5 Kitchen Gadgets For Under A Fiver

We love kitchen gadgets! We want things that slice and dice and make life easier or food more fun, but we also don’t want to spend a small fortune on goodies that we barely use. Our kitchen expert Mandy Mortimer  has come up with a list of five of her favourite kitchen gadgets for under a fiver each.

Starting with the most expensive, €5.00 on the nose, is this brilliant citrus juicer from Ikea. All the juice is collected in a small jug with a handy spout for no-mess pouring, and it has a handy filter than catches any pips. But what we particularly love about the “Spritta” is that it comes with two different sized inserts. The smaller is great for juicing lemons and limes. The larger insert is perfect for squeezing every last drop from oranges and grapefruits.

Whether it’s to grate chocolate to top off a pudding, carrot for salad or a lovely cake, cheese for your pasta or toasted sandwich; every kitchen needs a grater, and again, Ikea has the perfect one. The “Chosigt” is probably one of the handiest graters you’ll find and it’s only €2.75. Its design is clever and practical. The grater sits snug on top of a vibrant blue bowl which is where all the gratings are caught. It has a large grater, useful for carrots and other veg or yellow cheese, and a finer grater perfect for chocolate or harder cheeses like Parmesan. Not only that, it comes with a lid, so any leftovers can stay in the tub and be popped into the fridge ready to be used again.

Love poached eggs but have yet to master how to actually poach them without creating an egg white soup? We’ve got you covered! These simple Nova silicone poaching cups will have you enjoying your healthy poached eggs with little to no fuss. Home Store + More sells them in sets of 2 for €1.99. All you do is bring a small pot of water to a simmer, crack an egg into each silicone cup then lower them into the water. Cover with a lid and allow to poach until your eggs are done just the way you like them. And we love that these Nova poaching cups have useful holes near the top so that you can easily fish them out of the pot using a fork to hook through the holes.

 We love avocados. We love them on toast, we love them on salads and on burgers, we love them as a snack with a squeeze of lemon juice and crumbling of feta. What we don’t love is getting this lovely soft fruit out of its skin! We’ve had an avocado slicer in the kitchen drawer since they first made an appearance in trendy kitchen stores, and have to admit that we paid far too much for the luxury of easy avocado removal and slicing. But, you don’t have to make the same mistake! Home Store + More have these handy slicers in either black or white for a mere €1.29. And while their latest clearance sale lasts, the very funky bright green Chef’n avocado slicer has been reduced to €2.99!

Our last gadget comes from Dunnes and it’s from the gorgeous Helen James Considered range. It’s something every baker should have; a sieve. But not just any sieve. The Considered Flour Sifter is our favourite sieve for a few reasons. Firstly, no more flour or icing sugar spilling over the sides of the sieve or ending up on the counter top all around your bowl. It’s cylindrical design keeps everything going where it’s meant to be, in the bowl! (Unless you’re purposefully dusting your countertop or a cake!) Secondly, it’s easy to use. Simply pour your flour or icing sugar into the cylinder and then squeeze the trigger handle which then works the mechanisms inside the sieve to push everything through lump free. And finally, we’re in love with anything with a vintage feel but doesn’t cost trendy vintage prices, and this definitely fits the bill.

It’s well made and you’ll have it for years to come, and at €5.00, you won’t get better!