Food processors, microwaves, air fryers, stand mixers – the list of kitchen gadgets that help cooks save valuable time when whipping up a snack or meal are well known.
However, there is also an array of smaller culinary game-changers that can cut additional cooking corners, from superfast egg cookers to handy food prep bag holders. Here are 10 time-saving gadgets to whip up your next meal, for the family or larger gatherings.
Breakfast maker
This all-in-one gizmo lets you load up your morning favourites to cook everything in one place. Perfect for those lacking both time and countertop space, the GreenLife Breakfast Maker features two upper griddle compartments so you can keep your egg separate from sausages, vegetables, pancakes and more, as well as a toast drawer that holds two pieces of bread. The adjustable timer means you can keep track of your cooking and it’s non-stick to make washing super-quick too.
Dh363, www.amazon.ae
Herb scissors
There’s nothing like adding a handful of fresh herbs to a dish to enhance the flavours (and it’s even better if you’ve grown them yourself). Chopping herbs, however, can be time -consuming, involving stripping leaves and trying to hold fiddly stalks and stems together as you chop them down into small, seasoning-sized pieces. Investing in a pair of Mastard’s 5-Blade Herb Scissors to take the hassle out of herb cutting. It even allows you to cut directly off the plant rather than having to pick the leaves.
Dh37, www.crateandbarrel.me
Automatic pot stirrer
Say goodbye to hours spent standing at the stove stirring pots by investing in the Stirmate Automatic Pot Stirrer GEN 3. Attach to the side of the pot, and soups, sauces and risottos that require constant movement can take care of themselves while you get on with other things.
Adjustable to fit different pot sizes from six to nine inches, it has different speed controls to keep your food from sticking and different attachments to handle different sauce thicknesses. Plus, it’s super-quiet and lasts for up to 10 hours per charge.
Dh380, desertcart.ae
Microwave pasta cooker
The Italians in your life might be aghast, but if you’re short on time, what’s a little pasta shortcut between friends? The Nalacal Microwave Pasta Cooker drastically cuts down on the time you spend stirring, making up to four servings in under 10 minutes. Follow the measurement and water guidelines, set the timer on the microwave and get on with chopping tomatoes and mincing garlic as the pasta cooks. It comes with a built-in drainer for easy straining, and can also be used to cook ramen noodles and steam vegetables.
Dh60, www.amazon.ae
Rapid egg cooker
Fancy eggs for breakfast but don’t have the time to stand around and wait for them to boil? There’s a gadget for that. Simply put up to six eggs into the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker and set the timer for hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached or scrambled eggs, and let them cook while you get busy chopping the avocado and buttering the toast. This non-electric, dishwasher-safe egg cooker weighs less than half a kilogram and features an auto-shut to prevent overcooking.
Dh109, www.mumzworld.com
Vegetable chopper
Vegetable prep can be time consuming, especially when different veg needs to be chopped in different shapes and sizes. Enter the Fullstar Vegetable Chopper, which lets you slice and dice all manner of veg with one swift push. Cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms and more can be grated, julienned and shredded, while the chopper also makes light work of harder veggies such as onions and potatoes. It comes with six stainless steel blades and a 1.2 litre container, as well as a finger guard and scraper.
Dh117, www.amazon.ae
Ziploc bag holder
Food preppers will love this neat little A Department 4-piece Baggy Rack Holder that helps eliminate the mess that can come from filling food bags for lunches and freezing. Whether cooking for the week ahead, or needing to store leftovers, simply clip a Ziploc bag into the holder and spoon or pour in your ingredients. Perfect for storing sauces, liquids, batters and more, the rack is adjustable for bigger and smaller bags. These can then be frozen flat, taking up less space than traditional storage boxes.
Dh24, www.temu.com
Spice carousel
If you regularly cook with spices, you’ll know that having a cupboard or drawer full of different seasonings can get messy and confusing. That’s where the KitchenArt Select-A-Spice Auto-Measure Carousel comes in. With 12 removable spice compartments, the carousel turns easily to make finding your flavouring easy. The canister can also measure out spices at the flick of a switch, negating the need for measuring spoons to deliver ¼ teaspoon of spice each time until you’ve achieved your preferred level. It comes with 55 labels and is stackable to add more carousels on top.
Dh115, www.amazon.ae
Batter dispenser
Whether baking cakes or cooking up a batch of pancakes, waffles or Yorkshire puddings, getting the batter into the cake holders or pan can be a messy job involving bowls, spoons and spatulas. The 1-litre Oxo Good Grip Precision Batter Dispenser cuts not only the time, but also the clear up in two, by allowing for easy measuring and pouring with zero spills. Simply fill the clear jug with batter and squeeze the handle until your preferred amount has been released. The lid doubles as a drip tray between uses.
Dh113, www.homesmiths.ae
Meat shredder claws
You’ve roasted, barbecued or air-fried the perfect cut of meat, but when it comes to shredding the chicken, beef or lamb, regular knives simply won’t cut it. Investing in a pair of Gentlemen's Hardware BBQ Meat Claws is a good way to pull apart meat to create bite-size portions that are ideal for tacos and burritos, salads, pie fillings and more. The stainless steel blades have easy grip, sturdy wooden handles to tear into even the toughest cuts, and they serve double duty as claws to pick up and carry the meat from grill to platter.
Dh139, www.virginmegastore.ae
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
Scorline
Iraq 1-0 UAE
Iraq Hussein 28’
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Switching%20sides
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More on Quran memorisation:
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nag%20Ashwin%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrabhas%2C%20Saswata%20Chatterjee%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%2C%20Shobhana%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20JustClean%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20with%20offices%20in%20other%20GCC%20countries%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202016%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20160%2B%20with%2021%20nationalities%20in%20eight%20cities%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20online%20laundry%20and%20cleaning%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2430m%20from%20Kuwait-based%20Faith%20Capital%20Holding%20and%20Gulf%20Investment%20Corporation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Avatar%20(2009)
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
