Feel like sprucing up your kitchen and mealtime? Behold these cool kitchen gadgets.
The kitchen is the center of any family home: from cooking to eating together, it’s a chance for busy families to reconnect with one another and fill their hungry tummies. We’re crushing on a few new and cool kitchen gadgets that are full of whimsy, fun and convenience. Afterall, if you have to have gadgets, they should definitely be cool, right?
These cool kitchen gadgets are not only exactly what will make your kids want to help cooking and eat (fun shapes always do the trick), but they’re also a lot of fun to use. Plus, they’re all things you actually need in the kitchen. Peelers, plates, and utensils are always going to be necessities. So, we’ve gone ahead and rounded up some of the most adorable goodies for all your future meals. Scroll below to find the new object of your foodie affection.
Cat Peeler
Not only is this little peeler adorable, but it's also easy for little hands to hold. It should come in very handy for all those potatoes you need to peel for Thanksgiving mash. The little ears help to remove potato eyes, too. Also comes in white!
This dishwasher-safe silicone mat not only makes mealtime fun, but it's also perfect for those eaters who like their foods "separate" whenever possible. We also love this mat for holiday baking (you can use all the compartments for different cookie toppings) and even crafting supplies. Because it's easy to wash, there's no problem using it for a variety of things. It comes in an array of colors and sizes (some have more "mat" areas for crafting, etc.).
Dive deep into pots of soup and stews with this long-necked, footed ladle in the shape of the elusive Loch Ness Monster. She even comes in a jumbo size.
Make mealtime extra fun with this construction-themed plate and utensil set. Now all those noises you make to get the food down the hatch might sound so out of place!
Protect hands from burns and amuse your guests with these silly-sweet oven mitts that look exactly like bear paws, made with insulated cotton with heat-resistant silicone pads. They also come in polar bear hands if that's more your taste.
Get your knights to gather around the table with this adorable but functional cheese grater that looks like a dagger. Enough said, right? You will never buy the pre-shredded cheese again. We’re pretty sure you’ll have a few volunteers to pitch in with meal prep with this one.
With cookie baking season right around the corner, you and your kids will love whipping up a batch of sugar cookies (or really any solid dough designed for cutters) in the shape of emojis!
It’s a juicer, it’s a miniature watering can, and it’s a ton of fun! Perfect for your favorite salad dressing, just squeeze the lemon juice directly in, add whatever seasonings and oil you might want and then sprinkle directly onto your greens. This just might get them to eat those veggies!
Kids love playing in soapy water, so take advantage of that and get them to do a few dishes (non-breakables are fine). Even the most reluctant rinser will perk up when they see the Brain Drain, a clever little sponge holder that looks like a skull. And as a bonus, you can use it to hold a body scrubber in the bath, too.
Whether you’re introducing carrots to a wee one’s diet or making fancy popsicles for a playdate, this adorable popsicle maker will bring on squeals of delight. How can you go wrong?
Whether they're into banging on pots and pans or have graduated to helping in the kitchen, set your little chefs up for success with this seven-piece utensil set from Q.D. Foodie. The utensils feature sensory-friendly, easy-to-grip handles, have braille on the measuring pieces and mimic real fruits and veggies.
They look like giant pencil sharpeners, but they produce julienne-style results that can easily be formed into garnishes, thereby making your food look 10x fancier.
From birthday parties to everyday eats, these napkin holders make mealtime more like story time. Easy to use, you just grab any napkin (cloth, paper) and fold it in half, give Bloom a twist and bam! Your napkin just became petals. Whimsy with a side of good manners? Yes, please.
You want kiddo to learn to eat from a real plate but don't want said plate tossed on the floor. Your solution: OXO Tot's new stick and stay divided plate. The curved side walls encourage your babe to feed herself, and it suctions to any surface—it's easy for mom and dad to remove, not so easy for the baby.
Never miss out on the last little bits of jam or peanut butter thanks to the Splatypus jar scraper. This little spatula is just $17; you'll save that much in jam in a year alone.
—Amber Guetebier, Erin Lem, Gabby Cullen, Kate Cartia
All the products listed are independently & personally selected by our shopping editors.
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Got a paper plate? If so, you can easily make this fun instrument
Give your kids a crash course in music appreciation, and fill an afternoon with creative fun by helping them make a DIY tambourine. Scroll down to find out what you’ll need (a few supplies and lots of imagination!) to make this paper plate tambourine, and your baby Beethovens will be hosting their own jam sessions in no time. Feeling crafty? Check out these other homemade instruments that actually work.
What You’ll Need to Make a DIY Tambourine
1. Stiff paper plates (we used Chinet lunch plates)
2. Curling ribbon— any color
3. Silver jingle bells
4. Marker pens
5. Stickers
6. Scissors
7. Fishing line
8. Hot glue gun (parental supervision required)
9. Hole punch
Design the Paper Plate Tambourine
Let your kids design their own tambourine using markers and stickers. Each plate will be a side of the instrument.
