If you are looking for restaurant-quality food at home, look no further than your kitchen. Why? Because it’s the one spot in your home that you can create simple meals that taste like the ones you would eat in your favorite restaurant. The truth is, most people don’t think of their kitchens as a place to prepare food. Instead, it’s usually a place to grab something off the menu while grabbing a quick cup of coffee.

Kitchen appliances can help you get better tasting food. For example, a simple kitchen gadget you may already own is the kitchen gadget you need: the kitchen strainer. It’s used to separate solids from liquid so you can use your kitchen sink or a strainer to strain out the amount you need. Kitchen strainers come in many shapes, sizes and colors, but they all serve the same purpose: to separate solids from liquid so you can use less water, add less salt and get better flavor out of your cooking. Here are some simple kitchen gadgets you can buy to get you started in cooking like the pros.

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Delivery services: If you want a restaurant-quality food home cooked, forget about ordering take-out. Most delivery services deliver only freshly prepared meals, so it’s up to you to choose a kitchen-friendly delivery service. You can find a number of these delivery services on the Internet, including services that deliver right to your door.

Meal kits: Meal kits are another kitchen tool that you should invest in to prepare home-cooked meals. Meal kits include almost everything you need for a complete meal, which means you don’t have to waste time and effort preparing meals from scratch each day. These meal delivery services offer single-day delivery and some allow multiple deliveries per week.

Use vinegar: Chefs use specialty items like grapes, onions and garlic, among other ingredients, to add flavor to meals. Vinegar adds a unique flavor to dishes and can also help reduce the amount of salt in your meal. For something a little more rustic, consider using granulated vinegar instead of the powdered variety. Look for a variety of vinegars that are available both in grocery stores and home spice stores. Many restaurants use vinegar and seasonings to give restaurant food home-style flavor.

Seasoning kits: Many home cooks are surprised at the variety of spices and seasoning available at their local grocery store or supermarket. Just as they are surprised by the selection of condiments, you should be able to find a wide variety of seasoning kits at your local store. This lets you prepare a wide range of meals from start to finish and gives you the opportunity to experiment with new flavors. Some restaurant food is specially prepared with seasonings to give it a unique flavor.

Use seasonings: Chefs often add herbs and spices to marinades and dressings for a unique flavor that cannot be duplicated in a store bought kitchen spice jar. It is not unusual for a chef to put an entire rack of cumin seed, coriander, or cardamom pods into a jar of mustard and use that as a base for their famous marinades. If you do not have access to these spices at home, consider using grapefruit seed extract or citrus zests as a base for a sauce. Other herbs and spices to use for cooking are thyme, oregano, cinnamon, garlic, Cayenne, and basil. In fact, many people do not even recognize the amount of spices they use in a regular meal, so it can be a surprise to learn just how much spices and vinegar can be used to flavor many meals.

Use fresh herbs and spices: Home cooking allows you to use more fresh herbs and spices than you would ever put into a restaurant. If you like to make your own spaghetti sauce, consider buying whole tomatoes and adding some fresh basil or oregano to the mixture before adding the red pepper flakes. Other ingredients can be frozen or dried such as garlic powder, onion powder, or Cayenne pepper. There is no reason to be afraid of experimenting with ingredients when it comes to home cooking. Your guests will also thank you.