5 Unexpectedly Useful Kitchen Tools to Buy on Black Friday

Go ahead and look for airfryer deals and cheap ceramic knives on Black Friday—but don’t forget about some of these overlooked or underappreciated items. I’ve rounded up the five best, most unexpectedly useful kitchen tools that I absolutely treasure. Some seem like they’re single-use but actually do a ton of work, others are simply often forgotten about but could be making your kitchen life a lot easier. Buy them for yourself or snag a few to give out as holiday gifts. 

OXO Egg Slicer

I love my egg slicer. Yes, it’s good at slicing eggs for pretty, Insta-ready salads. But don’t stop with eggs. You can also use an egg slicer to easily slice olives, strawberries, mushrooms, avocado, and peeled kiwi! You get perfect, thin, gorgeous slices every time. And it barely takes up any space. This is a perfect stocking stuffer for a totally cool cooking nerd. 

DASH Rapid Egg Cooker

I recommended this egg cooker last year and I will continue to recommend it until everyone owns one. I use it every single week of my life. Of course, you can use it to make hard boiled eggs to the precise degree of doneness that you want, but you can also make poached eggs in it and individual omelets that are perfect for breakfast sandwiches. You might think this is a single-use cooking device that will just collect dust, but I promise, if you eat eggs, you’ll use this way more than you think. 

Citrus Juice Press

I hear you—you already have a hand-held juicer. Or maybe you even have an electric juicer. Trust me, this juicer is better, easier, and much simpler to clean. Plus, it looks great on a counter. It’s perfect for lemons, limes, and oranges—but you can also juice grapefruit in there if you cut the fruit into quarters. My husband got me one for Christmas a couple years back and it is probably the single gift I use more than any other. I no longer dread juicing lemons to make cocktails or fresh lemonade. I love using this thing and you will too. 

Kitchen Shears

If you do not have a good pair of kitchen shears, then your kitchen is incomplete. Kitchen shears are just as useful as any knife in your knife block. Use them to cut through chicken bones when breaking down a bird. Use them to cut open packaging. Use them to cut pizza (probably the thing I use mine for the most). Using scissors is easier than using a knife. So, buy yourself some good kitchen shears. 

Stainless Steel Condiment Containers

These little stainless steel dishes come with flexible, colorful silicone lids, so you can use them to store all sorts of things. My husband puts snacks into them for his lunch (adorbs). I use them as mise-en-place containers. And they’re perfect for storing small amounts of leftovers like that last bit of gravy or sauce. Of course, you can also use them to pack dressing for your deskside salad. You’ll find tons of uses for these lil’ guys.