Assemble the DIY Tambourine
Step One
Measure and punch along the edge of the two paper plates. One spot at a time, use a pen to line up the location of the holes on each side of the tambourine.
Step Two
Using the fishing line, thread two jingle bells through each hole. Continue until every punched hole has two bells strung tightly.
Step Three
Curl strips of ribbon with the scissors and then using just a dab of hot glue, insert and secure the strips to the bottom of the tambourine.
Play the Tambourine
They’ll love the impromptu jam session that occurs right after the project is complete!
While we don’t recommend quitting your day job and taking these corny jokes on the road (do people still throw rotten tomatoes?), we do promise that if delivered with enough enthusiasm—or by an undeniably cute kid—these cheesy jokes will get some chuckles. And, when you’re done with these, be sure to share our favorite knock-knock jokes, summer jokes, funny dad jokes, and our ultimate list of jokes for kids that are always good for a laugh.
Q: Why did the cookie go to the hospital?
A: Because he felt crummy.
Q: Why did Johnny throw the clock out of the window?
A: Because he wanted to see time fly!
Q: Why was the baby strawberry crying?
A: Because his mom and dad were in a jam.
Knock, knock
Who’s there? Theodore
Theodore who? Theodore wasn’t open so I knocked.
Q: What do lawyers wear to court?
A: Lawsuits
Q: What did one toilet say to the other toilet?
A: You look flushed.
Q: Why is there a gate around cemeteries?
A: Because people are dying to get in!
Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Cows go Cows go who?
No silly, cows go MOO.
Q: Why wouldn’t the shrimp share his treasure?
A: Because he was a little shellfish.
Q: What has one head, one foot, and four legs?
A: A Bed
Q: What do you call an angry carrot?
A: A steamed veggie.
Q: What do you call a fake noodle?
A: An impasta.
Knock, knock
Who’s there? Little old lady
Little old lady who? I didn’t know you could yodel.
Q: Why shouldn’t you write with a broken pencil?
A: Because it’s pointless.
Q: Why did the man put his money in the freezer?
A: He wanted cold hard cash!
Q: What do call cheese that isn’t yours?
A: Nacho Cheese
From parenting hacks to tips to get us through the tough parenting days, TikTok delivers
You either love TikTok or you hate TikTok, but if you fall into the latter, hold up for just one second and hear us out. Yes, TikTok is sometimes questionable, but there are some real gems of wisdom and advice that we’ve seen on the video platform and have personally tried out—resulting in some rock-star parenting moves. So if you aren’t too sus of TikTok parenting advice, check out these tried-and-true favorites below.
Did you hear the one about the fish who moved to Hollywood?
We’re not laughing at L.A.; we’re laughing with it. From jokes about earthquakes to jokes about LA traffic, these kid-friendly jokes will have your little one laughing out loud.
Take your sandwich to the next level with two ingredients you already have in your kitchen
Tired of your go-to sliced cheddar on white bread? Mix up your routine with this no-brainer recipe from the food bloggers Jennie and Corelynof Garlic My Soul. With two ingredients we bet you already have in your kitchen–apples and jam–the classic grilled cheese gets a major upgrade. The cooks’ secret to this delicious sandwich? Use Fontina cheese, which Jennie and Corelyn swear takes this dish to the next level.
Serves 1
Grilled Cheese with Apple and Jam Ingredients:
2 slices sourdough bread
2-3 oz fontina cheese
2 tbsp blueberry jam
¼ an apple, thiny sliced
4-5 basil leaves, chopped thinly sliced
butter
soup of your choice, optional
Method:
1. Butter both sides of your bread.
2. Spread the jam on the inside of both pieces of bread, then layer on the cheese, with the basil in the center.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat, and butter well.
4. Cook over medium heat on each side until the bread is well browned. Pro tip: if you want to, you can use a cast iron bacon press or another cast iron to put weight on the sandwich so everyone gets nice and melty.
If you know a toddler, then you’ve heard of CoComelon—the #1 kids channel on YouTube with a gazillion subscribers (chances are you’re one of them!). We love CoComelon for its oh-so-catchy tunes and adorable characters—it’s “edutainment” at its finest! Big news: CoComelon Toys from Jazwares has dropped its latest line of toys to learn, play and sing along with. Just like the series, these toys are in seriously high demand, so we’ve put together a list of the hottest new CoComelon Toys from Jazwares, based on your kiddo’s favorite CoComelon tune!
Hot tip: Shop now, because these coveted CoComelon Toys from Jazwares are sure to sell out quickly! (Not to mention… you want to ensure they have time to make it to you with all the shipping issues going on… ) Ready? Go forth, shop, and bring the world of CoComelon to life for your favorite tiny bean this holiday season!
