5 kitchen gadgets to up your cooking game

When most people think about gadgets in the home, they focus on the living room. The thing is, while that 4K UHD TV may look great, there is a lot of fun you can have in the kitchen with the right high-tech tools. I wanted to bring you a look at a few kitchen gadgets that I'm a fan of that will add a flair of fashionable tech to this often-neglected room. Be forewarned--just like other gadgets, kitchen appliances can have a hefty price tag!

MUUTO COOKING UTENSILS
Raise your hand if you enjoy getting sauce all over your counter or stovetop when you put down a mixing spoon, even when transferring it to a holder. No one? Then it's time to check out Muuto products. Mutt's wooden kitchen utensils (pictured above) are made to perfectly balance in the rim of pots and pans, and will stay there, seemingly suspended in air thanks to the carves grooves in the handles. Awesome-looking, and less cleanup.

JOSEPH JOSEPH SHELL DIGITAL SCALE

If you wanna up your cooking game, you need to stop measuring by volume and start weighing by mass. This results in better accuracy, and your food ends up tasting that much better. The Joseph Joseph Shell Digital Scale will also handle metric measurement in addition to the US units. The built-in tare-able bowl is perfect to hold both solids and liquids, and does double duty since it can be used as a scoop as well. Get the Shell Digital Scale on Amazon.

SODASTREAM SOURCE

If you like carbonated beverages, you should be aware of SodaStream's DIY technology that allows you to make it yourself. The newer version sports a Yves Behar design, while still offering the same great simplicity, money savings, and reusability. Also, LEDs. The LED controls are used to customize the level of carbonation. Doesn't get much geekier than that. You can get the SodaStream Source on Amazon.

MENU BOTTLE GRINDER

I love bringing a cool factor to commonplace items, and that's what the Menu Bottle Grinder does for salt and pepper shakers. These look like corked opaque glass bottles, but the cork is actually the grinder. In other words, the grinding mechanism is at the top, so your table or counter won't be dusted with salt and pepper crumbs whenever these are used. You can get the pair on Amazon.

CUT BROOKLYN PROSPECT 240

After taking a sabbatical from writing fiction, Joel Bukiewicz decided he'd try his hand at making knives. Great knives. Cut Brooklyn's kitchen knives are coveted by both commercial and home chefs. Check out the handle and you'll realize that the typical bump is centered, providing a more balanced hand feel. You can pick up the Cut Brooklyn Prospect 240 for $575.

There you have it--five great additions to any kitchen where you wanna raise the tech factor. They're beautiful, functional, and even chic. I'd love to hear if you pick any of these up!