Fancy yourself as the next Heston, or just on the hunt for tools to minimise effort (and disaster) in the kitchen?

We've listed the best gadgets, all of which should be affordable on a student budget.

Every cook (good or not-so-good) needs the right kitchen tools and gadgets. The items don't need to be costly or complicated, but having great kitchenware can make a big difference.

Although you'll have to stump up some cash to buy these cooking gadgets, they'll almost certainly save you money in the long run. After all, you can save a lot of money by cooking from scratch, and you'll be less tempted by a takeaway if you can cook up a storm in the kitchen.

This list reveals some of the best kitchen utensils to get for your student house.

Here are the best kitchen gadgets to buy on a budget:

1. Slow cooker

When we ran a poll in our Facebook deals group about which kitchen gadgets students most want or use, slow cookers were by far the most popular. And it's easy to see why.

How many times have you got home from a long day and simply couldn't be bothered to cook, despite being hungry?

With a slow cooker, you can throw raw ingredients in a pot in the morning, leave it for the day and enjoy a yummy, healthy and cheap meal on your return. Minimal effort guaranteed.

For some food inspiration, check out this delicious pulled pork recipe, which uses a slow cooker. Check out these slow cookers.

2. Blender

Feeling healthy? Feeling lazy? Either mood can be easily satisfied if you arm yourself with a blender. Whether you want to whip up some soup or a smoothie, all you need to do is add your ingredients and press the 'on' button.

Blenders are also one of the most useful kitchen gadgets for house parties. You can make some show-stopping cocktails and firmly cement your position as party ruler supreme. Check out these blenders.

3. Air fryer

Everyone loves chips, right? There are, however, three problems:

1. They're overpriced at the chippy
2. They're hard to make at home
3. They're pretty unhealthy.

These gadgets produce incredible chips with a fraction of the oil. Trust us, the chips taste as good as the ones from the local kebab joint.

Air fryers can make loads of different things - not just chips. We tried to make some homemade chicken nuggets with one. Plus, it cooks regular oven chips and other oven foods in a fraction of the time it takes an actual oven.

It probably takes a few tries to perfect the Instagrammability of your food, but we can say that the nuggets were delicious and the air fryer is super easy to use.

Check out these Air Fryers & Air Fryer Cook Books.

4. Pyrex measuring jug

Using cups to guess quantities of liquids can be complicated territory, and it certainly isn't a foolproof method. Allow us to present to you the wonders of the Pyrex measuring jug.

Unlike plastic jugs, you can put a Pyrex in the microwave or oven to heat things without it melting or the number markings fading.

5. Digital
food thermometer

If you're anything like us, overcooking meat is sometimes the only way to make sure you don't catch a nasty bout of food poisoning. Well, not anymore with this handy food thermometer.

If you don't know the optimum temperature of whatever you're cooking, a quick Google will help you out.

6. Freezable containers

In the spirit of efficiency, saving money and being healthy, it's worth picking up some reusable food containers.

Double up on your portions to save some money and put the rest in the fridge/freezer for a day when you can't be bothered to cook. Easy peasy.

Check out Food Preparation and Storage.

In need of other kitchen essentials?
Why not check out kettles & toaster or microwaves, if they're missing from your kitchen!

There are countless items that could have made this list, but we chose our top picks based on previous experience in terms of what most student kitchens are missing, great value and general usefulness in making life easier.

You'll probably get a microwave (the greatest kitchen gadget of all) provided when you rent a property, so check out this list of surprising foods you can cook in the microwave.

Sources

Save The Student
23 best kitchen gadgets

By Save The Student
Save The Student is the UK's leading student money website, helping you budget your money, make sense of student finance, look for part-time jobs, find extra funding and more. Founded in 2007, the website provides free and impartial guides, tools and verified deals to tackle the real-life money problems students face at university.