If They're a Fan of Yes, Yes Vegetables
Deluxe Interactive JJ Doll
Press JJ's tummy to activate sounds and hear songs! When it’s time for JJ to eat, the peas “disappear” from the spoon when you feed him!
Welcome to Melon Patch Academy! The deluxe playtime set includes a table, cot, chair, easel, and teacher Ms. Appleberry to create a real school setting!
Calling all mini hip-hop artists! Fisher Price has outdone themselves with the newest collector’s edition Little People that will have parents secretly coveting the new toy.
You can already play with tiny versions of your fave characters from The Lord of the Rings, The Office and Frozen––but now its time to turn to the music industry with the Run-DMC set! Get ready to get down with Joseph “Run” Simmons, Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell and Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels in a whole new way.
The three-piece set comes in a stylized box and no detail is left out. Each member boasts their signature style in the form of hats, shoes and gold jewelry that will have your littles begging for their own pair of Adidas.
You can find the Run-DMC Little People Collector dolls on Amazon for $14.99
A few years ago, I remember reading an article about Mother’s Day. The writer observed how, instead of a spa day or sleeping in, what she really wanted was a day centered on the motherhood experience. Not the laundry. Not the dishes. Not the perpetually sticky floors. She just wanted to have fun with her kids, no chores attached.
This stuck with me. For all of us who work outside the home, we are used to negotiating our time out of the office. We lock down a certain number of days off before we take a job. We put in requests for PTO around holidays and vacations. But when it comes to motherhood, we’ve somehow drunk the Kool-Aid that we’re supposed to always be on duty.
What if we chose a different path? What if we assumed the role of a benevolent manager to our mom-selves and said, “With this job, you are responsible for a lot of repetitive but important tasks, you get a pension plan of unlimited love and joy, and you’re guaranteed regular days off from the drudgery?” I think we’d be happier parents and people.
Overcoming Your Inner-Overachiever
It can be hard, of course, to check out for the day. I get it. We are programmed to think about how we can multitask better, how we can optimize every minute, how we can be successful at home and at work in half the time. That’s grit. That’s drive. And in so many situations, that’s commendable.
The only problem is, burnout is a very real consequence of that mentality. We owe it to ourselves to step back every now and then to do fun things just for the sake of, you know, fun.
And if you think our COVID-era lifestyles preclude everything you’d want to do, think again. This isn’t a call for some grand gesture so much as it is an urging toward intentionally enjoying ourselves now and then for no other purpose than to bring happiness back into our parenting.
Still not convinced? Here are a few doable ideas to get you started:
1. Snuggle In: Even if you can’t sleep in, you can stay in your pj’s all day and watch movies and color together. 2. Bake: Forget pandemic baking. You’re baking for no reason! Cake, bread, whatever your jam is, you’re putting that sucker in the oven. Just. for. fun. 3. Get Outside: No park playdates here! Nope, you’re going on a walk just to feel the sunshine together. (Or, if you’re in Portland, to admire the clouds.) If you can’t completely squelch that overachiever mentality, you’re allowed to pack a picnic. But don’t forget dessert! 4. Bust Out the Boardgames: Even toddlers can hold their own in a game of memory or Candy Land. And that analog-style fun will bring back your own happy childhood memories.
PTO: APPROVED
So how often should you be doing this? Well, that’s up to you. There are those out there making the case that laziness has certain hidden advantages. (Looking at you, creativity!) I personally find that once a month strikes the balance between doable and rejuvenating. If you can do it once a week, more power to you. If you can’t do it at all, I urge you to reconsider. And, if all else fails, put it on your calendar. You can always schedule the laundry for the next day.
I'm a pediatrician and a mama mindset expert. I host The Modern Mommy Doc Podcast, and am a mom to two young girls in Portland, Oregon. I'm also author of The New Baby Blueprint and The Working Mom Blueprint from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
2020 wasn’t exactly jam-packed with goodness. That is, expect for the Strawberry Glaze craze.
Given the popularity of this sweet, spring-time flavor last year, Krispy Kreme made the decision to treat the brand’s fans to another round of limited-time Strawberry Glaze doughnuts. The pink pick is available starting Apr. 26, 2021 at participating Krispy Kreme locations.
photo courtesy of Business Wire
Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme Chief Marketing Officer, said in a press release, “Last year, fans couldn’t get enough of Strawberry Glaze and have been asking for it to come back ever since.” Skena added, “So we’re bringing it back. Hurry in and enjoy!”
The delish doughnut flavor is back in two forms—a Strawberry Glazed Doughnut and a Strawberry Kreme Filled Doughnut. The glazed version is similar to the Original Glazed Doughnut, but with a tangy strawberry taste. If that’s not enough strawberry sweetness for you, the Kreme Filled version is exactly what the name sounds like. This sugary selection is filled with the brand’s beloved Kreme, in a strawberry flavor.