Top 10 must-have kitchen gadgets

Top 10 must-have kitchen gadgets

The latest kitchen gadgets save time, look great and get results. If you agree with the old Shirley Conran adage that \'life\'s too short to stuff a mushroom,\' then these must-have gadgets are for you.

by Karen O\'Grady 

The perfect cup

Give coffee mornings a lift with the Perfecta coffee machine from DeLongi. This compact machine prepares freshly brewed espresso and cappuccino just how you like it at the touch of a button. The rotating dial with electronic display allows you to set the strength and length of your coffee, and there\'s even a traditional manual cappuccino frother to whip up a creamy froth to pour on top.

DeLonghi Perfecta ESAM 5400 coffee machine, £499, www.amazon.co.uk

Pop your cork

Remove even the most stubborn corks with ease using the Metal Activ-Ball Gift set. Once removed, the cork is automatically ejected from the screw, making it quick and easy to open more than one bottle. Perfect for parties and entertaining, you can be sure the wine will keep flowing.

Metal Activ-Ball Gift Set, £30 www.lecreuset.co.uk

Go digital

Place ingredients directly onto the platform of these sleek-looking digital food scales for a precise reading every time. For ease of use the display can be pulled forward for a better view. Extra features include an optional backlight, large number display and the choice of imperial or metric measurement.

Oxo Food Scales, £24.99, exclusive to www.lakeland.co.uk

Hands-free

The PC has become an indispensable item in the home, and now it\'s possible to enjoy all the funtions of a PC and more at the touch of a screen in the kitchen.

The TouchSmart by HP features a slim monitor which responds to the movement of fingers across the screen, making it possible to dispense with the mouse and keyboard. Ideal for surfing the web, viewing recipes and playing music.

A great space-saver, the device can be wall-mounted and has an in-built TV tuner making it possible to watch TV in the kitchen.

HP TouchSmart IQ500, £999.95, www.pcworld.co.uk

Touch and go

Open cans at the touch of a button with the Culinare One Touch can opener in a choice of vibrant colours. Simply place the opener on top of the can, press the button and watch it automatically rotate around the rim of the can, easily removing the lid.

Culinare One Touch Can Opener, www.johnlewis.co.uk

Smooth operator

Always in a rush? Enjoy a healthy fruit smoothie on the go with this versatile smoothie maker that transforms into a flask. As well as saving you time in the kitchen, this cool-looking gadget ensures you can enjoy at least one of your five a day wherever you are.

Kenwood Smoothie 2GO, £24.99, www.kenwood.co.uk

Cooking with steam

At last, a steamer that not only cooks individual elements of a meal, but can also be programmed to ensure the whole meal is ready to serve at the same time! No need for a host of pots and pans, this compact steamer will sit neatly on the worktop, and is indispensable when it comes to preparing a healthy, balanced meal.

Morphy Richards Intellisteam, £99.99 www.comet.co.uk

Cook with confidence

This nifty thermometer fork can be set to select the correct temperature for beef, pork, chicken, turkey, veal, lamb or fish - meaning you get great perfect results whatever\'s on the menu. The digital display leaves no room for error, so you can be sure your meat is cooked through.

Lakeland Kitchen Thermometer Fork, £21.99, www.lakeland.co.uk

Shake it up

Jamie Oliver\'s Special Edition Flavour Shaker crushes, grinds, blends, mixes and more to give food sensational flavour.This is the ultimate model in the range and features a solid feeling brushed stainless steel top half with inset rubberized grips.It comes complete with it\'s own handy stainless steel stand so it\'s always close by for your latest culinary master piece.

Jamie Oliver\'s Special Edition Flavour Shaker, £24.99, www.housebeautifulshop.co.uk

Quick cook

Egg on toast makes a great lazy weekend breakfast, and now this tasty treat just got even easier to prepare. Tefal\'s Toast \'n\' Egg can poach an egg, or boil up to four eggs while simultaneously making toast. Taking just four minutes to prepare, this is the ideal time-saving gadget for those that love good food fast!

Tefal Toast \'n\' Egg, £39.99, www.tefal.co.uk

On tap

Enjoy crystal-clear water straight from the tap with the MySpa water diverter kit. This clever gadget transforms any kitchen tap into a flitered water dispenser at the flick of a switch. Easy to install, the filter sits neatly under the sink, while an off-on diverter is fitted to the tap makes it easy to switch betweeen clear water for drinking and the mains supply for washing dishes.

Rangemaster\'s MySpa water diverter kit, £110, www.rangemaster.co.uk

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