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Kitchen Gadgets That Fixed My Cluttered Countertops While Cooking
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items Every time I tried a new recipe, my phone ended up splattered with sauce, my cookbook slid off the counter, and I ran out of space for actual prep. If your kitchen counter looks like a disaster zone the second you start cooking, this is everything I ...
Sections
6
Recipe Holders and Cookbook Stands
Countertop Organizers That Actually Fit Small Kitchens
Splatter Guards and Mess Prevention
Phone and Tablet Mounts for Following Video Recipes
Timer and Measurement Tools That Reduce Mistakes
Cleanup Shortcuts for After the Cooking Is Done
Recipe Holders and Cookbook Stands
I used to prop my tablet against the toaster and pray it wouldn't fall into the soup. One grease-splattered iPad screen later, I got serious about finding real solutions.
Clip this to your cabinet door and read recipes at eye level. No more hunching over the counter squinting at tiny print while stirring a pot.
Cookbook Holder Under Cabinet for Kitchen Use
Grab this if you still use actual paper cookbooks. Keeps pages open without you weighing them down with a can of beans like I used to do.
Table Side Cookbook Holder, Bamboo Book Stand
Sturdy enough that my cat bumping the counter didn't knock it over. Perfect for anyone whose kitchen has a small pet tornado problem.
Scalloped Acacia Wood Cookbook Stand with Removable
Use this when you're making anything with a blender or a bubbling pot. The splash guard saved a borrowed cookbook I would have had to replace.
MyGift Clear Acrylic Cookbook & Book Stand
Keep one by the stove and one on the island. Light enough to toss in a drawer when company comes and you want to look like a tidy person.
FESTFENDS plastic book stand Acrylic Practical Design
Switch between wall mount and counter stand depending on what you're making. Bought this after I dropped my tablet reaching for the salt.
CTA Digital Tablet Stands in Tablet Accessories
Pair this with messy baking projects. The acrylic cover caught flour and chocolate splatter that would have ruined my grandmother's handwritten recipe cards.
Bamboo Cookbook Stand with Measurement Conversion
Countertop Organizers That Actually Fit Small Kitchens
My first apartment had about three square feet of usable counter. These are the pieces that gave me room to chop without playing Tetris with my appliances.
Roll it next to you while you cook, then push it back against the wall. For anyone who rents and can't install shelves, this is your answer.
Mainstays 3 Tier Metal Laundry Cart, Rich Black, Rolling
Toss this under the sink and suddenly you have room for all those cleaning supplies that were hogging counter real estate. Took five minutes to set up.
SimpleHouseware Stackable Under Sink Cabinet Pull Out
Put spices on this instead of scattered across the counter. I went from knocking over paprika every single meal to actually seeing what I have.
Copco Non-Skid 3-Tier Spice Pantry Kitchen Cabinet
Swap out that bulky knife block taking up half your counter. Everything slides into a drawer and stays put. Wish I'd done this three apartments ago.
Joseph Joseph DrawerStore Compact Cutlery Organizer
Grab a few of these for the pantry so snack bags stop avalanching out every time you open the door. Clear sides mean no mystery bins.
mDesign Plastic Kitchen Storage Organizer Container Bins
Fits inside a cabinet so your spice collection isn't living on the counter anymore. For anyone who buys a new spice for every recipe and never throws them out.
YouCopia SpiceSteps 24-Bottle Spice Organizer
Hang it on the pantry door and free up an entire shelf. I moved all my wraps and foils there and finally had room for actual food.
Over The Door Pantry Organizer
Splatter Guards and Mess Prevention
Cleaning dried tomato sauce off the backsplash at 10pm on a Tuesday was my breaking point. These keep the mess contained so cleanup doesn't take longer than cooking.
Hold this over your skillet when frying anything. Saved me from burns and from scrubbing the stovetop for twenty minutes after making bacon.
Bergkoch Grease Splatter Screen for Frying Pan
Toss these between the stove and counter. I pulled out a year's worth of crumbs and rice from that gap before installing them. Never again.
2 Pack Silicone Stove Counter Gap Covers
Use this as extra counter space when you're not cooking. For anyone who meal preps and needs somewhere to line up containers without stacking them.
Samsung Gas Stove Best
Set this inside a sheet pan to catch drips from roasting. Cuts your cleanup time in half and your oven stays cleaner between deep cleans.
Professional Grade Stainless Steel Half Size Cooling Rack
Drop one in before you dump the chili ingredients. After dinner you lift out the liner and the pot looks like you never used it. Weeknight magic.
Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liners
Ditch parchment paper forever. These don't slide around, nothing sticks, and you just rinse them off. Paid for themselves in about two weeks.
