TIHS 2024: The Best Kitchen Gadgets That You Can Buy Right Now

While some people remodel their kitchens with the latest fixtures and a fresh coat of paint, others prefer sprucing up what's inside of the cabinets and drawers instead. If this sounds like you, and you're always on the hunt for the latest cooking tools and gadgets, then the good news is that there are a couple of standout products to look out for in 2024 (and they're available to buy right now).

Mashed recently got a look at the latest trinkets at The Inspired Home Show in Chicago, where myriad vendors converged to showcase the best and brightest inventions in their collections. From a portable lunch box that can actually heat up your food, to a convenient waffle bowl maker that creates the perfectly shaped vessel for its namesake food (as well as taco salads and more), it's clear that manufacturers are keeping an eye on technology and creativity in the kitchen. One brand in particular stood out to us, offering the two best kitchen gadgets at the entire show: Salton.

Waffle bowls used to be elusive prizes you could only find at ice cream shops. Now, not only can you make them at home, but there are also so many more treats you can create with sweet or savory edible bowls. Salton's Waffle Bowl Maker lets you customize your bowl to your liking; pour in traditional waffle mix then build a standard ice cream sundae inside of the warm, finished product, or opt for a chocolate chip cookie dough batter to produce an extra sweet treat. You could even mix up some cornbread batter for an especially edible bowl of soup or chili. In less than two minutes, whatever warm and fresh vessel you've cooked up will be ready to fill (and easy to release from the non-stick cooking surface).

One Salton representative at the show also emphasized to Mashed just how compact and transportable this small, handled device is, noting you can take this gadget anywhere, like to "a waffle party at a friend's house." The inspiration for this product, the rep continued, was to "make waffles exciting" and ultimately create "waffles transformed." Salton, with its versatile iteration on the evolution of waffle makers, has clearly accomplished something truly impressive here. Salton's Waffle Bowl Maker is available for $19.99.

Tired of cold sandwiches, but don't have access to a microwave to warm up leftovers during the day? Pack your food in Salton's Portable Electric Lunchbox and get a warm meal anyway. The genius of this design is that you can plug it into the wall once you arrive at your destination and have a hot lunch ready in just a few minutes. There's also a car adapter if you're in a particular rush and need to heat up your packed meal while on the road. That's right, Salton's Portable Electric Lunchbox is saying, "Goodbye to cold lunches" with its "on-the-go heated lunch experience anywhere" — or rather, that's how the Salton representative put it.

This container can hold 1.5 liters of food and it comes with compartments that allow you to separate food if you don't like dissimilar items touching. Plus, you can take everything apart to easily clean all the parts upon returning home. The lunch box also holds 350 milliliters of water if your warm lunch preference is a piping-hot bowl of hearty soup. Additionally, it includes a compartment with a stainless steel spoon and fork, making for easy eating. Salton's Portable Electric Lunchbox is available for $29.99.