white).

    2. This panini press for perfectly pressed sandwiches, burritos, and quesadillas if you need dinner to be short and sweet. The top plate locks so you can also toast your pizza, open-faced sammies, and even bruschetta.

    Promising review: "We loved toasty sandwiches and this little thing makes them great! You can do so many varieties of sandwiches — really anything your heart desires. I have also used it to make quesadillas. Irons are easy to wipe down for fast cleanup." —KDiaz

    Get it from Amazon for $32.75.

    3. A handy dumpling maker so you can fill and press homemade pot stickers, pierogis, empanadas, and turnovers quickly and efficiently without struggling to seal the dough.


    Promising review: "My wife uses this for making empanadas and a variety of other stuffed pastries. Good quality workmanship; it works well and cleans easily. As the dough shrinks a bit when cut, you may need to roll it out again a bit before filling and pressing so you get a good seal." —Jimmy


    4. This sous vide cooker to help you reach the perfect temperature for effortlessly cooking your meal. It'll maintain a precise temperature so you never end up with over- or under-cooked meat, fish, or eggs ever again.,

    The temperature ranges from 32–197 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooker can be controlled right from your phone, so you don't even have to stay in the kitchen while cooking. It also provides cooking notifications, and stays connected through Bluetooth from up to 30 feet away. Plus, you get access to over 1,000 recipes, so you'll have inspiration for yummy meals! Get the Anova app here.

    Promising review: "This thing is amazing! I had never used the Sous Vide method before. The control is amazing. The first time I used it, I ran two New York strips up to 130° for one hour, then seared them in a pan. My wife was more than pleased. Amazed even. Apparently, this method is backed by culinary witchcraft. I bought this in a combo pack that gave me this and a vacuum sealer. The app is simple to use, easy to connect, but completely unnecessary if you aren’t into that sort of thing. But, it does make it easy to check in on the operation from the sofa. You can also send preloaded recipes from the phone to the circulator with a click. If you are interested in trying this style of cooking, this seems like a great entry point." —Lester McGowan

    Get it from Amazon for $99.

    5. An Instant Pot that's pretty much a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a steamer, a sauté-r, a yogurt maker, and a warmer all in ONE. You can make a perfectly delectable butternut squash soup 70% faster and without accidentally burning anything.

    Promising review: "This is quite possibly the coolest, most versatile kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned. I love it so much that I’ve purchased two more for friends and relatives. What can it do? I think the real question is 'What can’t it do?' I truly believe you could replace every cooking appliance (including your oven and stovetop) and do EVERYTHING in the Instant Pot. I purchased two sizes for my own use: the three-quart (which is my almost-every-day workhorse for two-person dishes) and the eight-quart (which I bring out to handle bigger dishes). Everything I’ve tried has been fabulous. In the realm of kitchen appliances, there is no better investment than the Instant Pot. Highly recommended!!!" —Stereoman

    Get it from Amazon for $59.99+ (available in three sizes).

    6. This veggie spiralizer for making "vegetable pasta" with just the turn of a handle, thus sparing you from accidentally cutting your finger open with a knife and bleeding all over the zucchini.,

    It comes with seven interchangeable blades that beautifully create thick or thin strands and four e-books filled with delish recipes. The parts are top-rack dishwasher safe.

    Promising review: "You're not going to find a better built, better functioning spiralizer anywhere! I wasn't planning on buying one — I started out just researching. After researching the various models and reading reviews, I thought, 'I gotta get me one of those.' This is probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. My girlfriend just bought one two weeks ago and after seeing mine, said there's no comparison. She's sending hers back!" —Marie Walker

    Get it from Amazon for $25.97.

    7. A microwave pasta maker that'll make it super easy to get a big bowl of carby deliciousness without accidentally overcooking your noodles and having to slurp mush instead of al dente linguine.

    It yields up to four servings at a time, and is top-rack dishwasher-safe.


    Get it from Amazon for $14.99.

    8. This sushi-making kit if you're really craving a shrimp tempura roll but don't want to accidentally end up with a roll that's falling apart like last time.


