The Turbochef Speedcook oven has been accused of roasting a bit unevenly, but it’s never been accused of wasting time. Patented “Airspeed” technology combines circulating convection heat with microwave pulses to churn out dishes up to 15 times faster than conventional ovens. Even Consumer Reports confirmed the Turbochef’s claim to fame, cooking a 13-pound turkey in a searing 53 minutes. Finally, a cure for impatience. turbochef.com | $7,895

While vacuum sealers have been around for more than a decade, better, smaller, and cheaper technology has made these waste-eliminating food preservers as common as the toaster in the past several years. Put anything from fresh veggies to cooked proteins in a plastic bag, and machines like this Food Saver V3840 will do the rest, locking in flavor while cutting down on waste. foodsaver.com | $173

We know it’s better for us and for the environment to eat fresh, locally grown ingredients, but our lifestyles often don’t allow us to spend hours gathering purely local fare. Bringing fresh, regionally sourced meat, produce, and more to your doorstep with 24-hours notice, Fresh Direct makes “fresh” and “local” feasible and convenient for city-dwellers in the NYC area. It’s a model that’s likely to catch on elsewhere. freshdirect.com

Comfort foods are meant for the home kitchen, but the razzle-dazzle of “caviar” made of cola or pasta made of squid (or perhaps squid made of pasta?)--such culinary voodoo was possible only in the hybrid restaurant/laboratories of molecular gastronomists. With the advent of home chemistry labs that stock the tools and ingredients the pros use, it’s easy to bring scientific trickery your own kitchen. thinkgeek.com | $70

Preparing dinner the right way often requires a lot of gear: blenders, mixers, steamers, pressure cookers, graters--for every preparation, there’s a dedicated gadget for you to buy and store in your cupboard. The German-engineered Thermomix blends, steams, boils, grates, whisks, kneads, chops and weighs all in one handy, space-saving device. Not available in the U.S., you can get an American-friendly version through its Canadian retailer. thermomixcanada.ca | $1,400

It's fair to say the Microplane grater’s big innovation actually came in 1994, when an Ontario homemaker borrowed her husband’s Microplane tool to zest an orange her usual kitchen grater was mangling. It took a few years to catch fire, but soon the shop tool manufacturer was designing a range of specialized photo-etched kitchen implements with edges that are chemically cut rather than stamped, providing a vastly superior slice. us.microplane.com | $13

Going to the grocery once required so much paper: cookbooks, printed recipes, a shopping list. Epicurious.com’s iPhone app makes it easy to browse more than 25,000 recipes, save a few that you like, and automatically compile a single shopping list of the all ingredients you need right on your handheld. Since the app is free, you can put the savings in both paper and time toward the grocery bill. epicurious.com

The French technique of cooking sous vide has long allowed pro chefs the world over to cook both proteins and produce so evenly, consistently, and perfectly that the home chef using normal heat transfer methods could never stack up. The advent of the SousVide Supreme brings countertop sous vide to the rest of us. Dining in will never be the same. sousvidesupreme.com | $450