Think your a geek with a skill tree in cooking? We raided the home kitchen of the nerdiest chef we know to see what tools make their game nights level up!

 

1. Automatic Water Heater

Having fun with friends is often an all day event. And great gaming sessions can make time slip by with an almost magical speed. That’s why it’s good to have hot water at the ready. Coffee, Tea, and Instant Ramen are only a button away. Getting your group refueled and back to the table.

 

2. Rice Cooker

Tired of eating Pizza for every game night? It’s time to level up and try some new Friday Night traditions. A rice cooker can open up a whole new world of food without costing you precious game time. Make your own sushi, Rice and Meat Balls, and Homemade Curry with Rice can bring not only flavor but inject theme back into your games.

 

3. Slow Cooker

As the host we know your too busy cleaning the house, learning games, and preparing your adventures to cook. But you shouldn’t let that stop you! A slow cooker is the answer to all of your time (or lack there of) issues. Just load it up with the ingredients and set the timer. Stews, casseroles, and even desserts can be prepared while you ponder if adding a Beholder to your dungeon is overkill.

 

4. Timers (yes that’s plural, you need more than one)

If you don’t have a few magnet timers on your fridge go out and buy some. These little contraptions don’t cost much and are one of the unsung heroes of the kitchen. It’s easy to get distracted before company arrives or when your friends have all started a game without you and keep calling that it’s your turn. These timers allow you to walk away and forget without losing dinner as a result.

 

5. Wok

Woks are cool. Woks are really really cool. And the more good food you cook in them, the better they make food taste. And food cooks fast in a wok. The best way to use one for a party is to get a bunch of ingredients together and then have each person come over and tell you what they want in their stir fry. You can make each order custom and give your guests a little cooking show just for them. It will only take a few minutes per guest but they will be talking about it for weeks.

 

6. Bamboo Steamer

Aside from the fact that just having a bamboo steamer makes your kitchen look cooler, it’s actually a great way to make an easy dinner for many people. Just fill a flat pan with water and drop the bamboo steamer on top. (Just make sure the waters not high enough to touch the food.) Then go and buy as many different frozen dumplings as possible and fill up the steamer. Cook for a few minutes, add some rice and condiments, and you have instant Dim Sum night!

 

7. Eye Hooks

Eye Hooks are something that often distinguish a professionals home kitchen from a hobbiests. In a professional kitchen as many tools as possible are hung up to save space and keep tools clean. Many chefs bring that mentality home using hooks to hang mugs, tools, and pans all over their kitchen. It looks cool, keeps you organized, and allows for easy access when cooking under pressure for a party.

 

8. Scale

Once you get used to using weights to measure out ingredients for a recipe you’ll never go back. Scales are a requirement for anyone serious about the hobby of cooking, or baking, or even making coffee. If your not that serious, it’s still a good idea to have a scale in the house. Measuring out equal amounts of ice cream for your kids D&D group will prevent fights  before they even start. Or at least will prevent Ice Cream related ones.

 

9. Mort and Pestle

This might be the most unnecessary tool on our list but it’s simply too cool to leave out. These clay mort and pestles are a signature of Thai cooking and are often used to make salads. These salads are made by taking fresh soft veggies, fruits, and a fistful of herbs, tossing them in a clay bowl and beating them with a wooden stick. They make delicious salads and the Pok Pok sound it makes will draw guests to the kitchen.

 

10. Coasters

Coasters are the easiest and possibly the funnest way to inject your geekiness to any party. They come in all different price ranges and from every corner of nerd fandom. They make great gifts for your host or DM. They don’t have to match either. The more eclectic your collection the better it looks on the table. So have fun and don’t feel bad stealing that cool cardboard coaster underneath your drink at your favorite brewery.

This is our list of the 10 kitchen essentials for geeks. Think we left something out? Have a cool tool you use all the time? Share in the comments and let everyone know how they can level up!