GORILLA GRIP Nonstick Silicone Baking Mats, 2PK
Keep this next to the stove so you stop laying saucy spoons directly on the counter. Such a small thing but it eliminated half my daily wipe-downs.
Stainless Steel Spoon Rest- Long Handle Holds Kitchen
Phone and Tablet Mounts for Following Video Recipes
Scrolling through a recipe video with wet chicken hands was a low point. These mounts keep your screen visible and your fingers off the glass.
Tilt it to any angle so you can watch cooking videos without pausing every ten seconds to reposition. Stable enough that steam from a boiling pot doesn't knock it.
Tablet Stand, Lamicall Adjustable Stands : Desktop
Stick this on the fridge and snap your phone on when you need hands-free recipe scrolling. Peels off clean if you move, which matters when you're renting.
Marcy Magnetic Phone Mount w/ Dual Rotating
Slap this on the side of your microwave or any flat surface. Your phone floats right at eye level while you chop. Feels like a cooking show setup.
Customer reviews for Scosche MAGFMI MagicMOUNT
Wrap this around a cabinet handle when counter space is zero. Looks ridiculous but works perfectly, and honestly who cares when you're alone making pasta at midnight.
Aduro Phone Neck Holder
Bring this out for baking days when you need the recipe visible for an hour straight. Holds heavier tablets without tipping, which my old cheap stand could never do.
UGREEN Adjustable & Foldable Tablet Stand
For anyone deep in the Apple world, this clips your phone exactly where you need it. Snag one before your next big holiday cooking marathon.
Belkin, MagSafe Vent Mount Pro, Magnetic Car ...
Stick this on the back of your phone so you can prop it against anything in a pinch. Not fancy, but it saved my screen from landing face-down in flour more than once.
PopSockets Adhesive Phone Wallet with Grip- Black
Timer and Measurement Tools That Reduce Mistakes
Burned cookies because I forgot to set a timer. Ruined a cake because I eyeballed the baking soda. These are the tools that stopped me from winging it and regretting it.
Get one with a loud alarm. My old timer was so quiet I missed it over the exhaust fan and pulled out charcoal where garlic bread used to be.
ThermoPro TM03W Digital Kitchen Timer for Cooking
Swap your flimsy plastic set for these. The handles don't bend when you scoop packed brown sugar, and the markings don't rub off after three washes.
OXO International OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel
Narrow enough to fit inside spice jars without dumping half the jar. Small detail, huge difference when you're trying to measure a half teaspoon of cayenne.
Kitchenaid Universal Measure Cup Spoon Set in Black
Use this for baking and suddenly your bread turns out the same every time. Measuring flour by weight instead of cups changed everything for me.
Etekcity 22lb USB Rechargeable Waterproof Scale
Stick this in your chicken and stop cutting it open to check if it's done. For anyone who's served pink poultry at a dinner party, you know the shame.
Taylor Instant Read High Temp Digital Meat Thermometer
Read the measurement from above instead of crouching down to eye the line. Sounds minor until you've poured too much broth into a risotto three times in a row.
OXO International OXO Good Grips Angled Measuring Cup
Keep a dedicated set for dry ingredients so you're not washing between every measurement during holiday baking chaos. Stock up before Thanksgiving sneaks up on you.
Norpro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup Set 4 Piece
Cleanup Shortcuts for After the Cooking Is Done
Cooking is fun. Scrubbing a mountain of dishes at 9pm is not. These cut my post-dinner cleanup from forty minutes to about fifteen, and that extra time is everything.
Try this on baked-on cheese before you give up and soak the pan overnight. It firms up in cold water for scrubbing and softens in warm water for gentler jobs.
Scrub Daddy, Scrub Sponge, Scratch-Free, Model 1-COUNT
Spray it on, walk away, come back and everything wipes off. Perfect if you're the person who lets dishes sit because the thought of scrubbing is exhausting.
Dawn Platinum Dish Soap and Powerwash
The bristles actually hold up after a month. My last three brushes went flat in two weeks and I was basically smearing food around with a stick.
OXO Good Grips Dish Brush, White/Black, 1EA
Keeps soap and brush together right by the sink. Looks decent enough that guests don't see a crusty sponge sitting in a puddle, which was my previous setup.
Full Circle Bubble Up Ceramic Soap Dispenser
Toss this on the counter when you hand wash, then roll it up and stow it. For anyone without a dishwasher or counter space for a drying rack, this is it.
Rubbermaid Antimicrobial Dish Drain Board
Fill it with vinegar and water, nuke it for seven minutes, and wipe the inside clean. The splattered oatmeal that's been in there since Tuesday comes right off.
Cook Easy Mad Mama Microwave Cleaner each
Spray the counters after you finish cooking and the kitchen smells like lavender instead of fish. Grab a bottle before your next seafood night, trust me on this one.
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner