The overwhelm of choosing the right tools for your kitchen can be enormous, and more often than not, you can get tied into an endless loop of indecision. Maybe you aren’t satisfied with your choices and wish there was a way to find out which kitchen gadgets are among the most essential items to pack in your pantry. We decided to consult the experts. These restaurateurs and business operators explain their most coveted kitchen gadgets while providing at-home suggestions for a similar outcome.
At Atlas Chicken, owner Lawrence Colburn cites their Frosty Factory as the restaurant’s most beloved gadget. The family-owned restaurant has two locations, one in Geneva and one in Bartlett.
“We use all real fruit,” Colburn says. “The Bartlett location has four machines with two slushies on each, with four boozy and four nonboozy.”
Looking to try your hand with an all-fruit slushie at home for football season or a big gathering? The Iceman slushy machine has temperature and duration controls, while the Ninja SLUSHI also receives high marks.
Over at Geneva Wine Cellars, owner Jordan Moore uses an inert gas system for their wines. The Wine Emotion USA Wine Preservation system is a card-based dispensing solution to allow for three varying pours per bottle, with a precise measurement each time.
“It uses argon gas to keep wines fresh for up to four weeks,” says Moore. “It’s a very user-friendly and economical solution on the bottles we serve by the glass.”
For home, Moore suggests a VacuVin, which comes in under $20 for the vacuum device itself and a single bottle stopper.
“Honestly, any wine drinker should have this at their house,” says Moore. “It’s affordable and so easy to use, and keeps the wine fresh.”
Over at Hardware in North Aurora, the most important aspect of the restaurant is not necessarily a gadget in the kitchen. Instead, it works outside on the roof. They collect rainwater through downspouts for irrigation in their greenhouse and patio garden. Inspired? Home rain barrel water collection systems like the RTS Home Accents offer an economical solution to rainwater collection.
Dining and Cooking