    The kit includes a dishwasher safe sushi mat for making perfect rolls, a nonstick paddle for scooping and smoothing out the rice filling, and a roll cutter for slicing evenly-sized pieces of sushi (P.S., the end caps turn into little soy sauce holders for dipping!).

    Promising review: "I'm very happy I invested in this kit. I was paying $5 per roll whenever I bought sushi from a local store. I figured I should teach myself how to make sushi. This makes it foolproof, and I'm saving a lot of money on lunches now by making my own sushi." —Brittany

    Get it from Amazon for $24.95.

    9. A copy of The Flavor Bible, so you can start creating mouth-watering dishes whether you have a streak of ruining your dinners or every ingredient you touch turns to a meal of gold. It'll teach you how to combine ingredients, textures, and temperatures for a ~heavenly~ plate.


    Promising review: "This book does not have recipes. It offers wonderful suggestions for what goes with what. Have you ever been staring at a chicken, tired of the same-old-same-old, wondering what to do for something different? This book has hundreds of suggestions. You have to be willing to try new combinations, but you won't regret it. Over the years, we both have learned so much about flavors, what goes with what. My confidence in preparing meals for my family has grown steadily. If I could only keep five books, this would be one of them. My husband and I have given this as housewarming gift three times. It has always been well-received." —notinKSanymore

    Get a hardcover copy from Amazon for $24.49 (also available as a paperback version and for the Kindle).

    10. This stuffed patty mold because the last time you tried creating a cheddar-stuffed burger, the patty wasn't sealed correctly and you just ended up with the cheese melting through and burning on the skillet. This gadget helps you stuff burger patties with whatever filling you want, so the possibilities are literally endless — lasagna-stuffed cheeseburger, anyone?


    Promising review: "This actually works, and you can fill with a lot of stuffing (which surprised me). The device is very well-designed and easy to use once you figure out which part is which. I was very surprised at the size of the indentation for filling. I put in: a slice and a half of cooked bacon, some sliced peppers, and small chunks of cheddar cheese. DELICIOUS! No leakage on my George Foreman grill. Worked great. They are big burgers, so you might end up sharing. Enjoy! It's a great tool, at a great price. You can make pizza burgers, Mexican burgers, whatever you can imagine." —BarbZ

    Get it from Amazon for $10.86.

    11. This little kitchen timer to make sure you never, ever, EVER accidentally forget about your food and burn it on the stove again.

    You have the option to either prop the timer on the counter using the built-in stand or mount it on your refrigerator door or other magnetic surfaces.

    Promising review: "Ordered this kitchen timer because it stated the alarm is loud. It certainly is loud! Other alarms either lost their sound or died on me. Even the wind-up ones die over time. I like that it is battery-operated because I have lots of rechargeable batteries. The sound has to be loud enough to hear in the back of my house. My house is rather large and I used to burn a few cookies because I didn't hear the timer I had. I forget to carry it around with me and thought the loud one would be my best bet. My husband complains that it is WAY too loud, but he isn't the cook, so all he has to do is block his ears, run to turn it off, or just go in the garage and play with his toys and leave me alone! After ruining some meals with burned food he should understand the importance of this timer!" —Southern Charm

    Get it from Amazon for $9.49+ (available in two colors).

    12. A microwave rice cooker that'll make perfectly steamed results every time, so you don't end up with partially boiled rice on the stovetop.


    The four-piece set includes a cooker, a locking lid, a rice paddle, and a measuring cup. It also comes with a set of instructions and can make up to SIX FREAKIN' CUPS of rice, oats, quinoa, and more in just a few minutes. The entire thing is also dishwasher safe and you can also use it to make steamed veggies.

    Promising review: "I love this little rice pot! It comes with a measuring cup, rice paddle, and directions to make the perfect pot of rice in the microwave! It would be an excellent gift for a college student or someone (like me) who loves rice but just can’t seem to get the hang of making it on the stovetop. It is easy to clean and dishwasher-safe! I can’t say enough how much I enjoy this little pot!!" —living_with_ms

    Get a four-piece set from Amazon for $9.99 (also available as a five-piece set).

    13. This perforated crisping pan because you're sick of ending up with a soggy or burnt homemade (or frozen!) pizza crust and the ventilation created by the holes will make sure the dough becomes nice and crunchy — just the way you like it.

