Food & Cooking Five Time-Saving Tools That Our Editors Always Make Space for in Our Kitchens They're mostly small in size, relatively inexpensive, and pay you back daily as you'll definitely use them on the regular. By Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Enrique Díaz / 7cero / Getty Images There are hundreds of gadgets out there that promise to make prepping and cooking easier and faster, but there are very few that our editors agree are worth giving up space for in our kitchens. Single-use gadgets, especially, tend to be the types of tools our editors shy away from. So, what do we think deserves a place in our cupboards, drawers, and on our shelves? Here, we're sharing our favorite handy tools that we use regularly and would actually recommend that you add to your kitchen tool kit. Genius Ways to Use a Melon Baller That Don't Involve Melons Johnny Miller Mandoline For salads, gratins, and any other dish that you need thinly sliced vegetables for, the prep doesn't have to be tedious. Use a handheld mandoline—its sharp blade delivers rapid results so beets, carrots, potatoes, or zucchini are evenly sliced in no time at all. Shop Now: Kyocera Adjustable Mandoline, $19.93, amazon.com. Courtesy of Macy's Spring-Loaded Scoop A scoop is not just for ice cream! We use this smaller size cookie scoop in the test kitchen all the time. It's our go-to tool for portioning out cookie dough, meatballs, or muffin batter in record time. Shop Now: Martha Stewart Collection Small Cookie Scoop, $15.29, macys.com. Courtesy of OXO Salad Spinner Who wants to eat gritty salad? Not us. A salad spinner is hands down the best way to clean and dry leafy greens, not just lettuce and other salad greens but also kale and chard. Also, dry salad greens hold dressing better and stay fresh longer. Save time (and paper towels) with a spinner that doubles as a storage container, too. Shop Now: Oxo Good Grips Salad Spinner, $30.99, oxo.com. Courtesy of Sur La Table Immersion Blender Purée soups and sauces right in the pot! When you use an immersion or stick blender, you avoid the messy step (and cleanup) of transferring hot liquid to a regular blender. Shop Now: Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender & Chopper, $35, surlatable.com. Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma Microplane We can't even remember life in the kitchen before the microplane. This handy grater tackles so many tasks that it's hardly ever out of service. There's no better or quicker way to create fluffy clouds of finely grated Parmesan, citrus zest, spices, or chocolate. Shop Now: Microplane Premium Zester Grater, $15.99, amazon.com. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit