# The 19 Greatest Kitchen Inventions of All Time

> Plenty of these arrived with a patent and a sales pitch, and a few quietly rewired how families eat.

*By YPB Team · Published September 28, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-19-greatest-kitchen-inventions-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Refrigerator** — score 1000/1000
   Cold storage at home, the appliance that ended daily trips to the market.
2. **Dishwasher** — score 759/1000
   Josephine Cochrane's 1886 machine that took the most hated chore off our hands.
3. **Microwave oven** — score 647/1000
   Discovered by accident when a radar engineer's chocolate bar melted in 1945.
4. **Aluminium foil** — score 615/1000
   The shiny sheet for wrapping leftovers, lining trays and grilling fish.
5. **Slow cooker** — score 542/1000
   The Crock-Pot that simmers dinner all day while you are out.
6. **Food processor** — score 542/1000
   Chops, slices and purées in seconds; the Cuisinart made it a home staple in the 1970s.
7. **Induction cooktop** — score 542/1000
   A magnetic field heats the pan itself, fast and with a cool glass surface.
8. **Automatic drip coffee maker** — score 542/1000
   The countertop machine, popularised by Mr. Coffee in 1972, that brews a full pot while you shower.
9. **Gas stove** — score 542/1000
   Adjustable flame at the turn of a knob, replacing the coal and wood range.
10. **Electric kettle** — score 404/1000
   Boiling water in about two minutes, the heart of every British kitchen.
11. **Stand mixer** — score 404/1000
   The heavy-duty mixer, KitchenAid's since 1919, that kneads dough and whips cream hands-free.
12. **Blender** — score 319/1000
   Spinning blades in a jug for smoothies, soups and frozen margaritas.
13. **Air fryer** — score 217/1000
   The compact convection oven that crisps fries with a spoonful of oil.
14. **Instant Pot** — score 217/1000
   The 2010 electric multicooker that turned pressure cooking into a one-button job.
15. **Non-stick frying pan** — score 217/1000
   PTFE-coated pans that let eggs slide right off, sold as Tefal since the 1950s.
16. **Can opener** — score 217/1000
   The simple gadget that arrived almost 50 years after the tin can it opens.
17. **Waffle iron** — score 217/1000
   Hinged patterned plates for crisp waffles, patented in the US in 1869.
18. **Toaster** — score 0/1000
   Perfectly browned bread on demand, with a pop-up timer since the 1920s.
19. **Rice cooker** — score 0/1000
   Toshiba's 1955 automatic cooker that makes perfect rice and keeps it warm.

Tags: coffee, inventions, gadgets, kitchen, appliances