    You can use it for pretty much anything you want to reheat, too! Plus, it's dishwasher-safe.

    Promising review: "I've been using this pan for several months now. My crusts consistently come out nice and crispy. Very easy cleanup due to the finish. It hasn't scratched yet and is a nice, solid weight with a flat bottom. I can see I'll be baking pizza in this pan for many years yet! You just can't go wrong with Cuisinart. Also, in response to complaints I have read about pizza dough sagging through the holes in this pan, simply make sure your dough isn't too wet. I roll my dough out in plenty of flour before placing it in the pan for its final rise, and my dough doesn't sag through and my crusts turn out great." —Twisted Chef

    Get it from Amazon for $16.92.

    14. A rapid egg cooker so you can actually end up with perfectly hard-boiled eggs — instead of ones that are accidentally too runny — for tonight's egg salad side dish. You can also cook up medium- or soft-boiled eggs or poached or scrambled eggs and omelets.



    Get it from Amazon for $16.71+ (available in four colors).

    15. This air fryer because you've had zero luck with baking moist, perfectly roasted chicken in the oven — for some reason, you always overcook it. This thing features an auto-shutoff feature that'll help prevent that.

    It features a six-quart capacity fryer basket. All non-electric parts are dishwasher-safe!

    Promising review: "I was very glad to join the air fry bandwagon with this Dash Air Fryer. I have mostly used it for frozen foods such as egg rolls, chicken tenders, and fish fillets so far. I use parchment paper to help with the cleanup. In some cases, it comes out better with no oil at all. Definitely a more nutritious cooking alternative!" —Michael from San Diego

    Get it from Amazon for $89.95 (available in four colors).

    16. A fish turner so you don't wind up breaking off little pieces of delicate foods like salmon every time you go to flip it over. This turner is big enough (but thin enough) to ensure that your meal makes it out of the pan in one piece.



    Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in a smaller size).

    17. This digital food scale (with a removable bowl) so you can get the most precise measurements possible for your recipes — sometimes adding even a little more than what's needed is enough to throw off your result.


    It works for both dry and liquid ingredients.

    Promising review: "This product is worth so much more than it cost. My last scale did not have a bowl that fits so nicely in it, so when I used to measure things, I had to be sure the bowl was centered to get the accurate weight. This measures fluid ounces in addition to pounds, and it also has its own bowl and stores so nicely in my utensil drawer. I no longer need multiple scales in my kitchen. This just made my cooking and baking a breeze." —JGL

    Get it from Amazon for $16.99.

    18. A little oven thermometer because sometimes, ending up with burnt or undercooked meals when you've followed the recipe to a T just isn't your fault — it could be that your oven temperature just isn't accurate.


    It reads between 60 and 580 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Promising review: "I bought this after persistent frustration with my oven. I live in a rental apartment and my oven is pretty crappy. I was suspicious that it wasn't as hot as it claimed to be when I preheated it. This isn't such a big deal if you're just throwing a frozen pizza in the oven for 20 minutes, but I like to cook. I feel like my oven has been cheating on me. I needed to catch it in the act. Am I a crummy baker, or is my oven the culprit? So, I bought this thermometer. The result: My oven really does suck! When it beeps for 350 degrees, the thermometer reads 300 degrees. Goodbye, delicious chicken parmigiana; hello salmonella! Goodbye, carefully scheduled 7:30 p.m. dinner; hello, 8:15 p.m. apologies and wine on an empty stomach! This thermometer is like a private investigator who reassures you that you're not paranoid." —Jordan Taylor

    Get it from Amazon for $7 (also available in versions for the refrigerator and freezer).

    19. And finally, a whimsical ceramic pie bird you'll certainly want to use to whip up a non-soggy crust for dessert! It'll give your pastries the ventilation they need.


    Promising review: "Not only is this pie bird cute as heck when the finished pie comes out of the oven, but it delivers what it promises: a well-cooked bottom crust. Makes for a fabulous conversation piece as well, as most people have never heard of a pie bird. I have purchased more as gifts to go with pie plates, etc for gifts. Great product!" —Denise Caparula

    Get it from Amazon for $4.39.

    Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.




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