Top 5 Kitchen Gadgets of the Past 10 Years, $10 or Less

Top 5 Kitchen Gadgets of the Past 10 Years, $10 or Less by Guest Blogger in Shows, May 10th, 2012

invention hunters

by Steve Greenberg (pictured right)

As an Invention Hunter (aka product scout), I’m always searching for the next great kitchen gadget. For the purpose of this blog, let’s define “gadgets” as those inexpensive must-have tools that fit in your kitchen drawers. Here are my picks for the top five kitchen gadgets under $10:

Norpro Egg Rite Timer ($5) — Throw out your grandmother’s egg timer: This high-tech egg timer, isn’t really a timer at all. Shaped like an egg, you place it in the pan with your eggs and it calculates cooking stages by temperature, not by inaccurate time. It automatically adjusts for the number of eggs, amount of water and even the altitude. Egg-cellent, huh?

Mastrad Silicone Steam Cooker ($10) — Forget the old iron or aluminum steam cookers of yesteryear, silicone is today’s go-to kitchen material. This steam cooker is super convenient because you don’t have to use water or add oil to cook your food. All you have to do is stick it in the microwave for a few minutes and you get a quick, healthy meal.

Misto Olive Oil Sprayer ($10) — With more than 6 million sold, this is certainly one of those products that makes me say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Misto is a non-aerosol spray pump. Just add your favorite oil and spray on pasta, salads, pans, meats — you name it. With this oil sprayer you get the flavor of the oil, but you don’t have to use as much oil as before and that means less calories and fat.

Microplane Classic Series Zester/Grater (starts at $9) — Believe it or not, this kitchen multifunctional must-have started as a woodworking tool. Carpenters like it and chefs love it. The microplane is perfect for zesting chocolate, hard cheeses, lemon, ginger and garlic. This tool is “grate.”

Good Cook Safe Cut, Sidecut Can Opener ($10) — Talk about innovation. For years, can openers opened cans and in the process created cans and lids that were knife-sharp. Ouch. Then someone came up with the brilliant idea to open the can from the side, below the edge. So now there’s no sharp lid, no sharp can. The kitchen is safe again. A sharp inventor came up with this smooth idea. If you still have an old-fashioned can opener, my advice: Can it.

So how many of these do you own? And what must-have gadgets did I leave out? Let me know by posting your feedback in the comments below.

Watch me try to find the next great kitchen gadget with Patrick Raymond (pictured left) on Invention Hunters, Monday, May 14, 9pm ET/PT.