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Going out to dinner or ordering in takeout can get expensive. So, if you’re looking to save money but still want meals to feel extra special, you can get a few items that will make your kitchen seem more like a fancy restaurant and take your home-cooked meals from ho-hum to gourmet.
A good place to start is with some great kitchen equipment, like finding the best salt grinderfor your coarse sea salts and the best knife for cutting vegetables for top-notch side dishes and fresh salads.
From there, there’s more decor items, kitchen tools and serving ware that will make anyone who dines in your kitchen feel like they should give you a five-star review on Yelp.
1. Stainless Steel Cheese Grater ($19.90)
It’s a much anticipated moment at Olive Garden and other Italian restaurants: The server comes by your table and asks if you want extra cheese, and then a flurry of Parmesan makes its way on to your pasta dish or salad. Re-create the cheesy magic at home with a stainless steel cheese grater you can use whenever you make a copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup or pasta dish.
2. Nopro Tortilla Warmer ($17.80)
Making tacos or fajitas at home? Keep your fluffy tortillas nice and warm in this insulated tortilla keeper. It can also keep your naan bread, pancakes, waffles and rice and bean dishes warm, too. The serving ware is dishwasher safe, making for easy clean-up, and reviewers say it can hold up to 30 tortillas.
3. ChalkPro Wooden Framed Standing Chalkboard Sign ($22.99)
Why not call what you’re making for dinner the “daily special.” This rustic framed chalkboard sign is perfect for a kitchen counter and comes with a chalkboard pen so you can leave a loving note for your family or share what’s on the menu for the evening. It’s easy to clean with a damp cloth and is designed not to leave any chalky residue behind.
4. Matte Gold Silverware ($34.99)
We know, it’s called silverware. But these matte gold spoons, forks and knives look like they’d be on the table at a French bistro or a trendy neighborhood restaurant. The rust-resistant set for four comes salad forks, dinner forks, dinner knives, tablespoons and teaspoons. The silverware set has a 4.6 star rating on Amazon, with one reviewer saying: “Beautiful! Good as gold.”
5. Maldon Sea Salt Flakes ($5.54)
One of the easiest ways to turn your meal into one that tastes like it came from an award-winning kitchen is to sprinkle on a finishing salt. Invest in thebest salt grinder and crack some flaky Maldon salt over your grilled meats, sauteed veggies, salads or scrambled eggs. You can even use this sophisticated salt to bring balance to cocktails or add it to desserts (it’s great at pulling out the chocolate flavor in chocolate chip cookies).
6. Sunkuka Julienne Vegetable Peeler ($12.99)
Having the best knife for cutting vegetables will help you perfect consistent cuts on everything from cucumbers to bell peppers. But have you ever ordered a salad at a restaurant and wondered how they got the most perfect carrot ribbon on the bed of lettuce, or noticed a delicate slice of zucchini in one of your dishes? The secret to cutting thin fruits and vegetables is a julienne vegetable peeler. Amazon reviewers particularly love this vegetable peeler that’s raked in nearly 3,000 five-star reviews.
7. inZaynity Torch ($29.97)
Perfect the art of making crème brûlée at home with a handheld kitchen torch. While the French dessert is probably what comes to mind when you think of culinary torches, these tools can perform a bunch of tricks in your kitchen, from brûléeing fruits to pull out their sweetness and giving citruses a nice carmelized layer to blistering tomatoes and corn.
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money.
